Turkey’s SİPER air defence system: Expert names Pakistan's dream replacement for Chinese HQ-9B after Op Sindoor disappointment

Pakistan’s confidence in Chinese air-defence technology "has disappeared" following clashes with India in May, and the country's military brass may look for a more reliable partner to safeguard its skies, a noted defence analyst claimed. Turkey’s SİPER Block 1/2 air-defence systems thus stand a realistic chance of replacing China’s HQ-9B systems, according to US geopolitical and national security analyst, author, and commentator Brandon J. Weichert

When fighting escalated between India and Pakistan after the IAF's precision strikes on terror launchpads in POK and mainland Pakistan, Islamabad pinned its hopes on the Chinese HQ-9Bs to protect its skies. While the Russian S-400s and Akash missiles thwarted all projectiles sent at India, the HQ-9B failed miserably. China had told Pakistan that its product was based on the Russian S-300s and could be trusted to perform a similar role. However, when India's BrahMos missiles came knocking, it was proven that the air-defence systems were nowhere close to the Russian machines.

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In his piece for The National Interest, Brandon J. Weichert went to the extent of calling the HQ-9Bs "junk" and Chinese-made "Frankenstein's Monsters" that are incapable of stopping even "slow-moving drones".

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Having learnt their lesson the hard way, the Pakistani military may turn to Turkey to find an alternative for the HQ-9Bs. Currently used by the Turkish Air Force, SİPER Block 1 and 2 are high-to-medium air-defence surface-to-air missiles (SAM) designed to engage aircraft, cruise missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). They are an indispensable part of Turkey's "Steel Dome" network—Ankara's flagship air-defence system formulated by taking inspiration from Israel's Iron Dome.

What are SİPER air defence systems?

• SİPER-1 can intercept targets at ranges of over 70 km and at altitudes up to 20 km, while SİPER-2 can engage targets beyond 150 km and up to 30 km in altitude.

• Both versions come with full 360-degree coverage, but only SİPER-2 has oblique as well as vertical launching capability.

• Each system can track up to 100 targets at a time (Each unit is capable of carrying and operating with six missiles at once).  At the battery level, both versions can engage up to 10 targets simultaneously and guide up to 20 missiles during an engagement.

SİPER is "equipped with high-performance radar, sophisticated fire control algorithms, and an agile interceptor," a report said, while adding that it has been incorporated with Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) capability and secure wired and wireless communication architecture. Advanced information management, simultaneous multi-target engagement, sequential firing, and recognised air picture display are also part of the system, Defence Security Asia said in a report.