Pakistan’s arsenal, shaped by extensive defence cooperation with China, has increasingly incorporated advanced air and missile systems, drones and multirole fighters, in contrast to India’s diversified mix of Russian, Western and domestically adapted platforms.
The price differential between Chinese and Western military systems is substantial. Pakistan’s Chinese-made Wing Loong II drones cost around US$1-2 million per unit, while comparable Western systems like the American MQ-9 Reaper are reportedly priced at around US$30-40 million.
This cost advantage also extends to fighter aircraft, with the JF-17 Thunder costing an estimated US$25-32 million per unit compared to India’s French-made Rafale fighters’ reported price of US$288 million.
The battlefield testing of Chinese weapons systems may signal a strategic paradigm shift in global military dynamics. For decades, Western military technology – particularly American weapons systems – has maintained unquestioned superiority, justifying premium pricing and reinforcing geopolitical hierarchies.
Even if Chinese technology demonstrated only 70-80 per cent of Western capabilities at 20-30 per cent of the cost, this creates quite a value proposition that could reshape global defence procurement and strategic alignments.
