A day after India launched Operation Sindoor, the Indian media is claiming that Pakistan’s Chinese-origin HQ-9B air defense system was obliterated in Lahore, Pakistan on May 8.
“Today morning Indian Armed Forces targeted Air Defence Radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan. Indian response has been in the same domain with the same intensity as Pakistan. It has been reliably learnt that an Air Defence system at Lahore has been neutralised,” read an official Indian statement published by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) on May 8.
The attack follows India’s 25-minute-long “measured and non-escalatory” military strikes conducted early on May 7, in which the Indian Armed Forces struck nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), to avenge the Pahalgam terror attack.
The Indian attack was launched after “Pakistan attempted to engage several military targets in Northern and Western India” during the intervening night of May 7 and 8. These aerial threats were neutralised by the Integrated Counter-UAS Grid and Air Defense systems. “The debris of these attacks is now being recovered from several locations that prove the Pakistani attacks,” said the PIB statement.
The statement noted that during the press briefing on May 7, “It was specifically mentioned that Pakistani military establishments had not been targeted. It was also reiterated that any attack on military targets in India will invite a suitable response.” Thus, justifying the series of attacks launched across Pakistan on May 8.
Though the statement did not name the air defense system destroyed, ANI News claimed that the HQ-9 launcher suffered heavy damage.
Similarly, several unverified reports stated that a Pakistani medium-range HQ-16A air defense system was severely damaged in the attacks. According to multiple unverified videos circulating on X, a drone launched by India targeted the LY80 Radar system, part of the Chinese-made HQ-16 medium-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system.
Wreckage of a Pakistani LY-80 (HQ-16) SAM reportedly found in the outskirts of Gujranwala.
Here's a 40 km range overlay around the city, the operational range of the LY-80 SAM. pic.twitter.com/BoUGArjZ3p
— Keshav (@Lone_wolf110) May 8, 2025
Reports of drone attacks were similarly reported from Rawalpindi, Karachi, and Sialkot, among other locations in Pakistan.
As per reports, Harop long-range Loitering Munitions were used to launch the attack inside Pakistan. The reports suggest that three explosions were heard in short succession in Lahore today, causing locals to flee their houses in terror. The explosions allegedly occurred just a few seconds apart, and they were so powerful that people a few kilometers away heard them and fled to the streets in terror and confusion.
Earlier, the role of the HQ-9 and HQ-16 air defense systems in Pakistan was questioned by Indian netizens and military experts as they could not prevent the Indian missiles from reaching their targets on May 7.
The Indian Armed Forces had conducted “focused and precise” missile strikes, implying the use of Precision-Guided Munitions (PGMs).
According to various media reports, the Indian Air Force (IAF) employed SCALP stealth cruise missiles and bombs equipped with HAMMER boost-and-glide kits, launched from Rafale fighter jets. The strikes hit targets as far as Bahawalpur and Muridke, with no reported interception by the so-called advanced HQ-9, raising questions about its reliability.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that around 10 p.m., they had received intelligence that an attack by the Indian Armed Forces was imminent. The failure of the Chinese-origin HQ-9 and HQ-16 to detect or intercept Indian missiles could have been due to India’s suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) tactics, including radar jamming and low-observable munitions.
The Pakistani military has yet to acknowledge the destruction of the HQ-9, and the EurAsian Times does not endorse its destruction claims. However, the failure of the HQ-9 against kamikaze drones could be a massive setback to China, which prides itself on having state-of-the-art defense systems.
China’s Vaunted HQ-9 Not Very Impressive?
The reports (despite being unverified) of the destruction of the HQ-9 are likely to deflate a rather boastful stance taken by Chinese military experts and bloggers following Pakistan’s claims of using the J-10C to shoot down Indian Rafales.
Though the claims have not been backed by evidence and are yet to be officially confirmed, Chinese state media have diligently amplified them without exercising discretion. This led to a surge in China’s Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) stock, which increased by 17% to 36%.
Pakistan acquired these crucial air defense systems after India’s Balakot air strikes in 2019 and inducted them into service in October 2021.
Developed and manufactured by China Precision Machinery Import-Export Corporation (CPMIEC), a Beijing-based Chinese defense company, the HQ-9 is a long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system designed to intercept various aerial threats, including aircraft, cruise missiles, air-to-surface missiles, and tactical ballistic missiles.
It was developed using Almaz-Antey technology, incorporating elements from the S-300– a Russian air defense system.
An HQ-9 battery includes 192 missiles, 48 missile-launch vehicles, six control vehicles, six targeting radar vehicles, six search radar vehicles, a positioning vehicle, a communications vehicle, a power supply vehicle, and a support vehicle.
Pakistan has reportedly acquired the HQ-9P variant, which has a range of 125 kilometers, and the HQ-9B, which has a range of 250 to 300 kilometers. It can intercept 8 to 10 missiles simultaneously.
It is the most advanced air defense system in Pakistan’s inventory, which also operates the HQ-16 and HQ-7. In fact, the Chinese media emphasize the HQ-9’s ability to function in a layered defense network, integrating with shorter-range systems like the HQ-16 and HQ-7.
This makes it a “comprehensive” solution for area and point defense, protecting critical infrastructure and military assets. Earlier, the system’s integration into Pakistan’s Comprehensive Layered Integrated Air Defence (CLIAD) was cited as creating a robust shield against advanced threats like India’s Rafale jets and BrahMos missiles.
Chinese media regularly mention the HQ-9’s performance in local and international exercises, stating that it has a high interception rate in simulated situations.
For instance, the PLA Air Force exercises have demonstrated the HQ-9’s capability to engage low-flying targets, hypersonic threats, and saturation missile attacks.
Additionally, Chinese media described Pakistan’s induction of the HQ-9/P as a “significant boost” to its air defense, capable of countering “all types of aerial threats” and strengthening China-Pakistan military ties.
China deployed the HQ-9 along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) during the 2020 standoff with India.
Chinese state media has previously said the HQ-9B is comparable to the US-origin Patriot missile defense system. Both are long-range, multi-role SAM systems designed for area defense, protecting critical infrastructure, and countering various threats, including fighters, bombers, drones, cruise missiles, and tactical ballistic missiles.
However, unlike the Patriot, which has proven its mettle across battlefields, including Ukraine, the HQ-9B in the Pakistani inventory does not appear as effective. Whether the HQ-9B launcher was obliterated or not is yet to be confirmed, but its inability to shoot down Indian missiles during Operation Sindoor raises questions about its efficiency.
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