The Pakistan Air Force and Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) recently conducted an aerial exercise, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement on Tuesday.
This bilateral exercise was codenamed “Indus Shield-Chinese,” part of the larger Exercise Indus Shield 2024 and was conducted at one of the operational airbases of the PAF. This involved Chinese personnel with some advanced equipment, simulating current scenarios of aerial warfare.
The exercise included the People’s Republic of China’s J-16 and J-10C fighter jets, which carried AESA radar and long-range BVR missiles, the HQ-22 surface-to-air system, the YTG-9 airborne electronic warfare platform, and the KJ-500 airborne early warning system. These systems were put to the test alongside the PAF’s J-10C and JF-17 Block-III fighter jets.
As per the ISPR, this massive exercise has underscored PAF’s operational preparedness and cooperation with allied forces to address modern security challenges.
The exercise was supposed to improve interoperability between China and Pakistan by exercising a variety of military tactics in a near-realistic, multi-domain operational training environment. It also helped the two air forces maximize their combat potential, thus showing commitment from both nations to cooperate in defense initiatives.
This exercise is part of a larger series of drills regularly conducted by Pakistan’s armed forces in conjunction with other international forces.
