Pakistan Missile Technology

[fatman17]

Pakistan’s missile capability


Muhammad Daheem


Pakistan started planning its missile program to equip its forces with short and medium range missiles to enhance its defense capabilities in 1987. It has, now, various types of missiles programs, including ballistic missiles, based on highly accurate technology. It developed its ballistic missile program rapidly to counter the enemy’s attack. Anza was developed under the shoulder-fired ground-to-air missile program. Later on, anti-tank Baktarshikan missile programs was introduced in 1987. Pakistan tested its short range surface-to-surface ballistic missile in 1988. The pace of production of short-range missiles is reasonable.

The modest range of Hatf I is 80 kilometers and it can carry a load of 500 kilograms. Efforts continued to improve its performance, resulting in Hatf II with an enhanced range of 250 kilometers and the same payload of 500 kilograms. Both are free flight missiles with inertial guidance systems following a ballistic trajectory. The Hatf II was produced in 1989. Both were possibly designed and developed by the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO). The testing of Hatf III seems to be a major break-through in the development of missiles technology in Pakistan. It has a range of 600 kilometers with a payload of 500 kilograms and a proper terminal guidance system giving it an accuracy of 0.1 per cent. The main features of Hatf III missile are its two-stage rocket ability for war-head separation, a terminal guidance system and five different types of warheads. The most difficult part of the missile was its guidance system which was developed by Pakistani engineers and scientists. The test firing of Hatf III was necessary to tackle with difficult situation in hard times.

There is a possibility of conventional and nuclear clash between India and Pakistan. Naturally Pakistan needs to develop its missile program to a large-scale industry. India deployed its medium-range ballistic missiles near Pakistan’s border in 1997. It was a matter of serious concern for Pakistan. In fact, it was dangerous signal towards Pakistan’s safety. Pakistan carried out its medium range surface ballistic missile program in 1998. It is pertinent to mention here that ballistic missile reaches its target faster than other weapons and is difficult to defend against its attack. The missile system plays vital role in the modern defense technology.

Pakistan made a successful test of medium range surface ballistic missile Hatf V named Ghauri in 1998. It can cover a vast area of India excluding southern and eastern regions, along the Bay of Bengal. It can target its prey 1500 kilometers away. It weighs 16 tons and can carry a payload of about 700 kg. Its flight time is 8 minutes. Its terminal guidance system has been developed by skilful, diligent and dedicated Pakistani scientists and engineers working on the research and development of missile technology. It may have its impact on regional circles. It contributes enormously to the military strength of the nation. A potential aggressor would think hundred times before attacking Pakistan. The Ghauri series are liquid-fuelled ballistic missiles while Shaheen series are solid-fuelled ballistic missiles. The missile system plays key role in the modern war games based on scientific strategies. It is now an essential element in the defense planning of a nation. Moreover, it is an effective and reliable deterrent. Pakistan is now in a position to retaliate its enemies with great force. India, in the past, created a dangerous security atmosphere and made violation of Pakistan’s air space. Naturally Pakistan got every right to take measures for its security. Shaheen I and Shaheen II, medium range solid-propellant missiles, are the solutions of the enemy’s evil designs.

The missile technology is still in the research and development phase in Pakistan. It is key part of the Integrated Missile Research and Development Program. The successful tests of Hatf V and Hatf VI confer on Pakistan a reliable indigenous missile capability.Pakistan tested Hatf VII Babur ground-launched cruise missile in 2005. It has a range of 700 km and can carry a payload of 450 kg. It can carry nuclear warheads and is guided by stealth technology. Pakistan possibly relies mainly on ballistic missiles to overpower India’s defense system. Pakistan has developed Inter-continental Ballistic missile too. It is ready for test flight. History tells us that weak nations have no place in the world community in the presence of ruthless imperialistic forces. Pakistan’s missile program is an effective and reliable deterrent and provides foundation for lasting peace and security all over the world. Pakistan should deal with the world forces on the basis of sovereign equality and fundamental principles based on human values. Pakistan possesses several different types of missiles and these are led and supervised by the Armed Forces of Pakistan. Several lethal types of missiles are under development process. It is believed that Pakistan is already working on long range Missiles Shaheen 4 and Taimur. Pakistan’s missile Shaheen-IA was reportedly shot southward to the Indian Ocean and managed to cover some 4,000-4,500 kilometers. This missile covers the whole of Indian region. Indian Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile Agni-V has a range of 5,000 km. It can target any part of China and some regions of Europe. It is generally believed that Pakistan and India have more capable missiles yet not announced publicly. Pakistani scientists and engineers have Intercontinental range ballistic missiles technology in their range.

