The HQ-9BE, PL-17E and Prospective J-35E Transfers: Impact on Pakistan’s Integrated Air Defence and Strike Capabilities
Keywords:
HQ-9BE, PL-17E, J-35E, Air Defense, Strategic Balance, Pakistan Air ForceAbstract
The HQ-9BE, PL-17E and the prospective J-35E represent advanced Chinese air-defence and air-combat capabilities that collectively elevate long-range interception, beyond-visual-range strike reach and fifth-generation stealth performance for potential deployment within Pakistan’s force structure. The core problem addressed here concerns how these systems, if integrated, may recalibrate Pakistan’s layered air-defence network and reshape its offensive strike envelope under tightening regional competition. The research questions examine the operational effects of HQ-9BE deployment on Pakistan’s air-defence depth, the strategic consequences of PL-17E integration for air dominance ambitions and the extent to which a future J-35E induction could alter South Asian aerial power balances. Recent studies have sharpened this discourse, including Lalwani’s 2023 assessment of threshold alliances, Ahmed and Karim’s 2024 analysis of Sino-Pak air-power integration and Zhang’s 2025 work on China’s export-driven defence technology pathways. The analysis employs a strategic interdependence framework drawing on Walt’s 1987 balance-of-threat logic to evaluate how capability transfers reshape alliance behaviour and operational planning. The findings indicate that if these systems converge within Pakistan’s command-and-control ecosystem, they could generate a transformative step-change in detection, interception and deep-strike capacity, warranting rigorous scrutiny by policymakers and scholars seeking foresight on emerging regional power shifts.
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