Pakistan Formally Inducts Ly-80 (Hq-16) Air Defence System

Pakistan has inducted a Chinese-made Low-to-Medium altitude Air Defence System (LOMADS) LY 80 on March 12. 

LOMADS LY-80 is capable of intercepting and destroying aerial targets flying at low and medium altitude. Pakistan's move come close on the heels of India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) test-firing successfully an indigenous supersonic interceptor missile on March 1. The missile is capable of destroying any incoming ballistic missile at a low altitude. 

The LY-80 is the export variant of the HQ-16 SAM system, which is used by China's People's Liberation Army.

The basic LY-80 unit consists of a command-and-control (C2) cell made up of a surveillance radar vehicle and a C2 vehicle and three firing batteries. Each firing battery consists of a tracking and guidance radar vehicle and four vertical launchers each armed with a missile pack containing six launchers.

In an official press release, the armed forces’ media arm Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) states that the LY-80 “is a Chinese mobile air defence system, (sic) capable of tracking and destroying variety of aerial targets at longer ranges flying at low and medium altitude.” The HQ-16 is produced by China Precision Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CPMIEC).

As per Army Recognition, the HQ-16 has a maximum range of 40 km and is capable of engaging targets at an altitude of 400 to 10,000 metres. The HQ-16 system comprises of an IBIS-150 3D target-search radar, a solid-state S-band passive electronically-scanned array (PESA) radar with a range of up to 150 km, multiple L-band tracking and guidance PESA radars, and six-cell vertical missile-launchers. Each L-band tracking radar has a range of 85 km, and can detect up to six targets, of which it can track four. An HQ-16 battery comprises of a tracking radar and four missile launchers.

It should be noted that China Aerospace Long-March International (ALIT), a privately-owned defence firm responsible for marketing Chinese defence goods and securing sales, states that the LY-80 has a maximum range of 70 km. It appears that the improved HQ-16B is available for export, and this may be – or become – a factor in the Pakistan Army’s air defence development plans.

Pakistan vs. India

Though Pakistan does not match India's existing capability, LOMADS LY-80 is a worrying sign as it indicates Pakistan's urgency to come up to India's level. 

India has been trying to develop an indigenous ballistic missile defence (BMD) system since the late 90s. The recent missile test by DRDO is one step in that direction. India has added Israel's SPYDER system to its air defence system and has bought S-400 system from Russia (to be inducted in India's BMD system) which will be deli .. 

What is a Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system? 

A BMD system is designed to protect any country against potential incoming missile threat. It intercepts targets and destroys enemy missile en route. A missile travels through three phases—boost (when fired), mid-course (when in air) and terminal (when it advances/descends towards its target). The anti-ballistic missiles may be categorised in two parts based on their target range—endo-atmospheric (within the earth's atmosphere) and exo-atmospheric (in space). 

How does it work? 
A BMD system has three components—a radar, a command-and-control system and a missile-launcher truck. The radar intercepts the enemy missile, the command-and-control system tracks and targets the enemy missile and fires the interceptor missile from the launcher truck when the enemy missile comes into the target range.