Defence Uncut

Quwa
  • 5.0 (2)
  • News Commentary
  • Updated Weekly

Defence Uncut by Quwa is the first English-language podcast zeroing in on Pakistan’s defence scene. Each bite-sized episode dissects current procurements, strategy shifts, and security events, connecting the dots so listeners gain a clear, data-driven big-picture view. Hosted by Bilal Khan, Defence Uncut turns dense news into precise, engaging analysis for professionals, enthusiasts, and anyone who needs to stay ahead of Pakistan’s rapidly evolving military landscape. Learn more about Quwa at https://quwa.org

  1. 5d ago

    Pakistan's Drone & Cruise Missile Surge — Copying Ukraine? | Defence Uncut S2E10

    Pakistan has quietly started building the unglamorous parts of modern warfare — the engines, munitions and cheap cruise missiles that win a long fight. In this episode, Bilal Khan and Arslan Khan open with the Alsons Group's reveal of Pakistan's first home-built UAV engines at Eurosatory 2026 (via its new AKAL division), then dig into why the private sector is now central to Pakistan's loitering-munition push, and how the global move toward low-cost strike — the MBDA Crossbow, Russia's Banderol, the Powered JDAM — lines up with Pakistan's Fatah, Babur, Uzab and Khaem programs. In the solo Q&A, Bilal answers listener questions on how fast Pakistan can field robotic ground vehicles like the NRTC Heather UGV, the Western-insurgency vs Eastern-front split, and why Army Aviation might be Pakistan's most under-used branch — with a look at the Turkish Aerospace T625 Gökbey. In this episode: Alsons / AKAL UAV engines and the licensing-vs-indigenous debateWhy Pakistan's military is roping in the private sector for drones and munitionsFibre optics, solid fuel and the case for mass over prestige projectsThe low-cost cruise-missile shift, from Crossbow to Fatah-4NRTC Heather UGV and the limits of the Ukraine robotics model in PakistanArmy Aviation, the T625 Gökbey, and low-altitude cruise-missile strikeGot a question for a future solo cast? Email contact@quwa.org or podcast@quwa.org.Read more analysis at https://quwa.org

    1h 7m

  2. Jun 17

    Pakistan's $10.76B Defence Budget 2026 Decoded: PNS Hangor, Army Aviation & FCAS Collapse

    Pakistan's defence budget for FY2026-27 has hit a record ~$10.76 billion — a near 18% increase and the largest in real dollar terms (almost 3 trillion rupees). But the headline number hides the real story: where is the money actually going, and why is it NOT the J-35 purchase everyone keeps asking about? In this episode of Defence Uncut, Bilal Khan and Arslan Khan decode the budget, the arrival of the first Hangor-class submarine, the quiet neglect of Pakistan Army Aviation, and the collapse of the Franco-German FCAS programme — the kind of in-focus analysis you won't get from a news headline. In this episode: - Why roughly 60-70% of the budget increase is likely heading into indigenous munitions and the Rocket Force, not big-ticket platforms — and why the rupee figure matters more than the dollar one. - The "physical assets" line jumping 39%, the tri-service split, and how acquisition vs operational budgets really work. - PNS Hangor arrives: the first of eight submarines from China, the YJ-18, torpedo economics, UUV/AUV programmes, and Pakistan's drive to indigenize naval weapons. - Pakistan Army Aviation's identity problem: the MI-17 loss, the collapsed T129 ATAK deal, the Z-10ME, and the case for consolidating the fleet into one 9-10 tonne utility platform. - Listener question: how Pakistan's electronic warfare actually works — threat libraries, jamming, and lessons from May 2025. - Listener question: how the Pakistan Navy can build a credible coastal missile force against the Indian Navy — supersonic/hypersonic missiles, over-the-horizon targeting, USVs, and satellites. - The FCAS collapse: could France now pivot to India to co-develop a sixth-generation fighter — and how India's three defence-industry camps shape that. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:26 Pakistan's record FY2026-27 defence budget 03:05 Indigenous munitions, the Rocket Force & the J-35 question 12:00 PNS Hangor arrives + the submarine programme 22:55 Submarine weapons: torpedoes, YJ-18 & indigenization 26:19 Private sector, UUVs & long-range torpedoes 28:27 Pakistan Army Aviation: the MI-17 loss & strategic neglect [VERIFY] Listener Q&A: electronic warfare explained [VERIFY] Listener Q&A: naval missiles & over-the-horizon targeting vs India [VERIFY] FCAS collapse — could France turn to India? Read the deeper written analysis on Quwa: https://quwa.org Follow Defence Uncut so you never miss an episode, and leave a rating if you find the analysis useful. About the show: Defence Uncut is the first dedicated English-language Pakistani defence news and commentary podcast, hosted by Bilal Khan and Arslan Khan of Quwa. Each week we unpack military procurements, events, and strategic issues across Pakistan, South Asia, and the wider region in focused detail — so you can build a clearer, more accurate big picture.

