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India Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Pak's anti-India rocket force to be built on Chinese template
Following its drubbing by Indian forces during the four-day conflict, Pakistan has announced the creation of a new Army Rocket Force Command (ARFC), which is reportedly inspired by China's People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF). Unveiling the plan on the eve of Independence Day, Pakistani Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, on August 13, announced the creation of the new military force, which he said, "will prove to be a milestone in strengthening the combat capability of Pakistan's army".advertisement"It will be equipped with modern technology," Sharif ARFC aims to bolster Pakistan's missile combat capabilities in conventional warfare, reported news agency Reuters. The move by Pakistan comes three months after the four-day military conflict with India. Indian missiles and defence systems decisively outperformed Pakistan's Chinese-supplied four-day mini-war in May was dominated by aerial missile combat, with both India and Pakistan deploying drones, missiles, and loitering munitions. While India pounded terror-heavens in Pakistan with its domestically developed BrahMos and Akash systems, along with the Russian-origin S-400, Pakistan relied on Chinese-made PL-15 missiles. All the Pakistani missiles failed to make impact, as they were successfully intercepted and neutralised by India's layered air defence network. One of them fell on a farmland in development also underscores Pakistan's deepening military alignment with China. According to the latest report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China accounted for 81% of Pakistan's arms imports between 2020 and 2024, up from an average 74% in the past five Pakistan has announced a new military force modelled on China's PLARF, which manages China's land-based missile arsenal, including ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles, both nuclear and are five key takeaways on the move and what it could mean going forward.1. FALLOUT OF OPERATION SINDOOR DROVE PAK'S MISSILE COMMANDThe announcement follows the four-day mini-war, during which Indian forces repulsed all cross-border attacks on Indian military and civilian setback has prompted a structural rethink of Pakistan's missile command, which has now been reimagined with Chinese inspiration.A senior Pakistani security official, quoted by news agency Reuters, said that the ARFC is "obviously meant for India", signalling Pakistan's intent to counter India's demonstrated missile defence new force aims to centralise and enhance Pakistan's missile capabilities to prevent a repeat of such setbacks.2. PAKISTAN'S ARFC MIRRORS CHINA 'S PLARFPakistan's ARFC is explicitly patterned after China's PLARF, the fourth branch of the People's Liberation Army, which manages Beijing's vast arsenal of land-based ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles for both nuclear and conventional in 1966 as the Second Artillery Corps and renamed in 2016, the PLARF is a cornerstone of China's strategic to Group Captain MJ Augustine (Retired) in the Eurasian Times, Pakistan's ARFC will adopt a similar structure, with a dedicated command for missile deployment, leveraging Chinese technology transfers to enhance precision and alignment suggests strengthening of the China-Pakistan "all-weather friendship".3. STRENGTHENING THE CHINA-PAKISTAN MILITARY AXISAnalysts view the ARFC as yet another sign of deepening military ties between Islamabad and Beijing. Pakistan's defence cooperation with China now goes beyond arms Operation Sindoor, China supported Pakistan with intelligence, satellite surveillance, and advanced weapons, including the J-10 fighter jets and AI-backed the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Computing (CENTAIC) of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, during his speech in Parliament on July 29, claimed CENTAIC aims to "integrate the Pakistani Air Force with the Chinese Air Force and transform the PAF into a network-centric air force".He claimed CENTAIC, established in Pakistan in 2020, apparently with Chinese assistance, is a key part of a growing effort to transform the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) into a network-centric force that could be seamlessly integrated with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force using AI and real-time data exchange.4. EMPHASIS ON CONVENTIONAL MISSILE COMBATUnlike the Army Strategic Forces Command that manages Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, the newly formed ARFC will focus solely on conventional missile ARFC will oversee platforms such as the Babur cruise missile, the Shaheen ballistic missile series, and Fatah guided rockets, with an emphasis on executing swift, coordinated strikes to challenge India's air