Defence Uncut

Pakistan is about to make its biggest fighter decision in a generation — and it starts with the F-16. The Pakistan Air Force's three F-16A/B Block-15 squadrons are scheduled to retire by 2040, a timeline all but confirmed by the $686 million U.S. support and upgrade deal signed in December 2025. That leaves one question hanging over the PAF's entire next procurement cycle: what actually re...

The Pakistan Air Force is entering its biggest procurement cycle since the 2010s, and the question that defines it is what replaces the ageing F-16 fleet in the 2030s. In this episode, Bilal Khan and Arslan Khan work through the three-way contest between China's J-35, Turkey's TF Kaan, and the Eurofighter Typhoon — why the PAF is wary of buying an all-Chinese system "out of the box," why it insist...

Pakistan has quietly started building the unglamorous parts of modern warfare — the engines, munitions and cheap cruise missiles that win a long fight. In this episode, Bilal Khan and Arslan Khan open with the Alsons Group's reveal of Pakistan's first home-built UAV engines at Eurosatory 2026 (via its new AKAL division), then dig into why the private sector is now central to Pakistan's...

Pakistan's defence budget for FY2026-27 has hit a record ~$10.76 billion — a near 18% increase and the largest in real dollar terms (almost 3 trillion rupees). But the headline number hides the real story: where is the money actually going, and why is it NOT the J-35 purchase everyone keeps asking about? In this episode of Defence Uncut, Bilal Khan and Arslan Khan decode the budget, the arriva...

Is India really buying the Russian Su-57 "Felon"? Bilal Khan and Arslan Khan open by unpacking why the India–Russia FGFA program collapsed after nearly two decades, why Moscow's new offer is suddenly so generous, and why the Su-57-vs-Rafale fight is driven by industrial revenue-share politics as much as by capability. The conversation then widens into the real lesson of the JF-17 — t...

Russia has reportedly agreed to supply and help maintain air defence systems for the Afghan Taliban. But as Bilal Khan and Arslan Khan explain, the real danger isn't to Pakistan's fighter jets — it's the proliferation of MANPADS across the region, and the policy failures that allowed it. This episode unpacks the reported Russia–Taliban air defence deal, why loose MANPADS are a bigger threat than a...

Pakistan Air Force Chief ACM Zaheer Babar Sidhu visited Baykar Technologies in Turkey and was photographed with the Bayraktar Kızılelma — a jet-powered unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) that could reshape how the PAF approaches deep strike, loyal wingman operations, and force structure planning. In this episode, Bilal Khan and Arslan Khan go deep on what this visit signals and — more important...

Pakistan's Army Rocket Force Command tested the Fatah IV ground-launched cruise missile with an air burst warhead and new imaging infrared seeker — the latest step in Pakistan's conventional deterrence build-up. Bilal Khan and Arslan Khan unpack what the Fatah IV's evolution from the Harba series means for mass production and scalability, then dive into the Z-10ME attack helicopter&#39...

One year after the May 2025 India-Pakistan conflict, Pakistan's military procurement picture has fundamentally changed. In this episode, Bilal Khan, Arslan Khan, and Aseem break down the full scope of Pakistan's post-conflict military modernization — from the FATA-3 supersonic cruising missile to Shahed-style drone factories, the Army Rocket Force Command, PAF fighter fleet expansion, sate...

The Pakistan Navy commissions PNS/M Hangor — the first of eight Hangor-class (S26) AIP submarines derived from China's Yuan-class (Type 039B). We trace the programme from the collapsed Type 214 deal with TKMS through to the current dual-submarine strategy, and discuss how the fleet will reshape Pakistan's maritime posture in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. We also cover the Babur-class c...

The Islamabad talks between the US and Iran ended without an agreement after 21 hours — but the breakdown reveals more than the headlines suggest. In this episode, Bilal Khan and Arslan Khan analyse what the Islamabad negotiations mean for Pakistan's position in the Iran-US war. They examine why the US wanted to establish contact with the IRGC's post-decapitation leadership, why the nuclea...

Defence Uncut is back for Season 2. In this premiere episode, Bilal Khan and Arslan Khan examine the operational lessons emerging from the US-Iran war and what they mean for Pakistan's defence planning. The discussion covers three interconnected areas: the proven value of low-cost Shahed-class loitering munitions — including why the design succeeded where more complex systems have failed, and...

