Amid rising tensions with India, Pakistan on Sunday (November 16) conducted a major military exercise named ‘Raad-ul-Fatah’ at Tilla firing range in Jhelum, Punjab province. This drill was conducted at a distance of just 190 kilometers from the Indian border. Units of Pakistan Army’s 1st Corps, Aviation Corps, 2nd Artillery Division and 6th Armored Division took part in the exercise.

During this drill, the Second Artillery Division demonstrated the Fatah-1 and Fatah-2 missile systems. Firing of SH-15 artillery gun was also done. Rewali Squad of Pakistan’s Aviation Wing showed its capability by live firing from Cobra and Z-10 ME attack helicopters.

Show of strength before the king of Jordan

Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Pakistan PM Shahbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir participated in this military exercise. To impress the King of Jordan, Pakistan also organized the flight of JF-17 fighter jet. The 6th Division also fired from its 6MBT-Hyder tank, while Pakistan also tested suicide drones developed with the help of China and 7 and 10 inch FPV drones.

Demonstration of armed quadcopter with 10 KM range

NRTC (National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation) chief Brigadier Amjat Shabbir also showed a demo of a quadcopter fitted with an assault rifle developed in Pakistan to the King of Jordan. This drone can fly at a range of 10 km and at a height of 3 km.

What did Field Marshal Asim Munir say?

After the exercise, Field Marshal Asim Munir gave an off-record briefing to the journalists. According to sources, he made sharp remarks on India and said that if India attacked, Pakistan would respond.

Pakistan had done a big military exercise

Indian Army sources say that Pakistan had conducted a major military exercise in Kharian only a few days ago. Now the purpose of the drill again in Jhelum’s Tilla firing range seems to be an attempt to sell its weapons to Jordan. Therefore, the ‘Raad-ul-Fatah’ exercise was organized with the King of Jordan as the chief guest.

Sources also said that during this time, Asim Munir himself was seen driving the official jeep of GHQ with number plate 786, in which the military chief of Pakistan usually sits.

Last month, three special sea drones were seen in Su’aa Bay on the north-eastern coast of Taiwan- ‘Karbonn Voyager 1’, ‘Black Tide I’ and ‘C Shark 800’. These drones were shown in an exhibition, which was aimed at strengthening Taiwan’s maritime security. Given the possibility of China’s attack, Taiwan is now adopting a separate strategy instead of a direct war, which is called ‘asymmetric warfare’. This means preparing a match that causes heavy losses to the enemy and he thinks many times before attacking. Drones are an important part of this strategy, including sea -powered drones, suicide drones flying themselves and monitoring from above.

Taiwan’s geographical location and challenge
The coastal geography and rocky beaches of Taiwan are considered challenging for a large -level Chinese attack, but the decades long military modernization process of PLA (Chinese Army) has started weakening Taiwan’s natural security. In 2022, the Taiwan government started the ‘Drone National Team’ initiative to create a domestic drone industry which can produce continuously during the war. Taiwan is already one of the world’s top chip maker countries, including companies like TSMC.

Challenge to compete with Chinese drone
Taiwan’s companies were lagging behind in competition from Chinese companies, especially DJI. But the Ukraine-Russia war inspired Taiwan that drones could play a decisive role in war.

Dual use drones and production targets
Ministry of Defense and Government Institute NCSST are forming military drones together. The Ministry of Economy, along with private companies, has planned to create ‘dual-use drones’ (for both commercial and military works). By 2028, a target has been set to create 15,000 dual-use drones every month. Currently, 700 military drones and 3,422 dual-use drones have been ordered. In 2024, it is planned to order 1,000 drones from the US and to buy 47,000 drones from 2025.

Flaws in current strategy
Experts believe that Taiwan’s strategy is still small. According to the report of the US Naval Institute, the current number of drones will only last four to five days in initial attacks. Ukraine is planning to make 2 lakh drones every month by 2025, while the annual target of Taiwan is the same.

Need to change strategy
According to drone experts, Taiwan should use its mountain geography and forests, forcing the enemy to retreat. CEO Lorenz Mier of Auturian Company said- “Launching drones from Hills can prove to be extremely difficult for the enemy.

Lack of political will
Engineer Jason Wang says that Taiwan has the ability of hardware, but the role of drones in war, logistics and real use understanding. According to him, “The war skill for Taiwan depends on political will, not on capacity.”

Lack of military experience and history
Taiwan has not fought any direct military war with China after 1958. The confrontation between China and Taiwan has been going on since the 1940s, when Chiang Kai Shake came to Taiwan after losing in China’s civil war.

Limitations of diplomatic isolation and cooperation
Today only 11 countries and Vatican are officially recognized by Taiwan. The US provides security assistance to Taiwan, but has never guaranteed the intervention directly in war. Joint military exercises also occur non-officially.

Defense budget and political differences
In 2025, Taiwan has increased the defense budget by 2.45% of GDP. President William Lai wants to take it up to 3%, but the opposition KMT is opposing it. The DPP government considers military power to be a means of protecting democracy, while KMT wants to improve relations with China.