Pakistan Air Force conducts maiden launch of new BVRAAM

GIDS unveiled its Fa'az-RF and Fa'az-IIR air-to-air missile variants at the 2023 International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) in Türkiye. (Janes/Raghuraman CS)

Pakistan has flight-tested its domestically developed Fa'az air-to-air missile for the first time, according to the military's Inter‑Services Public Relations (ISPR), which released video footage of the launch.

The footage, released on 3 November, shows a Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Block I aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) taking off with the missile from an unspecified airbase and later launching it in flight.

The footage appears to show the missile separating from the host aircraft, igniting and entering powered flight. ISPR did not specify whether the test evaluated separation safety, solid rocket motor ignition or flight stabilisation.

Developed under Pakistan's National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM), the Fa'az is a beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) with a modular architecture.

According to information presented by the manufacturer, Global Industrial & Defence Solutions (GIDS) at the 2023 International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) in Türkiye, the missile can be configured with either an active radar seeker (designated Fa'az-RF) or a passive imaging infrared seeker (designated Fa'az-IIR).

The missile shown in the ISPR-released footage appears to be the IIR variant, based on its snub nose with a glass enclosure.

ISPR said that Fa'az has a “terminal guidance system” enabling the missile to “engage enemy aerial targets at longer ranges”. The announcement, however, provided no specifics on range, speed, test location or service-entry date.

According to information previously obtained by Janes, the Fa'az-IIR seeker has an estimated detection range of 40 km. The missile relies on inertial guidance with command updates in the mid-course phase and IIR guidance in the terminal phase.