A quiet update to a US Department of Defense contract has added Pakistan to a list of nations slated to receive the advanced AIM-120C8/D AMRAAM, the most capable air-to-air missile in the US export inventory. In this episode, we unpack what this administrative move truly signifies for the Pakistan Air Force. We explain why this is not yet a finalized sale and break down the intricate political and...

In this episode of Defense Uncut, hosts Bilal Khan and Aseem Islam analyze the new Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement (SMDA) signed between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The discussion moves beyond surface-level speculation, such as claims of a "nuclear umbrella," which the hosts argue would be highly destabilizing and unacceptable to the United States. Instead, they propose the agreement w...

This week on Defence Uncut, we dive deep into the reports that the Indian Air Force is pushing to acquire another 114 Dassault Rafale fighters. Is this a strategic masterstroke to consolidate the IAF's power, or an overreaction to Pakistan's potential acquisition of the J-35 stealth fighter? Join us as we analyze why this is far more than a platform-vs-platform debate. We break down the cr...

Pakistan has signed a $406 million deal with China's PIESAT for a constellation of 20+ advanced imaging satellites, a move with massive strategic implications. In this episode, we analyze how this provides the critical situational awareness needed for the new Army Rocket Force Command (ARFC) , why the deal was signed by the Ministry of Food Security instead of SUPARCO , and how it paves the wa...

China's 2025 Victory Day Parade sent a clear message to the world: its military technology is now at the cutting edge. In this episode, we unpack the most significant weapon systems unveiled, from the highly agile HHQ-9C surface-to-air missile to the game-changing YJ-19 hypersonic cruise missile and a new family of stealth combat drones (UCAVs). Aerospace engineer Aseem ul-Islam and Quwa's Bilal K...

The story of the JF-17 Thunder is often told as a manufacturing achievement, but its true genius lies in the strategic doctrine behind it. This episode is a deep-dive analysis of how the Pakistan Air Force, forged by decades of Western sanctions, developed a pragmatic and resilient program to ensure its strategic independence. With aviation historians Usman Shabir and Yawar Mazhar, we explore the...

In this laser-focused episode of Defence Uncut, we dive deep into the establishment of the Pakistan Army's new Rocket Force Command. We analyze the strategic drivers behind its creation, exploring the pattern of escalating conflict with India and the need to build a robust conventional deterrence below the nuclear threshold. Hosted by Bilal Khan with guest Aseem ul-Islam, we discuss how this new f...

Is Pakistan's new Hangor-class submarine secretly a version of China's advanced Yuan-class? This week on Defence Uncut, we dive deep into the Pakistan Navy's newest and largest-ever submarine, exploring its advanced Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) system and its strategic role in pushing Pakistan's defensive line deep into the Indian Ocean. With the third boat, PNS Mangro, recentl...

The Pakistan Army's induction of the Z-10ME attack helicopter 🚁 marks the end of an era. This isn't just a replacement for the aging Cobra; it's a catalyst for a full-scale doctrinal revolution. In this episode, the Defence Uncut team explores how the Z-10ME, a sophisticated standoff weapons platform, is forcing Pakistan's Army Aviation to evolve from direct-fire "tank bustin...

We are joined by special guests Usman Shabbir and Yawar Mazhar, co-authors of the groundbreaking historical book "Eagles of Destiny," for an unprecedented look into the Pakistan Air Force. They reveal the untold story of how the PAF was forged as an institution, deliberately creating a unique identity and culture separate from its British origins and the Pakistan Army. Discover the trans...

In this episode of Defence Uncut, we tackle one of the most critical and complex challenges in modern military technology: architecting a next-generation data-link. The future of air combat is no longer just about faster jets; it's about information. But how can an air force communicate seamlessly in battle (be "Loud") while also remaining electromagnetically silent to strike with su...

The debate over new F-16s for the Pakistan Air Force is back. But is it the right conversation to be having? In this episode of Defence Uncut, we argue that the future of Pakistan's air dominance doesn't lie in more imported fighters, but in a bold and strategic pivot to a sovereign Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) program. We explore how the realities of modern aerial warfare, couple...

The ambition was immense: a homegrown 5th-generation fighter for the Pakistan Air Force. But the flagship program, Project AZM, has effectively failed, leaving critical questions about the future of Pakistan’s aerospace industry. Why was a project with so much national prestige doomed from the start? This episode of Defence Uncut provides a brutally honest post-mortem on Project AZM, revealing how...