Pakistan Tests Fa’az, Its First Homegrown Air-to-Air Missile, From JF-17

The Pakistan Air Force’s first homegrown air-to-air missile left a JF-17 fighter on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, announced the test and describes Fa’az as the country’s first indigenously developed weapon of its kind.

The announcement was carried by Dawn, Radio Pakistan and APP. Most performance data was withheld.

What ISPR Disclosed

ISPR said the missile has a state-of-the-art terminal guidance system and can engage enemy aerial targets at longer ranges.

“Fa’az will significantly enhance operational flexibility of Pakistan Air Force, further strengthening the country’s overall defence posture,” the statement said, as carried by Radio Pakistan.

Senior armed forces officers watched the launch alongside the scientists and engineers behind the program. President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and the services chiefs congratulated the development team, ISPR said.

Dawn reported that ISPR released video of the launch from a JF-17. In the footage, viewed by Clash Report, a red missile marked “FAAZ” leaves an underwing station of a JF-17 with tail number 09-109.

The Undisclosed Details

The statement, as published by Dawn, Arab News and The News, gave no range, speed, seeker type, aircraft block or number of shots. It set out no induction timeline.

Quwa identifies the tested round as the Faaz-IIR, an imaging-infrared seeker version, and the aircraft as a JF-17 Block-1. ISPR has confirmed neither.

From Istanbul Mock-Up to Flight Test

Fa’az was developed by the National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM), likely through its Air Weapons Complex, according to Quwa. State-owned Global Industrial and Defence Solutions (GIDS) represents NESCOM and markets the missiles for export.

GIDS unveiled the active-radar Faaz-RF and the Faaz-IIR at the IDEF fair in Istanbul in July 2023. Its chief executive, Asad Kamal, told Defense News the missiles on display were mock-ups. The flight test came just over three years later, Quwa notes.

GIDS advertises both Faaz-1 variants at more than 100 km and Mach 3.5. A later Faaz-2 is listed by GIDS at 180 km and Mach 3.5, with active-radar or imaging-infrared seekers.

These are manufacturer figures, not ISPR data, and have not been independently verified. GIDS has not said when Faaz-2 will be tested, per Quwa.

Quwa says the Faaz-1 shares aesthetic traits with China’s SD-10A, the export version of the PL-12, though how much SD-10A technology was used is unknown. GIDS says the missile is locally developed and that it holds the intellectual property.

Chinese Missiles Still Central

The Pakistan Air Force’s longest-ranged operational air-to-air missile is China’s PL-15E, with a maximum range of 145 km, according to Quwa. It is carried by J-10CE and potentially JF-17 Block-3 fighters.

Janes reports the first PL-15 batch arrived in 2021 and that video published in April 2025 showed a JF-17 Block III armed with four PL-15s. Pakistan also holds the older PL-12 (SD-10/10A), which Janes estimates at 70–100 km.

On paper, Faaz-2’s advertised 180 km would outrange the PL-15E, Quwa says. Faaz-2 has not been tested.

A Run of Missile Tests

Fa’az follows two Army surface-to-surface launches: an extended-range Fatah-IV ground-launched cruise missile around Oct. 6, and an extended-range Fatah-2 hypersonic ballistic missile on Oct. 13, according to ISPR and Dawn. It is the first air-to-air weapon in the sequence.

The test also lands more than a year after a short, high-intensity conflict with India involving missiles, drones and fighter jets, Arab News noted. Pakistan said it downed six Indian aircraft, including a French-made Rafale; India has acknowledged some losses but denied losing six.

Separately, Pakistan is set to deploy forces in Saudi Arabia under the Mecca Pact. Elsewhere, Ethiopia received 12 Russian Su-35 fighters ahead of schedule in October.