dominance and missile defence force's technology could include Chinese-supplied systems like the A-100 multiple launch rocket systems and Fatah-IV cruise missiles, according to Captain ARFC is likely a new corps-level command, headed by a Lieutenant General reporting directly to the Army Chief Asim Munir.5. REGIONAL, STRATEGIC EQUATIONS ON PAK'S MINDIndia currently holds the edge with systems like BrahMos, Akash, Prithvi, and PL-15 missiles were largely ineffective during the May military ARFC now set to be in place, Islamabad appears to be trying to close that gap by leveraging Chinese expertise and tech in March at the India Today Conclave 2025, Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi sounded a strong warning about the growing military cooperation between China and Pakistan, describing it as a "high degree of collusion" that New Delhi can no longer afford to now Pakistan moving ahead with a separate missile command, that too, with Chinese assistance and collaboration, Pakistan has its vulnerabilities in mind. And it is in pursuit of that very gap that Islamabad is betting big on missiles.- Ends advertisement
The Print
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
After Op Sindoor setback, Pakistan to form China-inspired military rocket force targeted at India
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the creation of the new command late Wednesday at a ceremony in Islamabad. 'It will be equipped with modern technology,' Sharif said in a statement, adding that the force will prove to be a milestone in strengthening the combat capability of Pakistan's army. The ARFC is meant to be a dedicated force for conventional missile and rocket systems, and will include not just cruise missiles and rockets, but also conventional ballistic missiles and Pakistan's planned hypersonic missiles. New Delhi: Pakistan, which found its long range strike capabilities hollow in the face of India's Operation Sindoor, has decided to set up a new Army Rocket Force Command (ARFC), on the lines of China's force. On the eve of its independence day, Pakistan also showcased the Fatah IV, part of the Fatah weapon system family of Pakistan. The new missile—earlier versions of which were used by Pakistan against India amid the military hostilities between 7 May and 10 May—has a range of 700 kilometres, it is claimed. A senior Pakistan security official told Reuters that the new force will house a dedicated command, which will be exclusive to the handling and deployment of missiles in any event of a conventional war. 'It is obvious that it is meant for India,' the official was quoted as saying. Sources in the Indian defence and security establishment told ThePrint that following Op Sindoor, they had understood that Pakistan will now focus majorly on long range strike capabilities besides air defence. They said that contrary to what Pakistan has claimed, none of their missiles, including the Fatah series, were able to do any significant damage, and most of them were shot down by Indian air defence systems. Sources further said that Pakistan is setting up the new command to ensure decentralised deployment and focused modernisation. 'During Op Sindoor, Indian forces fought like an integrated unit which also involved quick moving of logistics and India's long range vectors. Pakistan now wants to create a centralised command, which will then try and overwhelm India's air defence in a coordinated manner, just like India did,' a source explained. The sources added that it is unlikely that the nuclear weapons would also come under the new command. It is felt that they will remain under the Strategic Forces Command, unlike in the case of China. India is also planning a rocket force of its own, something that former Chief of Defence Staff Late General Bipin Rawat was keen on. This was being done to counter China's rocket force. China's rocket force, established in 2015 as part of President Xi Jinping's military overhaul, has been at the centre of the latest anti-corruption campaign targeting the military. Gen Li Shangfu, who earlier headed the rocket force and was then promoted as the defence minister by Xi, was summarily sacked for alleged corruption. His successor, Gen Li Yuchao, who assumed the role of its commander in 2022, was also removed following graft charges. In July 2024, China's Communist Party announced the anti-corruption investigation against Gen Sun Jinming, who headed the rocket force. At least seven past or serving senior military officials from the rocket force of People's Liberation Army have faced anti-corruption probes since 2023. Gen Wei Fenghe, who headed the force from its inception until 2017, and then served as the country's defence minister from 2018 to 2023, was also expelled from the party for alleged corruption. (Edited by Mannat Chugh) Also Read: Secret to Pakistan aircraft losses in Op Sindoor could lie in Martin-Baker's ejection seats records
