The product is properly inspected before induction. If any shortcomings are found, it is sent back to the seller to address the issue. The f-16 has had no such issues and is found to be of excellent quality by PAF as well as other customers.
Else, 24 airforces would'nt be operating it as their premium front line fighter.
The target was meant to simulate a near stealth cruise missile having minimum radar signature. Spotting this using a mechanical scanned radar, let alone locking it, must be quite a feat. We know for a fact that spotting a cruise missile is still difficult for conventional SAM missiles and marketing brochures mention them separately. Thats how difficult they can be to search,track and engage.
S-200 drone has an RCS of just 1.
Interestingly, the klj-7V2 had little if any difficulty spotting and tracking the very low RCS target, neither the sd-10A seeker missed it at any stage, as the video shows.
This suggests that the klj-7V2 and sd-10A combo will work well even against targets having low RCS.
View attachment 508156
View attachment 508157
So, the test had verified that LO targets will not escape the jf-17.
We know that PAF pilots are restricted from flying Turkey's NATO F-16. Obviously, there is something they would rather not have us knowing. And if they are smart enough to place such restrictions, they are smart enough to hold back sensitive tech from Turkey as well. It's not about what they give us, it is about what they hold back. Thus, if a PAF F-16 or even a Turkish F-16 is unable to detect something, we cannot conclude that an American/NATO/Israeli F-16 won't be able to detect it either. This is what I was trying to convey in the comment you quoted.
I have no doubt about the Thunder's abilities. It has already bloodied its claws against that Iranian drone. IR kill using PL5 from a kilometre away against a mere drone. That is truly impressive. But remember in an actual war, there will be radar jamming and decoys. And the jammer could very well be out of the range of SD-10. And the performance of PL-5 will depend on how much resistant it is to chaff and flares.
But if China/Pakistan can create this tech, then let's not forget that India is getting technology from Israel. I don't expect it to be a walk in the park for either side in an actual war. PAF will need to remain alert and utilize cunning, deviousness, and cleverness to outsmart the Indians.
By the way, in general, the capabilities of SAMs are necessarily limited as compared to airborne platforms. Airborne radars on fighter jets and AEWACS have the height advantage. That said, I am quite sure SPD must be testing Babur and Raad to see if they can be detected by the various radars we have. I really hope the public pictures we see are completely different from the actual missiles they wield.
Finally, I would like to say that in terms of offensive air-to-air capability, Alhamdulillah PAF is very evenly matched today. The Rafale might tilt the balance again with SPECTRA etc. but we have Block 3 plus another off-the-shelf purchase for that. What is really disconcerting is India's SAM coverage. If they link their SAMs to AEWACS and other aerial platforms and bring the SAMs to the border, things will become pretty difficult for PAF. And if they pair this with saturation strikes against our own air defence infrastructure and FOBs, it will severely cut down our response. We need a meaningful SAM coverage to be able to defend against a saturation strike, and we need high velocity (at least supersonic, ideally hypersonic or rail guns when available) counter strike options to quickly take out Indian targets. The high velocity should make most of India's multi-layer air defence completely ineffective.
The winner of the next war will be determined by effectiveness and timeliness of the attack and counter-attack. Quick, and accurate strike to cause maximum damage in minimum time should be the philosophy. The Indians are working towards this with Brahmos. We have unfortunately limited ourselves to sub-sonic. One good aspect is that we have sub-sonic totally covered. So with this groundwork, we can move on to supersonic and hypersonic. Sub-sonic isn't irrelevant, but it needs to be paired with super/hyper-sonic options. Let's see if SPD can give us a pleasant surprise.
Also, I have found it intriguing that our top brass has been busy visiting Europe after the announcement of Indian procurement of S-400. General Bajwa visited London and Italy. Then one of our generals is now in the NATA headquarters. It is obvious that any escalation to our already diverse missile program will need to take Europe, and by proxy Israel, into confidence so they understand we don't have any hostile intentions towards them. IF these visits are successful, we should see multiple tests of Ababeel at the very least.