Pakistan conducted successful flight test of Air Launched Cruise Missile “Ra’ad-II”.

[The Accountant]

Can we used AWACS to carry PL-15, Babur & RAAD???

Yes we can but it is not wise to arm them with PL15.

 

[Gryphon]

View attachment 607090

I think it can go further than 600KM, I wouldn't be surprised if after some time a more extended range variant is revealed as per appropriate time. This new system is much beefier than the the first one so I think Mirage may have reached it limitation for being a delivery platform.

I think JH7-B is needed even more so now!

I expect the Raad-II to replace Raad-I on the Mirages and also make it to the JF-17, spreading out the (strategic) strike capability.

The specs of KEPD 350 have been matched without much fanfare - wonder if the JASSM-ER is the new benchmark.

 

[crankthatskunk]

Its range is impressive, potential "range" is even more impressive Nuff said.

If We are working on close to or surpassing 1000K range, it would be "Phantastic", Indians tu gau.

LOL no..
i am asking for basic information, which everyone is discussing also. its a headache to search individually on wikipedia or so.

Why are you trying to give away people's secrets!!

By the way, this newest version looks lot more like Babur.
Probably it is the amalgamation version of both.
I was also about to ask the "Experts" that it says in the news, it uses advance systems, without giving any hint of what systems for navigation are used!!
But I guess this question "our Experts" would solve.
Unlike you I am not suggesting "Wiki" search.

 

[Cool_Soldier]

Weldon Raad II has Double Range than Raad I plus it has capability to target sea based assets (Slow Moving objects e.g ships)
It means it can be used on land against slow moving objects as well.
Portable Radars
Air defence command vehicles and Radar Vehicles
Artillery

 

[Pakistani Fighter]

The specs of KEPD 350 have been matched without much fanfare - wonder if the JASSM-ER is the new benchmark.

Does it Match the specs of Storm Shadow?

 

[Bilal.]

I expect the Raad-II to replace Raad-I on the Mirages and also make it to the JF-17, spreading out the (strategic) strike capability.

The specs of KEPD 350 have been matched without much fanfare - wonder if the JASSM-ER is the new benchmark.

And may spinoff into LRASM type intelligent anti-ship missile.

 

[khanmubashir]

qw should have raad configuration with jf17 as mirages r old and being retired

 

[HRK]

By having another IAC operational with Destroyers having Long Range SAMs, they can reach close to this capability

I wish them good luck for this ....

 

[Riz]

Any new missile test today??

 

[Shah_Deu]

Ra'ad-II cruise missile can hit Delhi from deep inside Pakistan: Report
Ra'ad-II reportedly features design changes, allowing more types of jets to carry it

Web Desk February 19, 2020 13:37 IST

Screengrab of Ra'ad-II missile being launched from a Mirage-III/V fighter

Pakistan on Tuesday announced it had conducted a successful test of an air-launched cruise missile called the Ra'ad-II. The Inter Services Public Relations, the PR wing of the Pakistan military, released a statement on the Ra'ad-II test, noting that the weapon had a range of 600km. The Ra'ad-II cruise missile is a modernised version of the Ra'ad-I missile, which Pakistan first test-fired in 2007 and was claimed to have a range of 350km.

The Ra'ad-II was first unveiled at a military parade in 2017.

ISPR also shared a video of the Ra'ad-II cruise missile being launched off a French-built Mirage III/V fighter. The aircraft, which Pakistan has operated for over 50 years, was also used in testing the earlier Ra'ad-I missile. Interestingly, the Mirage-III/V jet was the aircraft Pakistan claimed to have used when it attempted to bomb an Indian Army facility on February 27 last year in retaliation for the Balakot air strike.

Defence News, a reputed defence website, on Tuesday, analysed the video footage of the Ra'ad-II test and speculated that the missile had been "entirely redesigned with a new intake and control surfaces".

The original Ra'ad-I missile had a 'twin tail' configuration, "but the Ra'ad-II appears to have adopted a more compact 'X' configuration layout", Defence News reported. This would enable it to be carried on more aircraft, such as the JF-17 fighter, jointly developed by Pakistan and China. Pakistan has built more than 100 JF-17 jets and the type will be the mainstay of the Pakistan Air Force.

Quwa, a Pakistani website covering Islamabad's military, claimed the design changes may have made the Ra'ad-II missile lighter, conceivably enabling it to be carried under the wings of the JF-17.

Defence News also speculated that the "range increase would allow the missile to launch well within Pakistan’s territory while being able to hit critical targets within India—New Delhi is roughly 430 kilometers from Lahore.."

The publication observed Pakistan's need for longer-range weapons has increased as India prepares to receive the Russian S-400 air defence system. Last week, the Donald Trump administration cleared the possible sale of a medium-range air defence missile system to India, which can shoot down targets such as aircraft and cruise missiles.

