Pakistan New Electronic Warfare Weapon |A Challenge to India Air Power!
According to information, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has included the Turkish-made HAVA SOJ system, mounted on a Bombardier Global 6000 aircraft, in its fleet. This step is equivalent to Pakistan crossing another important milestone in the field of electronic warfare. The acquisition of this system is not only a major technical achievement but also has the capability to change the balance of air superiority in the entire region.
It is clear that Pakistan has always been ahead of others in terms of electronic warfare capabilities in South Asia. In 2019, during Operation Swift Retort, Pakistan rendered the Indian Air Force helpless through its superior electronic warfare capabilities. During India’s recent Operation Sindoor, Pakistan also made the enemy lose its nerve with its EW expertise.
Now, the HAVA SOJ system acquired by Pakistan is a joint effort of Turkish Aerospace and the Turkish company ASELSAN. It is an airborne stand-off jamming system that can jam enemy radar, communication, and data links from a distance of five hundred kilometers. This system creates a “safe corridor” for its fighter jets to operate deep within enemy territory by deceiving enemy radar. The system delivered to Pakistan is mounted on a Bombardier Global 6000 business jet, which is an ideal platform for EW operations due to its altitude, range, and electrical power.
With the inclusion of the HAVA SOJ system, the PAF has now gained the ability to jam or deceive enemy AESA, PSR, MSR radars, SAM fire control systems, and communication networks from hundreds of kilometers away. This destabilizes the enemy’s air picture (the alignment made for air attack or defense) and limits its engagement envelope (the capability for direct combat). The HAVA SOJ not only provides stand-off jamming but also enables the detection and analysis of enemy locations through COMINT (listening to and understanding enemy communications, such as radio conversations) and ELINT (capturing and analyzing non-communication electronic waves emitted from enemy equipment like radars, jammers, or missile systems).
(When both methods are used, we can create a list of the locations of enemy electronic signals, which allows us to know where the enemy’s radars are, how many there are, and what type they are.)
This system improves the planning of SEAD and DEAD missions. (SEAD stands for “Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses,” meaning to suppress or temporarily disable the enemy’s air defenses so that our aircraft can safely enter enemy territory and hit targets. DEAD stands for “Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses,” meaning to completely destroy the enemy’s air defenses.)
This platform enables its fighter jets, attack drones, and cruise missiles to carry out uninterrupted attacks hundreds of kilometers inside enemy territory.
In a potential Pakistan-India air conflict, this platform can play several important roles. It can neutralize India’s S-400, Barak-8, Akash-NG, and ground-controlled intercept channels through jamming and deception, allowing Pakistan’s JF-17 Block III, F-16, or cruise/stand-off weapons to hit targets hundreds of kilometers inside enemy territory without hindrance or danger. With the help of ELINT techniques, the precise locations of enemy radars and launchers can be identified, after which they can be destroyed using anti-radiation or stand-off weapons.
This system will prove effective in both defense and attack, i.e., Jam-to-protect and Jam-to-enable. Additionally, it can create gaps in the enemy’s Recognized Air Picture by disrupting net-centric command and data links, which facilitates offensive counter-air and strike packaging. (In simple terms, this system disrupts the enemy’s communication and information transmission systems, thereby disrupting their air alignment. This makes it much easier to conduct aggressive air attacks against the enemy and organize the formation of aircraft for attack.)
By acquiring South Asia’s first dedicated SOJ platform, Pakistan has gained a strategic advantage in several dimensions. For example, the PAF has gained a clear edge over India’s layered defense systems and ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) systems. The Pakistan Air Force has become capable of highly effective deployment of a smaller number of fighter jets against a much larger number, nullifying India’s numerical superiority and strategic depth advantages.
Defense cooperation with Turkey and China holds far-reaching benefits for Pakistan. Agreements with these countries generally offer greater scope for technology transfer, local industry integration, and customization, which are difficult due to Western ITAR restrictions. Cooperation with Turkey and China is also more flexible in terms of end-user politics, reducing the risk of restrictions on spare parts and upgrades. The combination of COTS business jets and indigenous EW suites results in lower operating and capital costs compared to Western specialized platforms, yet they are more effective than Western systems.
In short, it can be said that Pakistan’s Global 6000 platform and Turkish HAVA SOJ suite are a game-changer, blinding and deafening enemy sensors and command networks, making SEAD, DEAD, and stand-off strikes feasible. If operated with two platforms, decoys, a robust kill-chain, and rigorous EW training, it can prove to be a multiplier that delivers effects-based superiority, deterrence by denial, and greater impact with limited resources.
Read More
Devastation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa| Aftermath of Rains, Cloudbursts, and Systemic Negligence
