Pakistan Nuclear & Missile Development and News

[mysterious]

Pakistan Tests 'New' Cruise Missile

Pakistan has successfully test-fired a new cruise missile capable of carrying nuclear weapons, its military said.

The missile, named Hatf-VIII (or Raad, "thunder" in Arabic), has a range of 350km (220 miles), and can carry all types of warheads, a statement said.

Pakistan and its neighbour India - both nuclear powers - routinely carry out missile tests.

Tension between Pakistan and India has decreased in recent months amid a series of bilateral overtures.

The missile "has been designed exclusively for launch from a variety of Pakistan's air platforms, providing these with a strategic stand-off capability on land and at sea," the Pakistani military said.

"The Raad can carry all types of warheads and has an accuracy comparable to Pakistan's longer Babar cruise missile," the statement said.

The Babar or Hatf-VII missile, which was tested in March, has a range of 700km (430 miles).

In February, Pakistan test-fired a nuclear-capable, surface-to-surface Hatf VI missile, with a much longer range of 2,000 km (1,250 miles).

Courtesy: BBC News



This certainly is a welcomed development though it certainly has been a well kept secret. Not much was known about this 'Raad' cruise missile since everyone pretty much focused on the 'Babur'.

So according to BBC's report, this new cruise missile has a range of only 350Km, which is half of Babur's. That seems odd since, with Babur, Pakistan already has a 700Km capability, UNLESS, the alterations to make it launch from PAF's platforms factored in, in lowering the range?

Is this still sub-sonic? Any news on whether Pakistan is concentrating on super-sonic cruise missiles at all to counter Brahmos?

 

[layer3]

Pakistan Successfully testfires Air Launched Cruise Missile Hatf-8

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday successfully test-fired a new Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) named Hatf-8 (Ra’ad)).

The indigenously developed Ra’ad (meaning “Thunder” in Arabic), with a range of 350 KMs for now, has been designed exclusively for launch from a variety of Pakistan’s air Platforms, providing these with a strategic stand off capability of land and at sea.

The missile has a low detection probability due to stealth design and materials used in its manufacturing. The Ra’ad can carry all types of warheads and has an accuracy comparable to Pakistan’s longer Babur cruise missile.



Source:http://www.geo.tv/geonews/details.asp?id=10580&param=1

Seems that this new cruise missile is Air version of Babur. It would be interesting to know which aircraft was used to for the test.

 

[layer3]

Well the Geo news reported that it is Air lauched cruise missile, so it must have been tested through one of PAFs platforms.

 

[BilalK]

Ra'ad was launched by a Mirage ROSE-I - Link

Ra'ad similar in design and concept to the MBDA Storm Shadow/Black Shaheen. A few more years of development, we may see a Ra'ad block on par in performance, technology and stealth with the MBDA Storm Shadow.

 

[FSMonster]

That's very impressive. I bet it's using the same guidance as Babur as it wouldn't make sense to develop a completely different system for this version. This is a significant stand-off weapon that enables a capable platform to fire the missile from a safe distance and head back to base immediately. I'd say that for now, only PAF's F-16 can carry something as heavy as Ra'ad (I'm guessing it's at least 1000 kg). The missile itself is probably very similar to Babur except it carries much less fuel. Also, I think it'll be launched at subsonic speeds and have hi-lo flight profile.

Congratulations to Pakistan, I admire the country's sceintific potential and technological self-reliance.

 

[Jade]

http://www.geo.tv/geonews/details.asp?id=9330&param=1

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan successfully test-fired Hataf –VII cruise missile of Babur series on Thursday.

The missile has a range of 700 kilometers and capable of carrying multiple warheads.

Hataf-VII can be fired from Agosta submarine and fighter jets F-16 and F-17.

President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz have congratulated the scientists and engineers on successful missile test.

Dr. Samar Mubarakmand was the chief guest on the occasion of the missile test. Senior military officials of SSG Force regional command were also present at the occasion.
_________________________________________________________

Not to sure about some of the claims but just posted it to let u know that it was tested yet again today.