It is believed that Pakistani engineers and scientists are making rapid progress in the field of MIRV technology. It means military would be in a position to fit several warheads on the same ballistic missile and launch them at separate targets in different regions. Pakistan claims that it has acquired ballistic missile technology without outside assistance. Nonetheless, it is believed that China and North Korea have assisted Pakistan in its efforts. Moreover, it is believed that several missiles were transported indirectly from Ukraine and Balrus in the nineties. It is the duty of every government to protect the country from foreign aggression and internal subversion. Pakistani scientists and engineers have ability to build missiles of short, medium and long range with proper guidance systems. This program can make Pakistan a strong, stable and prosperous nation.

 

[alimobin memon]

The main Question that makes me think alot is that our missiles are Rocket propelled , RAMJET and SCRAMJET since the Western officials think that Shaheen 1A is a scramjet engine missile. The Scramjet comprises of max projected speed of mach 19 to initial 20's so what is actual speed of it and if it is scramjet than there is no Anti ballistic to intercept it ...

 

[IHK_PK]

The main Question that makes me think alot is that our missiles are Rocket propelled , RAMJET and SCRAMJET since the Western officials think that Shaheen 1A is a scramjet engine missile. The Scramjet comprises of max projected speed of mach 19 to initial 20's so what is actual speed of it and if it is scramjet than there is no Anti ballistic to intercept it ...

Yes you are thinking in the right direction and that's what can be said at this moment.

 

[The Deterrent]

The main Question that makes me think alot is that our missiles are Rocket propelled , RAMJET and SCRAMJET since the Western officials think that Shaheen 1A is a scramjet engine missile. The Scramjet comprises of max projected speed of mach 19 to initial 20's so what is actual speed of it and if it is scramjet than there is no Anti ballistic to intercept it ...

What exactly do you mean by "Scramjet"?
Shaheen-IA is propelled by a solid-fueled rocket motor. There is no ramjet/scramjet engine involved (neither we have the capability at the moment).
The speeds (Mach 19-20) you are mentioning are double of what might be the speed of Shaheen-IA IMO. It is a 1000-1200 km range MRBM, not an ICBM.

 

[Safriz]

The main Question that makes me think alot is that our missiles are Rocket propelled , RAMJET and SCRAMJET since the Western officials think that Shaheen 1A is a scramjet engine missile. The Scramjet comprises of max projected speed of mach 19 to initial 20's so what is actual speed of it and if it is scramjet than there is no Anti ballistic to intercept it ...

The hint is in the shape of the missiles..
Do you see any air intake in any of them?

 

[alimobin memon]

It does have scramjet engine according to Islamabad American embassy official revealed it on news which was also show in American news paper . it has powerful engine that the ramjet that was mentioned too and that should be scramjet.
And That is the question we haven't even integrated ramjet and foremost it requires intake. However the speed has dramatically increased and it should be mach 10-10.5 since it is update to shaheen one original which is compared to pershing missile.

 

[The Deterrent]

Hatf-6 Shaheen-2 MRBM (April 2006)

(A quite clear and rare photo)

 

[Sinnerman108]

It does have scramjet engine according to Islamabad American embassy official revealed it on news which was also show in American news paper . it has powerful engine that the ramjet that was mentioned too and that should be scramjet.And That is the question we haven't even integrated ramjet and foremost it requires intake. However the speed has dramatically increased and it should be mach 10-10.5 since it is update to shaheen one original which is compared to pershing missile.

No sir,
you are not correct. What you are saying goes against the definition of a ballistic missle.

Turbo Fan, Ram Jet, Scram Jet or whatever XYZ jet is based on sucking in air, compressing, exploding the fuel mixture and making use of expansion and heat.

Ballistic missiles do not work on this principle.

ATMOST the rocket motor may use a "turbo charger" to force feed fuel in the ignition compartment. However this is only possible in liquid fuel missiles and only the Soviets had any success with it with their space program.

The Americans dropped that technique saying it was too dangerous.

Not sure if Americans adopted the system eventually.

 

[A1Kaid]

Does Pakistan have any type of bunker buster missiles? If not Pakistan should develop them at least in small amount, they are very crucial for hitting underground targets such as bunkers, silos, storage areas, reinforced thick concrete structures, etc.

 

[The Deterrent]

Does Pakistan have any type of bunker buster missiles? If not Pakistan should develop them at least in small amount, they are very crucial for hitting underground targets such as bunkers, silos, storage areas, reinforced thick concrete structures, etc.

