Exclusive interview: Air Marshal Zahid on the future of the PAF

In this exclusive interview, Air Marshal Zahid offers rare insight into the strategic vision guiding the Pakistan Air Force through an era of rapid technological change. He articulates how AI-enabled systems and manned-unmanned teaming are being integrated into a unified operational doctrine, with indigenisation serving as “strategic insurance” against external supply vulnerabilities. Grounding the PAF’s identity in its foundational ethos of excellence and self-reliance, he depicts a force defined by perpetual readiness, one whose commitment to safeguarding the nation’s skies remains absolute.

Question: In recent exercises, the PAF has demonstrated AI-enabled operations and manned–unmanned teaming, with systems like the Yalghaar-200 loitering munition playing a key role. How are these technologies shaping the PAF’s future combat effectiveness?

Air Marshal Zahid: Across current conflicts from Eastern Europe to the Middle East traditional “steel versus steel” aerial engagements are becoming rare. Outcomes are now determined by emerging technologies, innovative tactics, and unified operational concepts.

Militaries, and Air Forces in particular, are highly sensitive to technology. However, without doctrinal grounding and sound concepts of operation, technology by itself means nothing.

For the PAF, the focus is on integration fusing loitering munitions, unmanned platforms, and crewed aircraft under a unified operational framework. With finite resources and expansive responsibilities, we consistently seek the “best value for money,” ensuring investments deliver tangible combat effectiveness rather than symbolic capability.

Interviewer: Pakistan has made significant strides in indigenisation, such as the JF-17 Thunder Block III and the recently tested Taimoor air-launched cruise missile. Why is self-reliance so critical in today’s environment?

Air Marshal Zahid: In a world increasingly divided between technological “haves” and “have-nots,” advanced nations often restrict the transfer of cutting-edge systems even to close allies. Reliance on external supply chains becomes a vulnerability.

If nobody is willing to supply emerging technologies and latest software, you produce your own.

Indigenisation offers three principal advantages:

1. Operational continuity during crises — No external actor can halt critical supply flows.
2. Scalability — Domestic control over software and hardware allows rapid adaptation and expansion.
3. Absorptive capacity — Locally controlled systems can integrate new technologies as they emerge.

Beyond the military, there’s an indirect but significant dividend: the growth of downstream civil industry, creating an ecosystem of innovation that extends beyond defence. For a country like Pakistan, indigenisation is not merely policy, it is strategic insurance.

Interviewer: The PAF was established in 1948 under severe constraints. How does that foundational period continue to shape the force’s identity and ethos today?

Air Marshal Zahid: During that formative period, Muhammad Ali Jinnah visited Risalpur and delivered a brief but enduring address. He urged the fledgling force to strive for excellence and become “second to none,” while emphasising self-reliance in the face of scarcity.

That message remains ingrained in our institutional memory.

From the 1965 conflict to 1971, and through subsequent decades of technological transition, the PAF’s journey has been defined by courage, sacrifice, and adaptation. Contemporary examples include the 2019 aerial episode and the more recent high-intensity engagements of 2025, where the PAF claimed multiple aerial victories within a single hour.

Interviewer: While air defence is the PAF’s primary mandate, the force also contributes significantly to national humanitarian and developmental efforts. How do these roles fit alongside its core mission?

Air Marshal Zahid: During the devastating floods of 2010 and 2012, the Air Force mounted large-scale humanitarian relief operations. In 2019, it conducted supply missions to remote northern communities cut off from food and water. Our educational institutions, medical facilities, and infrastructure initiatives further illustrate a sustained commitment to nation-building.

Yet none of these responsibilities detract from the core mission: defending Pakistan’s aerial frontiers.

This mission goes on 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. The PAF never sleeps.

Interviewer: In summary, how would you describe the PAF’s overall strategy in this era of AI, unmanned systems, and geopolitical uncertainty?

Air Marshal Zahid: The PAF is reconciling technological modernisation with doctrinal coherence, fiscal prudence, and institutional continuity. Our strategy is rooted in integration rather than imitation blending indigenous innovation with evolving operational concepts.

Readiness is constant, adaptation is ongoing, and the commitment to safeguard the skies remains absolute. InshAllah, we stand ready to fulfil that commitment.