Pakistan eyeing German missile shield used in Ukraine after BrahMos proves too fast for Chinese systems: Report
Pakistan is considering acquiring the German IRIS-T SLM air defense system to counter supersonic cruise missiles like India's BrahMos, which have proven effective against its existing Chinese systems. Despite facing economic challenges and securing international loans, Pakistan has increased its defense budget, raising concerns from India about the allocation of funds.
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
IRIS-T SLM shows effectiveness against supersonic cruise missiles
Feature IRIS-T S-400 BrahMos Type Defensive Defensive Offensive Origin Germany Russia India- Russia Role Point area & Defence Long-range air defence High-speed precision strike Max. Range ~40 km ~400 km ~400 km (latest variants) Speed of Target Handling Supersonic missiles Hypersonic threats Supersonic (Mach 3) In service with Germany, Ukraine Russia, India, China India (Army, Navy, Air Force) Designed to defeat Cruise missiles, drones Missiles, aircraft Ground/naval targets
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
Pakistan's defence upgrade comes amid financial troubles
India objects to international loans given to Pakistan
German defence ties span both sides of the subcontinent
Reliance enters into a partnership with the German firm
Pakistan is reportedly exploring the option of acquiring an advanced air defence system from a German company to counter supersonic cruise missiles , such as India's BrahMos , which have proven highly effective against Pakistan's existing Chinese-made HQ-16 and HQ-9 systems. According to media reports, the system has already been inducted into the Ukrainian armed forces. Last month, Ukraine claimed that the advanced air defence system successfully shot down over 60 targets since its initial deployment last year..The IRIS-T SLM system, developed by Diehl Defence , has reportedly been very successful in Ukraine, particularly against Russian P-800 Oniks missiles that are similar in performance to the BrahMos. The system was originally meant for Egypt, which had signed a deal for ten batteries, but some of the units were redirected to Ukraine during the ongoing war.Introduced in 1990, the IRIS-T SLM has undergone multiple upgrades. It includes a radar, an operations centre, and multiple launchers—each mounted on a compact 20-foot frame. This modular design allows for easier deployment. The cost of one complete unit is estimated at around $200 million.Pakistan's interest in the system comes at a time when its existing air defence systems have failed to counter threats like the Indo-Russian BrahMos missile . The country is facing severe economic challenges and has repeatedly sought help from global financial institutions. In the last month alone, Pakistan secured an $800 million loan from the Asian Development Bank and a $1 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund.Despite its fiscal crisis, the Pakistani government cancelled development projects worth 1,000 billion Pakistani rupees but raised the defence budget by 18%, according to a report by India Today.India has raised objections against Pakistan receiving billions in loans from multi-lateral agencies like ADB and IMF. It has claimed, 'the loan amount would be used for terror financing rather than their intended use for development.'While Pakistan is exploring a deal for IRIS-T SLM from Germany, Diehl Defence is also a partner of Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems that is working on an Indian defence project. The two companies are working together to supply an Interactive Defence and Attack System (IDAS) for six submarines being developed under India's Rs 70,000 crore Project 75I for the Indian Navy.Reliance Defence, subsidiary of Reliance Infrastructure announced on Wednesday that the company has entered in a partnership which could generate around Rs. 10,000 crores in revenue. The deal is to manufacture Vulcano 155mm artillery shell that is used for long range precision strikes. It would help give the Indian Army a boost in the conducting precision strikes. The company will manufacture atleast 50% of the system in India.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
Boeing shares plunge over 8% after Air India Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad
Shares of US aircraft manufacturer Boeing fell sharply—over 8% in pre-market trading on Thursday—after a London-bound Air India flight crashed in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The aircraft involved was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. At the time of reporting, Boeing's share price had dropped 8.05% to $196.78 in pre-open trade, marking its third consecutive session of losses. This decline follows Wednesday's 0.8% dip, when the stock closed at $214. Despite this recent fall, Boeing shares had gained around 24% in the past three months. Meanwhile, Boeing shares listed on the German exchange were also down by 8.5%, trading at €169.94. The crash involved Air India flight AI 171, which was en route to London and had 244 people on board. The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport around 2 pm. According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the pilot issued a Mayday call, but no further communication was received thereafter. Several casualties are feared. In a statement, Boeing said: 'We are aware of initial reports and are working to gather more information.' The Boeing 787 is known for its solid safety track record, with no prior fatal crashes. Although battery-related issues once grounded the fleet, those incidents did not result in injuries. India's Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu expressed deep sorrow and said he was personally monitoring the rescue operations. 'Rescue teams are being mobilised and all emergency support is being rushed to the crash site,' he said. More details are awaited as investigation teams and emergency services continue to assess the situation.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