    1h 3m

  3. Jun 8

    Pakistan Has a Strategy Problem, Not a Money Problem

    Is India really buying the Russian Su-57 "Felon"? Bilal Khan and Arslan Khan open by unpacking why the India–Russia FGFA program collapsed after nearly two decades, why Moscow's new offer is suddenly so generous, and why the Su-57-vs-Rafale fight is driven by industrial revenue-share politics as much as by capability. The conversation then widens into the real lesson of the JF-17 — the RD-93 engine, dependence on China, the PLAAF order that never came, the markups that forced Pakistan to build its own munitions, the true cost of CPEC, and why Ukraine is the partnership model Pakistan should have pursued years ago. It closes on the strategic stakes of India's looming nuclear breakout and a look ahead to Woot-Tech's rocket-assisted-takeoff test. ⏱️ Chapters00:00 Is India actually procuring the Su-57?00:30 The FGFA saga: two decades of Russia–India fifth-gen failure17:06 Why Russia needs India now (Ukraine, sanctions, co-production)20:30 Rafale vs Su-57: the IAF vs Indian-industry split23:30 What Pakistan should do: Beijing, Moscow & rare-earth leverage24:30 Russia vs Ukraine, from first principles26:19 The JF-17 / RD-93 engine and Pakistan's Ukraine workaround29:34 China isn't charity: who really profits from the JF-1736:05 The 200-jet PLAAF order that never came42:29 Egregious markups: the Range Extension Kit & MFD shakedowns45:00 NESCOM, the Air Weapons Complex & the Azb/Raad family46:18 CPEC, debt servicing and where Pakistan's money goes53:26 The China that used to help — and why it changed1:01:43 Ayub Khan, the 1960s nuclear fuel cycle & the mindset trap1:09:11 Ukraine's hidden industrial base and Firepoint1:19:49 Prioritising Ukraine without antagonising Russia1:22:14 India's nuclear breakout and global strike1:29:33 Next week: Woot-Tech's RATO test & Pakistan's private rocket sector 📖 Mentioned: Mansoor Ahmed, Pakistan's Pathway to the Bomb.🔗 More analysis at quwa.org Defence Uncut is the first dedicated English-language Pakistani defence commentary podcast. New episodes weekly.

    1h 31m

  4. May 31

    Russia’s Air Defence Deal With the Taliban — and Pakistan’s Policy Failure | Defence Uncut

    Russia has reportedly agreed to supply and help maintain air defence systems for the Afghan Taliban. But as Bilal Khan and Arslan Khan explain, the real danger isn't to Pakistan's fighter jets — it's the proliferation of MANPADS across the region, and the policy failures that allowed it. This episode unpacks the reported Russia–Taliban air defence deal, why loose MANPADS are a bigger threat than any S-400, and how Pakistan's tightrope act between Russia and Ukraine cost it a reliable defence partner. The conversation then moves through the latest PAF developments — Saab 2000 / Erieye AEW&C, the PFX Alpha program and JF-17 AESA roadmap, the air-cooled vs liquid-cooled KLJ-7A debate, NESCOM's FAAZ missile family, and loyal wingman UCAVs — before closing on the case for a national-interest foreign policy, including a hard look at Iran. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:23 Russia's reported air defence deal with the Taliban 06:28 Why MANPADS proliferation is the real regional threat 10:57 Pakistan's Russia-vs-Ukraine policy failure 24:31 MANPADS, the TTP/BLA, and Chinese export controls 26:37 Red lines, national interest & the Gulf energy play 30:03 PAF Saab 2000 update & a domestic AEW&C ambition 35:41 PFX Alpha program & the JF-17 OCU upgrade 37:53 Air-cooled vs liquid-cooled KLJ-7A 43:10 NESCOM's FAAZ air-to-air & surface-to-air missile programs 52:52 Loyal wingman UCAVs — answering the audience pushback 1:01:28 Your comments: Kızılelma and the Iran question 1:03:46 Why Iran is treated as an adversary, not an ally 1:09:03 Closing argument: pursue the national interest Defence Uncut is the first dedicated English-language Pakistani defence commentary podcast, breaking down military procurement, events, and strategy in focused detail. Read more analysis at Quwa: https://quwa.org Go deeper with Quwa Plus: https://quwa.org/plus Leave your questions and comments — we get to them in the next episode.

    1h 13m

  5. May 25

    Will the PAF Buy the Kızılelma? Baykar, Engine Risks, and Pakistan's UCAV Roadmap

    Pakistan Air Force Chief ACM Zaheer Babar Sidhu visited Baykar Technologies in Turkey and was photographed with the Bayraktar Kızılelma — a jet-powered unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) that could reshape how the PAF approaches deep strike, loyal wingman operations, and force structure planning. In this episode, Bilal Khan and Arslan Khan go deep on what this visit signals and — more importantly — what comes next. We break down the Kızılelma's capabilities and limitations, compare it with TAI's Anka-3, dig into the Ukrainian engine supply chain problem (AI-25 / AI-322), and explore whether Baykar's Pakistan subsidiary could co-develop a sovereign sensor and datalink stack with NASTP. We also examine the gap nobody is filling: the 2–3 ton attritable UCAV class that the US (MQ-Next, XQ-58 Valkyrie), and potentially NESCOM, are pursuing. Plus — could the Pakistan Navy one day operate its own UCAV-based strike wing? Other topics: Akinci UAV shoot-down in Sudan, Saab's LoyalEye AEW pod on MQ-9B, PFX as a potential unmanned fighter program, and why the PAF's "original solutions" doctrine matters for long-term sovereignty. New episodes weekly. Full articles at quwa.org.

