China had assured Pakistan: HQ-9B is Equivalent to India's S-400

Pakistan's acquisition of the Chinese-supplied HQ-9B air defense system, touted by Beijing as a rival to India's Russian-made S-400 Triumf, has come under scrutiny following its underwhelming performance during Operation Sindoor, a series of Indian Air Force (IAF) strikes on May 7-10, 2025, targeting terrorist infrastructure and Pakistan Air Force (PAF) airbases. Sources close to idrw.org reveal that Pakistan opted for the HQ-9B over pursuing Russia's S-300 or S-350 systems, swayed by Chinese claims of comparable capabilities to the S-400. However, the system's failure to intercept IAF missiles and drones has exposed significant shortcomings, raising questions about Pakistan's air defense strategy and its reliance on Chinese technology.

The HQ-9B, an advanced variant of China's Hongqi-9 (Red Banner-9) surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, was acquired by Pakistan in 2021 as the HQ-9P, with upgrades to the HQ-9B configuration by 2024. Marketed by China as a cost-effective alternative to Russian and Western systems, the HQ-9B boasts a claimed range of 250-300 km, a track-via-missile (TVM) guidance system with semi-active radar homing (SARH), and the ability to engage up to 8-10 targets simultaneously at speeds up to Mach 14. Chinese suppliers assured Pakistan that the system matched the S-400's capabilities, including its ability to counter aircraft, cruise missiles, and tactical ballistic missiles, prompting Islamabad to forgo negotiations with Russia for the S-300PMU-2 or S-350 Vityaz, according to idrw.org sources.

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