German utility RWE and tech giant Amazon announce partnership
German utility RWE and tech giant Amazon announced a strategic framework agreement on Thursday, where the utility will provide clean power delivery and in exchange receive cloud services. The cloud services cover artificial intelligence and data analytics in exchange for electricity supplied from RWE's wind and solar facilities, some of which are already in operation and some are under construction. Context by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like "가르마 빈틈 넓어졌다면?" 지금 관리 시작하세요! 500모 49만원부터! oo_모발이식센터 지금 예약 Undo RWE is a major utility in Europe with a large portfolio of renewable energy both in operation and in development which it can then sell to Amazon or other data centre hyperscalers to help companies reach green energy targets. The partnership announcement is a start, with ties expected to develop and deepen between the two companies, RWE said. Live Events "(The strategic partnership) enables us to focus and look at longer term options in more detail," said Simon Stanton, RWE's head of Global Partnerships and Transactions. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories These longer-term options include the development of renewables, power purchase agreements, and enabling the build out of AWS 's data centre infrastructure , he added. "Advancing digitalization and electrification are also driving up demand for electricity," Chief Commercial Officer of RWE Supply & Trading, Ulf Kerstin, said. "Our competitive portfolio of renewable and flexible energy generation is ideally suited to meet this demand," he added. By the numbers Amazon has contracted around 1.1 gigawatts of renewable energy across seven power purchase agreements with RWE in the United States, the statement said. RWE's Supply & Trading division has also migrated mission-critical applications to AWS cloud services, including their Energy Trading and Risk Management platform enabling 30% performance improvements with end-of-day runtimes, it said. What's next? Going forward Amazon will support RWE's continued innovation in trading, commercial asset optimization including renewables, and energy AI applications, the announcement said. The collaboration will deepen ties to RWE's AI Research Laboratory in Seattle to accelerate the development of advanced AI forecasting models through large computational power and cloud elasticity, it said.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
India, China in talks on rare earths to ensure supply predictability: MEA
India is engaging with China to ensure greater stability in trade supply chains, particularly in light of Beijing's recent restrictions on rare earth exports, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. According to media reports, the global automotive sector is grappling with China's export controls on certain rare earth elements used in electric vehicles and other technologies. The resulting shortages have reportedly raised concerns among industry players about potential supply chain disruptions. 'We are in touch with the Chinese side, both here in Delhi as also in Beijing, to bring predictability in supply chain for trade, consistent with international practices,' said foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. Earlier this week, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said China's restrictions on the export of rare earth elements and related magnets will have short-term impacts on the domestic automotive and white goods sectors. The rare earth magnet issue In reaction to heightened tariffs imposed by United States President Donald Trump's administration, China imposed export restrictions from April 4, targeting seven specific rare earth elements and related magnets. The affected materials—samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium and yttrium—are critical for applications in industries such as defence, energy and automotive technology. Under the revised regulations, Chinese exporters were required to secure special permits before shipping these items abroad. US–China deal However, on Wednesday, both the United States and China announced that they had reached a preliminary understanding aimed at reviving their trade truce. As part of this arrangement, China has agreed to lift its export curbs on rare earth materials. However, according to The Wall Street Journal, China is placing a six-month cap on export licences for rare earth elements to US automakers and manufacturers. The measure is expected to provide Beijing with additional leverage in trade discussions and heighten uncertainty for US industries dependent on these materials.