    1h 34m

  6. May 18

    Fatah IV Air Burst Test, JF-17 Block 4 & Why PAF Training Matters More Than J-35s | Defence Uncut S2E05

    Pakistan's Army Rocket Force Command tested the Fatah IV ground-launched cruise missile with an air burst warhead and new imaging infrared seeker — the latest step in Pakistan's conventional deterrence build-up. Bilal Khan and Arslan Khan unpack what the Fatah IV's evolution from the Harba series means for mass production and scalability, then dive into the Z-10ME attack helicopter's millimetric wave radar evaluation and what it signals about Army Aviation's procurement timeline. The episode also covers JF-17 Block 3 production realities, the case for Block 4/PFX Alpha as the JF-17's final evolution, and why the PAF's ageing T-37 and K-8 training pipeline may be a more urgent priority than fifth-generation fighter procurement. In the Q&A segment: the Link 17 data link controversy (can AWACS guide PL-15 missiles?), BrahMos countermeasures, whether Pakistan should repurpose the JF-17 as a LIFT platform, the J-35 timeline, and the future size of the PAF fighter fleet. Published by Quwa (quwa.org) — the first English-language Pakistan defence analysis publication. Questions: podcast@quwa.org

    1h 24m

  7. May 11

    Pakistan's New Missiles, Drones & Fighter Jets — One Year After the India Conflict

    One year after the May 2025 India-Pakistan conflict, Pakistan's military procurement picture has fundamentally changed. In this episode, Bilal Khan, Arslan Khan, and Aseem break down the full scope of Pakistan's post-conflict military modernization — from the FATA-3 supersonic cruising missile to Shahed-style drone factories, the Army Rocket Force Command, PAF fighter fleet expansion, satellite reconnaissance, and the decision-making challenge that will determine whether any of it matters. Topics covered: — FATA-3 supersonic cruising missile and its HD-1 connection — Army Rocket Force Command: structure, mandate, and multimodal strike concept — FATA missile family breakdown (FATA-1 guided MLRS, FATA-2 tactical ballistic, FATA-3 supersonic cruiser, FATA-4 cruise missile) — Pakistan Navy supersonic missile requirements (CM-302, SMASH) — Shahed-style loitering munition mass production strategy — Jet-powered vs piston-powered drones: why simplicity wins — Turkish drone industry critique and Baykar in Pakistan — Pakistan Army counter-UAS programs and electronic warfare investment — Z-10ME attack helicopter and the future of army aviation — PAF fighter procurement: J-10, JF-17, and the J-35 question — Fifth-generation fighter timing: J-35, TFX/KAAN, and the KF-21 dark horse — RAAD cruise missile reconfiguration for conventional strike and anti-ship roles — Pakistan's satellite and ISTAR buildup (EO, SAR, hyperspectral) — Kill chain closure: satellites vs munitions stockpiles — Lessons learned: decision-making speed, pre-delegated authority, and Pakistan's shift from defensive to offensive posture Defence Uncut is the first dedicated English-language Pakistani defence news commentary podcast. Fo

    1h 11m

  8. May 4

    Hangor Submarine Commissioned, Fatah-II Training Launch, and Pakistan's EO Satellite Constellation Completed

    The Pakistan Navy commissions PNS/M Hangor — the first of eight Hangor-class (S26) AIP submarines derived from China's Yuan-class (Type 039B). We trace the programme from the collapsed Type 214 deal with TKMS through to the current dual-submarine strategy, and discuss how the fleet will reshape Pakistan's maritime posture in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. We also cover the Babur-class corvette and Jinnah-class frigate armament debate, the SMASH anti-ship ballistic missile and Taimoor AS cruise missile tests, the Army Rocket Force Command's first Fatah-II training launch, the Pakistan Army's emerging precision-fire and precision-strike doctrine — including the Nishana PGK, PAKFIRE, and the new Integrated Battlefield Management System — and SUPARCO's PRSC-EO3 satellite completing Pakistan's electro-optical imaging constellation.

    1h 23m
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Ratings & Reviews

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About

Defence Uncut by Quwa is the first English-language podcast zeroing in on Pakistan’s defence scene. Each bite-sized episode dissects current procurements, strategy shifts, and security events, connecting the dots so listeners gain a clear, data-driven big-picture view. Hosted by Bilal Khan, Defence Uncut turns dense news into precise, engaging analysis for professionals, enthusiasts, and anyone who needs to stay ahead of Pakistan’s rapidly evolving military landscape. Learn more about Quwa at https://quwa.org

Information

  • Creator
    Quwa
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    28
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Quwa
  • Show Website
    Defence Uncut

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