JH-7 as a Missile Hauler

[AeronautIR]

My focus was a bit future oriented, not only from the perspective of what they can have (I hope their bureaucracy delays it as usual) and also what we should have, given their depth.

If they show decision agility, they already have a platform right now that can sport air lora / rocks. And in any case, it’s an emerging trend which we can think of now or decide not to.

Maybe I am not explaining it well enough, so let me share what CNS told @Quwa. You are platform oriented, while things have shifted towards gaining capabilities by available means.
"In his recent interview with Quwa, the Pakistan Navy (PN) Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Admiral Naveed Ashraf, stated that the service arm’s modernization track was focused on “capability-based development rather than platform-based modernization.”
In its most straightforward sense, Admiral Ashraf was essentially stating that the PN was not trying to accumulate assets, like surface ships, for the sake of numbers, but instead, it aimed to build certain capabilities from what it can realistically acquire.
When reviewing the PN’s modernization efforts thus far, alongside Pakistan’s broader defence procurement and industrial activities, those capabilities seem to focus on the following outcomes: (1) long-range, precision-strike; (2) deep system and subsystem integration across platforms with greater sensor fusion and connectivity range; and (3) offloading any requirement for greater platform numbers to uncrewed air, surface, and underwater vehicles – all led by core crewed platforms already in the pipeline.
Collectively, these outcomes will feed back into the PN’s anti-access and area-denial (A2/AD) posture, i.e., its capacity to deter and prevent an Indian military incursion into Pakistan’s coastlines, sea lanes, and territorial waters."

 

[Bilal]

Maybe I am not explaining it well enough, so let me share what CNS told @Quwa. You are platform oriented, while things have shifted towards gaining capabilities by available means.
"In his recent interview with Quwa, the Pakistan Navy (PN) Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Admiral Naveed Ashraf, stated that the service arm’s modernization track was focused on “capability-based development rather than platform-based modernization.”
In its most straightforward sense, Admiral Ashraf was essentially stating that the PN was not trying to accumulate assets, like surface ships, for the sake of numbers, but instead, it aimed to build certain capabilities from what it can realistically acquire.
When reviewing the PN’s modernization efforts thus far, alongside Pakistan’s broader defence procurement and industrial activities, those capabilities seem to focus on the following outcomes: (1) long-range, precision-strike; (2) deep system and subsystem integration across platforms with greater sensor fusion and connectivity range; and (3) offloading any requirement for greater platform numbers to uncrewed air, surface, and underwater vehicles – all led by core crewed platforms already in the pipeline.
Collectively, these outcomes will feed back into the PN’s anti-access and area-denial (A2/AD) posture, i.e., its capacity to deter and prevent an Indian military incursion into Pakistan’s coastlines, sea lanes, and territorial waters."

I mentioned platform as a capability enabler. Right now, no unmanned system can provide this capability nor do other service integrations give the same capability.

I catch your drift, that not everything that is desired can be had, there has to be compromises given the resources and more pressing needs. I understand.

Its just as a thought experiment or a what if or something for a further out timeline (long term).

So, down the line we need heavy payload capability enabler. Unless of course, this whole thing has no merits at all or it is totally redundant compared to surface launched systems.

 

[AeronautIR]

I mentioned platform as a capability enabler. Right now, no unmanned system can provide this capability nor do other service integrations give the same capability.

I catch your drift, that not everything that is desired can be had, there has to be compromises given the resources and more pressing needs. I understand.

Its just as a thought experiment or a what if or something for a further out timeline (long term).

So, down the line we need heavy payload capability enabler. Unless of course, this whole thing has no merits at all or it is totally redundant compared to surface launched systems.

It isn't redundant to surface launched, but I think platforms like 5th and 6th gen or bigger drones may be a better option in 10 years or so.

 

[Bilal]

It isn't redundant to surface launched, but I think platforms like 5th and 6th gen or bigger drones may be a better option in 10 years or so.

And yes, one thing I under emphasized and this probably will be a shorter horizon issue. We need a VLRAAM capability to engage their stand off weapons carriers, to deter/engage long ranged safe operations while they sit outside the range of PL15. That’s something they can do right now or at least very soon and they have learnt their lesson the hard way.