I opening this thread to discuss if Pakistan actually reports its failures of missile test. We have so many threads where we have discussed Indian missile failures and moderators have allowed the discussion. The reason this came to my mind when someone today asked a question about Ghauri-3 missile. It was suppose to be tested in 2004 but I looked over the web found 2 sites saying the news came in but it was never tested. It has been 6 years since then so wondering what the story is, I might be plain wrong but hope we can discuss and get some thoughts.
This also made me feel that failures if not declared will never come to light.
Here are my 2 links finding more.
MissileThreat :: Ghauri-3
Ghauri-III - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Well your concern is right, but as far as we know, the failures if any, which have been a few instances, have not been reported. That is how our military works.
I do remember one instance when a Shaheen in its testing did not click, but Ghauri did. Heard it somewhere.
And as for Ghauri 3 or 4 or other stuff, well they all have been reported on net but nothing official, so they may even be made up or for creating hype.
Do remember, Pakistan making a ICBM or something which has more range then required for India, will have lot of eye brows raised and questions asked about the intentions of such a missile system, as we have been telling the world that India is our enemy so the nukes and missiles are for it also, so if we make something which has range beyond India, it will bring problems for us.
So Pakistan not going for larger range missiles, above is one reason and other reason is money and requirement.
Money as we we all know is in short supply with us.
And with Ghauri 1 & 2, pretty much all of India comes into our range.
So Ghauri 3 would be made very late as no requirement yet.
What Pakistan has done, instead of chest thumping with long range missiles with no current requirement and use, it has started to make the existing ones better and more deadlier & in numbers, which we recently saw with the Shaheen-I in a new design as its different compared to the first Shaheen-I variants which we had seen.
Majority of the Indian airbases and defence related sites are within 200-600KM range from the border, so in war striking them would be more useful compared to having long range missiles which may not be used in whole war.
So for now, short range missiles, in numbers and with more deadlier punch, long range would come later on.
Hope it helps.