Pakistan’s Army Rocket Force Command conducted a training launch of its Fatah-4 ground-launched cruise missile on May 14, presenting it as a significant upgrade to its long-range strike capability. According to Pakistani military claims, the missile can strike targets up to 750 kilometres away while flying at subsonic speed along terrain-hugging flight paths designed to evade radar detection. However, India’s defence architecture has for years been structured around countering precisely these kinds of low-flying cruise missile threats.
Pakistan claims the Fatah-4 carries a 330 kg conventional warhead, operates at nearly Mach 0.7, and delivers a Circular Error Probability of four metres. The missile is also said to feature electronic countermeasures intended to bypass radar and air defence systems. These specifications, however, originate from Pakistani military statements and have not been independently verified.
Is Pakistan’s Fatah-4 missile based on Chinese missile technology?
Islamabad has projected the Fatah-4 as an indigenous development, though several defence analysts believe its architecture may be influenced by Chinese cruise missile technology. Some observers view it as a derivative of Pakistan’s existing Babur cruise missile family, which itself has often been compared to China’s YJ-62 subsonic cruise missile in terms of propulsion layout and design philosophy. While no official confirmation exists regarding direct technological transfer, analysts continue to debate the extent of Chinese involvement.
Notably, Chinese-origin weapons systems have faced criticism in recent global conflicts over inconsistent battlefield performance, leading to broader questions about the reliability of platforms built on similar foundations.
How India’s air defence systems counter Pakistan’s cruise missile threats
For India, however, the emergence of the Fatah-4 does not represent an entirely new category of threat. Over the past several years, the Indian Armed Forces have developed a layered air defence network specifically designed to detect, track, and intercept low-altitude cruise missiles.
At the centre of this architecture is the S-400 Triumf air defence system. Its radar complexes are configured to identify targets flying close to the ground even amid heavy ground clutter, making it one of the world’s more capable systems for tracking terrain-hugging missiles. This gives India a significant advantage against subsonic cruise missile threats attempting to avoid conventional radar coverage.
India’s Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MR-SAM) system provides another operational layer. The system was reportedly active during Operation Sindoor, with multiple accounts suggesting interceptions of both supersonic and subsonic projectiles fired across the border. While those battlefield claims remain independently unverified, they align with the MR-SAM’s intended operational role within India’s integrated air defence framework.
Rafale, BrahMos and Netra: India’s air superiority assets explained
The Indian Air Force further strengthens this network through its combat aviation assets. Rafale fighter jets equipped with Meteor Beyond-Visual-Range missiles and SCALP cruise missiles offer long-range strike and interception capability, while Sukhoi Su-30MKI aircraft integrated with BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles provide the ability to target mobile launch platforms before deployment. Together, these platforms contribute not only offensive reach but also electronic dominance across the operational theatre.
The final layer comes from India’s airborne early warning systems. The Netra and PHALCON aircraft maintain continuous look-down radar surveillance over large areas, significantly reducing the stealth advantage that terrain-hugging cruise missiles rely upon. By extending radar coverage at lower altitudes, these systems help close the detection gaps that subsonic cruise missiles typically exploit.
Taken together, India’s defence posture combines a layered missile shield with counter-strike aviation and airborne surveillance tailored for modern cruise missile warfare. Pakistan’s Fatah-4 test may be new, but the Indian systems designed to counter such threats have been in place long before its launch.
