The Erieye fleet is set to begin reaching 20 years of service in the late 2020s and early 2030s.
NASTP’s still from a PAF promotional video: visible changes and open questions
A still image, attributed to the Pakistan Air Force’s in-house research-and-development bureau — the National Aerospace Science & Technology Park (NASTP) — appeared in a recent PAF promotional video and shows what Quwa describes as a planned “structural upgrade” to the Saab 2000 Erieye airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft. The image is not detailed enough to confirm particulars, but it does show signs of alterations at several points on the airframe, most notably the front fuselage. Quwa interprets the still as evidence that NASTP is studying a mid-life update (MLU) for the PAF’s Erieye fleet rather than an immediate replacement of the type.
Operational context: aging radars, 450 km range, and the May 2025 opening hours
The Erieye is the PAF’s primary AEW&C system and it uses an active electronically-scanned array (AESA) radar. According to Quwa, the radar’s effective range is reported at roughly 450 km — a capability still credible for defensive operations, as demonstrated during the opening hours of the May 2025 conflict. But for offensive air operations the 450 km figure is “no longer sufficient,” because an offensive AEW&C must be able to see into India while flying within Pakistani airspace, thereby remaining outside longer-ranged surface-to-air missile envelopes near the border. That operational gap helps explain why Quwa says the PAF would likely seek longer-ranged radars such as the KJ-500E or the Erieye Extended Range (Erieye-ER) for offensive missions.
What the still suggests: a front-fuselage station for ESM/ELINT and a wider refresh
Quwa reads the front-fuselage change in the image as an added station or module, possibly an array for electronic support measures (ESM), or an electronic attack/electronic countermeasures (EA/ECM) suite. Because the Erieye is principally an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) asset, Quwa regards ESM workflows — electronic intelligence (ELINT) and signals intelligence (SIGINT) — as the most likely use. An organic ESM/ELINT fit would let the Erieye build an emissions-threat library on long peacetime patrols and reduce reliance on dedicated electronic-intelligence platforms. Quwa also notes parallels with Brazil’s E-99 upgrade, which included new command-and-control systems, a refreshed EW/ESM suite, new IFF transponders, updated tactical datalink terminals, and human-machine interfaces — all of which are plausible near-term targets for NASTP’s work.
GaN transmit/receive modules and precedent for deep retrofits
Beyond mission avionics and datalinks, Quwa discusses the possibility of a more ambitious radar retrofit. One option would be adding gallium nitride (GaN) transmit/receive modules (TRMs) to the existing Erieye AESA array to improve range or enable simultaneous ESM/EW workflows through more efficient power management. NASTP has already worked with GaN TRMs across land-based air surveillance radars, a future radar for the JF-17, and “more recently” AEW applications, according to Quwa. There is precedent for deep retrofit work: during the mid-to-late 2010s the PAF’s Siemens Mobile Pulse-Doppler Radars (MPDR) were effectively replaced with AESA systems whose phased-array modules were sourced from Hensoldt. Quwa notes that a TRM-level retrofit on a flying ISR platform would be more ambitious and risk-prone than software or mission-system refreshes, and that it would send a strong signal about NASTP’s confidence in its TRM work — if NASTP were to proceed.
What this means for the Pakistan Air Force, NASTP, and radar technologists
- Pakistan Air Force planners: A mid-life update would keep the Erieye relevant as a defensive manager of the air picture while new, longer-range AEW&C assets are acquired to support offensive strike packages. The PAF currently operates a fleet Quwa places at seven to nine Erieye aircraft (seven visually confirmed; nine if Saab 2000 registry records are followed).
- NASTP (research and production bureau): A near-term program could realistically target C2, EW/ESM, IFF, and datalink refreshes — work that aligns with NASTP’s ongoing development of a combined interrogator/transponder (CIT) for the JF-17 and its Machaan and other AESA radar programs. A TRM-level GaN retrofit would be a longer-dated, higher-stakes project tied directly to NASTP’s proven integration work.
- Radar technologists and integrators: Engineers will watch whether NASTP moves from module-level GaN development into certified airborne TRM retrofits. Quwa signals that GaN-on-GaA hybrid configurations could offer power-density gains and lower overall TRM counts, but integration on a flying ISR platform is substantially more demanding than land-based systems.
Quwa frames an Erieye MLU as connective tissue: an effort aimed at keeping the PAF’s mainstay AEW&C relevant while freeing the Erieyes to concentrate on defensive missions and allowing new, longer-ranged AEW&C assets to handle offensive operations. The most telling indicator of NASTP’s ambition will be whether the bureau limits upgrades to mission systems and ESM suites — which are achievable in the near term — or pursues a TRM-level GaN retrofit that would materially rework the Erieye’s radar. Quwa will continue to follow NASTP’s plans as they come into clearer view.
Source: Quwa — Is Pakistan’s NASTP Upgrading the PAF’s Saab 2000 Erieye AEW&C?
