‘China Dumped Poor Quality Weapons In Pakistan’: Op Sindoor Exposed Islamabad’s Weakness | Exclusive

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Last Updated:July 04, 2025, 17:53 IST

Pakistan’s reliance on cheap and poor quality Chinese military hardware exposed critical vulnerabilities during Operation Sindoor, said sources

India launched a strike at Markaz Taiba, the LeT camp in Muridke, on May 7. (PTI)

Among other things, India’s Operation Sindoor highlighted one key aspect of Pakistani defence – Islamabad has become a junkyard for downgraded Chinese weapons, said sources.

According to intelligence sources, China supplied Pakistan lower-grade exports compared to the machines used domestically. The weaknesses in the Chinese arms and air defence systems supplied to Pakistan became evident during Operation Sindoor.

Pakistan’s reliance on economically cheap Chinese military hardware has exposed critical vulnerabilities, said sources.

WHAT CHINA GAVE PAKISTAN?

Top intelligence sources said that Chinese systems sold to Pakistan are downgraded. The HQ-9P has a 125 km range vs. China’s domestic HQ-9B 250–300 km. A Pakistani LY-80 radar system in Gujranwala was destroyed by Indian Harop loitering munitions due to poor mobility and counter-drone capabilities. The JF-17’s KLJ-7A AESA radar has a smaller aperture than India’s Rafale’s RBE2-AA radar, reducing detection range and tracking accuracy. Limited fuel capacity restricts operational range, forcing reliance on vulnerable mid-air refueling. Exported PL-15E missiles have a reduced range (145 km) compared to China’s domestic PL-15 (200–300 km), allowing India’s Rafales with Meteor missiles (200 km) to outrange them.

HOW INDIA EXPLOITED LOOPHOLES DURING OPERATION SINDOOR? SOURCES EXPLAIN

The Chinese air defence system supplied to Pakistan proved ineffective against stealth and precision threats. China’s HQ-9B, marketed as a Patriot equivalent, along with the HQ-16, failed to intercept Indian SCALP stealth cruise missiles and HAMMER glide bombs. Their radars struggled with low-altitude, terrain-hugging threats due to limited detection ranges and susceptibility to jamming. Pakistan’s air defence lacked redundancy and layered coordination.

Indian SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) tactics exploited this by targeting radar nodes, crippling the entire network.

Pakistan Fighter Jets were outmatched by Indian technology. Reliance on pre-programmed flight paths made them predictable targets. With 81% of Pakistan’s arms imports being Chinese, a dependency without diversification has been created. China’s refusal to share cutting-edge tech such as J-20 stealth fighters has left Pakistan with outdated systems.

India’s mix of Russian, Western, and homegrown tech has reduced dependency risks and enhanced adaptability.

Chinese Wing Loong II and CH-4 drones were easily intercepted by India’s Akash SAMs and SMASH-2000 counter-drone systems due to poor manoeuvrability and lack of stealth features. Pakistan’s limited defense budget ($10.2 billion vs. India’s $86 billion) led to maintenance shortfalls. Sources say defective Wing Loong drones crashed during missions. Chinese systems require specialized technicians, which Pakistan lacks, causing downtime during critical operations. Pakistani pilots trained on simulators struggled with real-world combat scenarios, unlike India’s Rafale pilots trained in France.

China’s arms exports to Pakistan suffer from downgraded capabilities and integration flaws. While Chinese machines are cost-effective, their operational inflexibility is apparent. All these systems falter against India’s technologically superior, diversified, and well-integrated defense architecture.