None as of now.
However Babur GLCM has the potential of being developed with a shaped-charge bunker-busting warhead. Similar warheads for SRBMs can also be developed.

 

[Sinnerman108]

Does Pakistan have any type of bunker buster missiles? If not Pakistan should develop them at least in small amount, they are very crucial for hitting underground targets such as bunkers, silos, storage areas, reinforced thick concrete structures, etc.

There is no such thing as a bunker buster missile.
It's the bomb / warhead which may be designed to penetrate concrete.

PAF is well capable of leveling runways.

Pakistan's defense doctrine is based on holding out against aggression for as long as possible and defend the land.
This view is shared by Army && Airforce alike.
Thus they are not interested in going in enemy territory and poking around with some one's concrete bunkers.

 

[A1Kaid]

There is no such thing as a bunker buster missile.
It's the bomb / warhead which may be designed to penetrate concrete.

PAF is well capable of leveling runways.

Pakistan's defense doctrine is based on holding out against aggression for as long as possible and defend the land.
This view is shared by Army && Airforce alike.
Thus they are not interested in going in enemy territory and poking around with some one's concrete bunkers.

Yes there are bunker buster missiles, these are missiles which can penetrate deep underground and then explode for maximum damage. The point is you never know when they may be needed so Army should at least have several on hand for future operations.

 

[Sinnerman108]

Yes there are bunker buster missiles, these are missiles which can penetrate deep underground and then explode for maximum damage. The point is you never know when they may be needed so Army should at least have several on hand for future operations.

That is a warhead characteristic not missile.

A missile's job is to take warhead from point A to point B.

 

[Manticore]

The Nasr
Soon after the Nasr test, Rodney Jones, the noted US expert, made a
comprehensive analysis about its implications. The ISPR Press release and Jones‘
assessment have been compared below. Rodney Jones wrote:
Pakistan has either developed or acquired nuclear warheads small
enough to fit inside [a thin 300-mm diameter missile] and possibly
of relatively low-yield [warhead]… Pakistan probably produced
significant quantities of weapons-grade plutonium only after the
May 1998 tests and has not test-detonated any weapons systems

since then. Hence, the Army would be averse to using untested*
weapons…Making a plutonium-based implosion device for a 300*
mm diameter missile would be a real feat.
(8)
The above assessment is circumspect about Pakistan's capability to*
miniaturise the warheads and might imply that the weapon system could be a bluff*
and the army would resist its induction at the operational level. These aspects have*
been addressed in the following paragraphs. The ISPR‘s partly ambiguous press*
release on the Nasr test
(9) offers various points of analysis. It reads:
Pakistan today successfully conducted the 1
st
flight test of the newly*
developed Short Range Surface to Surface Multi Tube Ballistic Missile*
Hatf-IX (NASR). The missile has been developed to add deterrence value*
to Pakistan‘s Strategic Weapons Development programme at shorter*
ranges. NASR, with a range of 60 km, carries nuclear warheads of*
appropriate yield with high accuracy, shoot and scoot attributes. This*
quick response system addresses the need to deter evolving threats.
The test was witnessed by [DG SPD], Lieutenant General (Retired)*
Khalid Ahmed Kidwai, Chairman National Engineering and Science*
Commission (NESCOM) Mr Irfan Burney, senior officers from the*
strategic forces, scientists and engineers of strategic organisations.
On this occasion, the [DG SPD], Lieutenant General (Retired) Khalid*
Ahmed Kidwai said that the test was a very important milestone in*
consolidating Pakistan‘s strategic deterrence capability at all levels of*
threat spectrum. He said in the hierarchy of military operations, the NASR*
weapon system now provides Pakistan with short-range missile capability*
in addition to the medium and long-range ballistic missiles and cruise*
missiles in its inventory


