Pakistan’s military establishment, rattled by India’s rapidly expanding drone warfare capabilities, has deployed a Turkish-made anti-drone system in a bid to shore up its aerial defences. According to defence sources, the Pakistan Army has acquired the Shaheen 40mm Counter-UAS system, developed by prominent Turkish defence manufacturer Aselsan. The move comes amid growing anxiety in Rawalpindi over India’s expanding arsenal of low-cost drones, quadcopters, and loitering munitions — weapons that Pakistani military planners fear could be deployed against their air bases, naval installations, ammunition depots, and border security zones in any future conflict.
Pakistani military planners, having closely studied the devastating effectiveness of small drones in the Ukraine and Middle East conflicts, concluded that intercepting such threats with expensive conventional missiles would be economically catastrophic. The Shaheen system offers a cost-effective hard-kill alternative. Weighing approximately 2,500 kilograms and vehicle-mounted for rapid mobility, the system provides full 360-degree coverage and engages targets at elevations ranging from minus 10 to plus 60 degrees. Its primary weapon is a 40mm automatic grenade launcher loaded with 64 rounds of Aselsan’s ATOM 40mm programmable airburst smart ammunition. A sophisticated fire control unit computes real-time trajectory data to detonate grenades in proximity to incoming drones, shredding them with lethal fragmentation clouds. Equipped with day-and-night optical sensors and radar connectivity, the Shaheen can effectively neutralise enemy drones within a range of 700 metres under virtually any weather condition — including those employing autonomous navigation to evade Indian electronic warfare and jamming systems.
Pakistan’s defence recalibration, however, extends well beyond a single counter-drone platform. Islamabad has been dramatically deepening its defence ties with Ankara over recent years, driven by its wariness of over-dependence on the United States, China, or Russia. Since 2022, the Pakistan Army and Air Force have operated approximately 24 Bayraktar TB2 armed drones, followed by the acquisition of six to seven Bayraktar Akıncı heavy-lift combat drones in 2023. On the naval front, work is underway at the Karachi Shipyard using Turkish technology for the construction of Milgem-class warships. Islamabad is also planning to establish drone assembly plants on home soil with Turkish collaboration and harbours ambitions of eventually producing stealth drones domestically. Pakistan has additionally expressed keen interest in joining Turkey’s fifth-generation fighter aircraft programme, the KAAN project. Most recently, in June 2026, Pakistan procured Turkish-made Gazap thermobaric aerial bombs — weapons designed to obliterate bunkers, underground military installations, and fortified defensive structures — which are being integrated with its F-16 fighter jets.
The strategic calculus underlying Pakistan’s Turkish pivot is increasingly transparent. While Ankara reaps substantial financial returns and consolidates its political footprint in the Indo-Pacific region, Islamabad is pouring vast sums into Turkish defence contracts driven largely by its fear of India’s growing military superiority. The dual pursuit of defensive systems such as the Shaheen Counter-UAS alongside offensive acquisitions like the Gazap thermobaric bomb underscores Pakistan’s parallel strategy of strengthening both its shield and its sword. Analysts note, however, that these frantic acquisitions reflect less a position of strategic confidence and more the anxieties of a nation scrambling to preserve its security in the shadow of a militarily ascendant neighbour.