Defence News quoted Mansoor Ahmed, a Pakistan strategic analyst, as saying the Ra'ad-II was "Pakistan’s answer to India’s development of the Nirbhay cruise missile". Pakistan's ability to hit targets in India has been largely limited to its fleet of ballistic missiles, the use of which could be considered a massive escalation in the event of even a non-nuclear conflict.

Moreover, cruise missiles, which fly in the atmosphere like an jet airplane, are more accurate than ballistic missiles in hitting ground targets.

https://www.theweek.in/news/world/2...t-delhi-from-deep-inside-pakistan-report.html

 

[Cookie Monster]

The interesting question would be that if a smaller ALCM can achieve 600km, then what would be the actual range of Babur...

But an ALCM has a lot of speed before launch, which would add to its range. An ALCM launched at high altitude and high speed can achieve a longer range than a similar sized cruise missile launched from standstill. Therefore even with a significant size difference between Raad and Babur...their ranges wouldn't be drastically different(as we see 600km for Raad and 750km I think for Babur).

 

[Path-Finder]

I expect the Raad-II to replace Raad-I on the Mirages and also make it to the JF-17, spreading out the (strategic) strike capability.

The specs of KEPD 350 have been matched without much fanfare - wonder if the JASSM-ER is the new benchmark.

I think JH7 is now an even more mouthwatering prospect as a carrier of such systems.

I think KEPD 350 is based on a SA system!

JH7B is very old platform with little utility of maritime strike role ... arming Awacs and MPAs can give you better utility

No the JH7B is new development that is undergoing final tests. It should have many structural improvements but not sure about the power plant upgrade.

 

[CriticalThought]

Three phases:
1. Boost: Should see target, should receive guidance signals.
2. Mid Course: At mid-course phase, the missile comes at the desired trajectory to hit the target, so enemy would know.
3. Terminal: To hit a moving target (like a ship), terminal guidance comes to play at some stage. That could mean an active seeker, not INS nor GPS.

The boost phase is not needed in an ALCM. There is the initial ignition, but the classical boost is irrelevant.

Mid course and terminal phase can only be speculated based on video evidence and circumspect wording in ISPR release. I was myself going to comment on the known trajectory of incoming missile. But the key point that many of the celeberatory 600 km posts ignore is the concomitant increase in endurance, which enables a more circuitous route to fool enemy defences and exploit weaknesses in air defence. The enemy would do well by not relying on the expected trajectory of Raad II. But even having said that, the reason I posted speculative weight estimates is to show how even a layman can determine a lot about the missile from visual evidence. A determined adversary would actually construct a replica and test it in a wind tunnel to learn the full extent of the aerodynamic characteristics. I sincerely hope the deployed version is significantly different from what is shown.

Receiving mid-course updates about waypoints means there is no way for the enemy to extract the final destination from mission computers if the missile is captured intact. Coupled with unpredictable route and numerous possible enemy targets, enemy planners will certainly loose sleep over Raad II.

@Bilal Khan (Quwa) has previously written about the possibility of bomblet dispenser. It is possible this version realizes this feature. The impact shown in the video does not show the missile at all. Only the start of the explosion is shown, which begins with dust rising before the actual explosion. This is in accordance with a smaller bomblet finding its target. Such a bomblet would not be visible on the camera, and only the explosion would be seen. Again, pure speculation.

Finally, as far as the video evidence is concerned, there is no hint of terminal active guidance since the target is a point on the ground. Hopefully, multiple tests have been conducted in parallel, including one at sea. Terminal guidance would be very important for targets at sea.

A creative use of the bomblet dispenser would be laying depth charges against enemy submarines on the way to the final target. If the enemy detects Raad II at a certain location, it should be extremely wary of what lies beneath the surface of any water body over which the missile may have travelled.

Finally, the beauty of the ALCM is that its range does not depend on propulsion system as much as it depends on the launch platform. This relieves Pakistani scientists from expensive research in turbo fans, and they can spend more time on safe separtion at supersonic speeds, flight control, lighter and stronger materials, etc. If the launch platform is also capable of AAR, it creates a whole different set of headaches for the enemy. With a creative use of fighters and transport aircraft, the entire Western coast of India is at risk. And if Pakistan is able to negotiate a base in Malaysia, the 'ring of pearls' shall be complete.

 

[Bilal.]

But an ALCM has a lot of speed before launch, which would add to its range. An ALCM launched at high altitude and high speed can achieve a longer range than a similar sized cruise missile launched from standstill. Therefore even with a significant size difference between Raad and Babur...their ranges wouldn't be drastically different(as we see 600km for Raad and 750km I think for Babur).

That’s what the solid rocket booster does for Babur. Takes it to altitude and help it achieve high speed before the jet motor kicks in.

For reference, please check Tomahawk range.

 

[appliedfor]

Can anyone share the Speed (MACH) of RAAD II ?