The successful test has also been warmly appreciated by the President and
Prime Minister of Pakistan, who have congratulated the scientists and
engineers on their outstanding success.
(10)
If the available information on Nasr is analysed in the backdrop of
Pakistan‘s cold and hot tests of nuclear weapons in March 1983 and in May 1998,
seven important inferences can be made.
One, the extent of missile‘s accuracy cannot be ascertained since the
circular-error-probable has not been publicised and the statement only identifies
that the missile is ―highly accurate.‖ This ambiguity looks pronounced once
compared to similar information about Prahaar. There is also no information about
what kind of navigation system has been used in Nasr. If Nasr can carry a nuclear
warhead of ―appropriate yield,‖
(11)
accuracy becomes a secondary issue. The
explosive and destructive power of nuclear weapons would compensate for
accuracy. Use of the word ―appropriate‖ in the press statement appears deliberate.
The yield can also indicate the type of device tested, i.e. plutonium- or uraniumbased, or a device that is a combination of the two, with added tritium. The
information available immediately after Pakistan‘s 28 May 1998 tests gave a
combined yield of devices at 40 kilotons only.
(12) Likewise, the device tested on 30
May 1998 was of 12 kilotons yield, which indicates that it would have been a
boosted fission device that used a mix of uranium, plutonium and tritium.
Two, emphasis that it was the ―first flight test,‖
(13)
indicates the desirability
of more tests to further improve accuracy and validate other design parameters.
While Nasr‘s flight parameters can be improved, the yield and other technical
parameters of the nuclear warhead can only be effectively validated through hot
testing.
Three, out of the six tests on 28 and 30 May 1998, four were reported to
be of sub-kiloton yield.
(14) This shows that Pakistan had kept its options of making
all genres of nuclear weapons – including the low-yield warheads – open. That said, the desirability of hot-testing of warheads and missiles should not be ruled
out. While Pakistan continues to flight-test its missiles, it remains to be seen how
it would develop appropriate and reliable warheads for each delivery system
without further testing. It may be recalled that even after conducting 1032 tests
and having developed other means to test reliability of warheads, the US is still
reluctant to ratify the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), as it may need
more testing.
(15)
Four, notwithstanding the sceptical view that Pakistan could not achieve
technological mastery of miniaturising the warheads to fit a short-range ballistic
missile, there are indicators that it had cold-tested(16)
and then hot-tested such
state-of-the-art warheads by 1998.
(17) Almost 14 years on, it might be safe to
assume that Pakistan would have developed highly sophisticated plutonium-based
warhead designs to suit [short-range ballistic missiles].
Five, the above arguments lead to the issue of employment, as to when, if
at all, and which land forces would induct Nasr. As Rodney Jones alluded to the
fact in the above-cited article, the militaries are usually cautious about inducting
weapons without proven reliability. Hence, if they forego hot tests to validate the
reliability of low-yield warheads for Nasr, the land forces would opt for a series
of flight tests in all probability. Nasr would most likely become Pakistan Army‘s
Strategic Force Command (ASFC) asset. As indicated in the press statement, only
the senior members of the ―strategic forces‖
(18) were present to witness the flight
test. An implication of Nasr going to ASFC could be that Pakistan would exercise
assertive control over short-range ballistic missiles and would preclude the
likelihood of pre-delegation. Though, assertive control would be a factor of
stability, it would create the attendant ‗use them or lose them‘ dilemma that
Pakistan will have to delicately balance by further augmenting the delivery
system survivability

Six, since Nasr is mounted atop the AR1A/A100-E Multiple-Launch
Rocket System (MLRS), it was presumed to be of 300-mm (11.8-inch)
diameter.
(19) The MLRS is a two-round system believed to be carried atop
Chinese-origin 8x8 high-mobility truck chassis. Its shoot and scoot attributes
mean that the launchers can quickly fire (shoot) and change location (scoot) to
avoid counter-targeting.
(20) Rodney Jones thinks:
This system is probably a four-tube
(21)
adaptation of a Chinese-design
[MLRS], possibly the A-100 type, on an eight-wheeler truck, capable of
carrying four, ready-to-fire 20-foot ballistic missiles of about 300 mm
(11.8-inch) diameter…The truck-launcher otherwise may be a Chinese
knock-off of the Russian 300 mm Smerch [MLRS] sold to India.
(22)
Seven, stretching the idea of miniaturising further, some analysts have
contemplated that Pakistan could now forge ahead to make multiple
independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs) for ballistic missiles, make
submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) or re-model these to fit the
torpedo bays of existing submarines and improve the cruise missiles designs.

http://www.irs.org.pk/strategic/spso12.pdf
SRBMs, DETERRENCE AND REGIONAL
STABILITY IN SOUTH ASIA: A CASE
STUDY OF NASR AND PRAHAAR
ZAHIR KAZMI

 

[Safriz]

These are screen shots from May 29 / 2012 Nasr missile test video.
Only two Nasr were loaded on the TEL and note the different shapes of Nose cone..

This is a closeup of one of the Warhead assembly..Note the Circular areas at the root of the Fins...Looks like all four Fins are movable.

In this Picture..Note the difference in shapes of the Warhead assembly..One is Globular and another a lot more conical.

@AhaseebA .. any comments on this ?