Why Pakistan’s HQ-9 Air Defense System Failed to Intercept Indian Missiles During the Recent Conflict

This article is written by Major (r) Haroon Rasheed. 

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During the most recent India-Pakistan conflict in May 2025, a significant spotlight was cast on the performance of both countries’ air defense systems. One of the more notable questions that emerged was: Why did Pakistan’s Chinese-supplied HQ-9 air defense system fail to intercept the barrage of Indian missiles?

Despite being touted as one of the most advanced air defense systems in the region, the HQ-9 was unable to prevent Indian missile strikes on key Pakistani military infrastructure. Here’s a breakdown of the technical and tactical reasons behind this failure:

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1. Supersonic, Low-Observable Missiles: BrahMos and SCALP

India employed BrahMos and SCALP-EG missiles—both known for their supersonic speeds and stealth characteristics. These missiles are capable of flying at low altitudes (terrain-hugging profiles), making them incredibly difficult to detect on radar. Their high speed (BrahMos at Mach 2.8–3.0) drastically reduces interception windows, even for top-tier systems.

Their stealth features and ability to hug the terrain further complicate tracking, particularly for systems designed for high-altitude threats like the HQ-9.

2. Air-Launched Attacks Reduce Detection Time

These missiles were launched from aircraft such as India’s Rafale and Su-30MKI, which means the launch point was already within close proximity to Pakistani airspace. When launched from aircraft over Indian Punjab or Rajasthan, they would be mere 200 kilometers away from key Pakistani targets, including Sargodha and Chaklala Airbases.

This drastically compressed the reaction time to under 2 minutes—barely enough to detect, identify, and engage the incoming threats before impact.

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3. Saturation Attacks: Missiles, Drones, and Decoys

India conducted what’s known as a saturation attack: launching hundreds of drones, loitering munitions, and decoy projectiles alongside real missiles. These overwhelmed Pakistan’s detection and command systems, forcing the HQ-9 to choose between targets or respond too slowly to the actual threats.

This is a common tactic in modern warfare, intended to confuse radar systems and exhaust interceptor missiles. When air defenses are faced with an attack that mimics a full-scale invasion, response accuracy drops drastically.

4. Limitations of the HQ-9 System

While the HQ-9 is marketed as a capable long-range SAM (surface-to-air missile) system, it is derived from older designs like the Russian S-300 and is primarily optimized for high-altitude aircraft or ballistic missile threats. It is less effective against low-flying cruise missiles, especially when terrain and stealth are used to mask their approach.

Moreover, the HQ-9 has a slower reaction chain and less advanced sensor fusion capabilities compared to newer systems like the S-400 or the American THAAD.

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5. Even the Best Systems Aren’t Perfect

It’s important to remember that no air defense system in the world offers 100% interception reliability. Even the most advanced systems—such as:

THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense)

Iron Dome (Israel)

S-400 (Russia/India)

have limitations when facing low-flying, high-speed, coordinated attacks with electronic warfare and decoys in play.

Conclusion

The inability of Pakistan’s HQ-9 to intercept Indian missiles was not a failure of technology alone, but a result of advanced offensive tactics, strategic timing, and physical limitations of current air defense technologies. India’s use of supersonic, low-flying cruise missiles, combined with saturation tactics and limited engagement windows, made it nearly impossible for the HQ-9 to perform effectively.

This conflict serves as a reminder that in modern warfare, even the best air defense systems can be overwhelmed by precision, speed, and clever strategy—and that no defense is truly impenetrable.

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This article is written by Major (r) Haroon Rasheed.