Following its drubbing by Indian forces during the four-day conflict, Pakistan has announced the creation of a new Army Rocket Force Command (ARFC), which is reportedly inspired by China’s People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF). Unveiling the plan on the eve of Independence Day, Pakistani Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, on August 13, announced the creation of the new military force, which he said, “will prove to be a milestone in strengthening the combat capability of Pakistan’s army”.
“It will be equipped with modern technology,” Sharif said.
The ARFC aims to bolster Pakistan’s missile combat capabilities in conventional warfare, reported news agency Reuters.
The move by Pakistan comes three months after the four-day military conflict with India. Indian missiles and defence systems decisively outperformed Pakistan’s Chinese-supplied arsenal.
The four-day mini-war in May was dominated by aerial missile combat, with both India and Pakistan deploying drones, missiles, and loitering munitions. While India pounded terror-heavens in Pakistan with its domestically developed BrahMos and Akash systems, along with the Russian-origin S-400, Pakistan relied on Chinese-made PL-15 missiles. All the Pakistani missiles failed to make impact, as they were successfully intercepted and neutralised by India’s layered air defence network. One of them fell on a farmland in Haryana.
This development also underscores Pakistan’s deepening military alignment with China. According to the latest report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China accounted for 81% of Pakistan’s arms imports between 2020 and 2024, up from an average 74% in the past five years.
Now, Pakistan has announced a new military force modelled on China’s PLARF, which manages China’s land-based missile arsenal, including ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles, both nuclear and conventional.
Below are five key takeaways on the move and what it could mean going forward.
1. FALLOUT OF OPERATION SINDOOR DROVE PAK’S MISSILE COMMAND
The announcement follows the four-day mini-war, during which Indian forces repulsed all cross-border attacks on Indian military and civilian infrastructure.
Islamabad’s setback has prompted a structural rethink of Pakistan’s missile command, which has now been reimagined with Chinese inspiration.
A senior Pakistani security official, quoted by news agency Reuters, said that the ARFC is “obviously meant for India”, signalling Pakistan’s intent to counter India’s demonstrated missile defence superiority.
The new force aims to centralise and enhance Pakistan’s missile capabilities to prevent a repeat of such setbacks.
2. PAKISTAN’S ARFC MIRRORS CHINA ‘S PLARF
Pakistan’s ARFC is explicitly patterned after China’s PLARF, the fourth branch of the People’s Liberation Army, which manages Beijing’s vast arsenal of land-based ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles for both nuclear and conventional roles.
Established in 1966 as the Second Artillery Corps and renamed in 2016, the PLARF is a cornerstone of China’s strategic deterrence.
According to Group Captain MJ Augustine (Retired) in the Eurasian Times, Pakistan’s ARFC will adopt a similar structure, with a dedicated command for missile deployment, leveraging Chinese technology transfers to enhance precision and range.
This alignment suggests strengthening of the China-Pakistan “all-weather friendship”.
3. STRENGTHENING THE CHINA-PAKISTAN MILITARY AXIS
Analysts view the ARFC as yet another sign of deepening military ties between Islamabad and Beijing. Pakistan’s defence cooperation with China now goes beyond arms sales.
During Operation Sindoor, China supported Pakistan with intelligence, satellite surveillance, and advanced weapons, including the J-10 fighter jets and AI-backed the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Computing (CENTAIC)systems.
Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, during his speech in Parliament on July 29, claimed CENTAIC aims to “integrate the Pakistani Air Force with the Chinese Air Force and transform the PAF into a network-centric air force”.
He claimed CENTAIC, established in Pakistan in 2020, apparently with Chinese assistance, is a key part of a growing effort to transform the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) into a network-centric force that could be seamlessly integrated with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force using AI and real-time data exchange.
4. EMPHASIS ON CONVENTIONAL MISSILE COMBAT
Unlike the Army Strategic Forces Command that manages Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, the newly formed ARFC will focus solely on conventional missile operations.
The ARFC will oversee platforms such as the Babur cruise missile, the Shaheen ballistic missile series, and Fatah guided rockets, with an emphasis on executing swift, coordinated strikes to challenge India’s air dominance and missile defence capabilities.
The force’s technology could include Chinese-supplied systems like the A-100 multiple launch rocket systems and Fatah-IV cruise missiles, according to Captain Augustine.
The ARFC is likely a new corps-level command, headed by a Lieutenant General reporting directly to the Army Chief Asim Munir.
5. REGIONAL, STRATEGIC EQUATIONS ON PAK’S MIND
India currently holds the edge with systems like BrahMos, Akash, Prithvi, and Agni.
Pakistan’s PL-15 missiles were largely ineffective during the May military conflict.
With ARFC now set to be in place, Islamabad appears to be trying to close that gap by leveraging Chinese expertise and tech transfer.
Earlier in March at the India Today Conclave 2025, Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi sounded a strong warning about the growing military cooperation between China and Pakistan, describing it as a “high degree of collusion” that New Delhi can no longer afford to ignore.
So, now Pakistan moving ahead with a separate missile command, that too, with Chinese assistance and collaboration, Pakistan has its vulnerabilities in mind. And it is in pursuit of that very gap that Islamabad is betting big on missiles.
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