Mod Warning: Jade if you dont have anything better (Preferably informative) to say other than posting some useless one liners - which are not allowed on this forum (Rule#2: http://www.defencetalk.com/forums/announcement.php?f=47) - than refrain from saying anything at all. If you are just trying to increase the post count than stop, you wont be getting anything but trouble out of it.

Note: You already have committed this twice.

 

[suryaaa]

.

with the induction of babur, pakistan must master the art of the High-low Technique to counter the indian barak.

the high-low technique , where one missile is fired high to distract radar while the other fired low, to sink the ship, may be used against all such systems such as Barak, Phalanx, etc.

such a technique can be extremely effective with cruise missiles that are radar or optically guided & is deadly against naval targets.

the 'Barak' system is not as effective as first thought. it's short range is a major handicap against advanced cruise-missiles like the babur,

this point can be proved by the recent incident of the Ahi-Hanit , where the barak proved ineffective.

.

Guys is babur a subsonic c-missile...well if so (its only my view) because of that it will not create much problem to barak or any other system....u r point would be relevant if it were a supersonic c-missile ....Is it comparable to tomahawk...and one more thing does very version of babur tested i mean air,sea and land launched.....

 

[SABRE]

Guys is babur a subsonic c-missile...well if so (its only my view) because of that it will not create much problem to barak or any other system....u r point would be relevant if it were a supersonic c-missile ....Is it comparable to tomahawk...and one more thing does very version of babur tested i mean air,sea and land launched.....

Babur is a subsonic CM & so is tomahawk. Babur has only been tested (successfully) from land. There are no reports on its tests via air &/or sea yet, although NESCOM says it can be launcehd from any platform.

 

[hovercraft]

Some Picturs of Ra'ad Cuise Missile from news.

 

[BilalK]

Made in China 100% I bet

I'd like to know what Chinese system Ra'ad is...

suryaa

Isn't the Barak a ship-based defence system? Babur and Ra'ad would be attacking stationary targets on land - so is there a Barak-type system allocated to major ground installations?

 

[kato]

is there a Barak-type system allocated to major ground installations?

In theory (as in under development). Barak-8 / Barak-NG / Barak-MR.

 

[mysterious]

I'd say that for now, only PAF's F-16 can carry something as heavy as Ra'ad (I'm guessing it's at least 1000 kg).

Well the pictures posted by 'hovercraft' and other sources clearly demonstrate that Mirages in PAF inventory are capable of delivering the Ra'ad to its target without any issues.

Surprising, that F-16 wasn't used to test out Ra'ad.

 

[meh]

Some Picturs of Ra'ad Cuise Missile from news.

Guys doesn't this look similer to the anglo-French Storm Shadow but with a greater range. I was looking at the Ra'ad and for some reason the design reminded me of the Storm Shadow execpt the Sa'ad has a range of 220miles while the Storm Shadow has a range of 150miles.

 

[hovercraft]

Surprising, that F-16 wasn't used to test out Ra'ad.

Because using F-16 for this test will effect on PAK-US deal of F-16s.

 

[layer3]

Because using F-16 for this test will effect on PAK-US deal of F-16s.

The reason I see is that a Mirages also serve Navy, With its dual role it is beneficial to have Mirages carrying these weapons against Indian ships until Submarine version of Babur is developed. I guess it is a short term arrangement to counter the Indian Navy being fitted with Brahmos.

 

[su-30mki]

The Missile Threat From Pakistan.

Mod: This is what is considered as "Flaming". You have just copy pasted an article which has no credibility & it doomed to start a Indo-Pak conflict & you also have not provided your own comments.

I have warned you before & this perhaps is the last time.

 

[IceCold]

The reason I see is that a Mirages also serve Navy, With its dual role it is beneficial to have Mirages carrying these weapons against Indian ships until Submarine version of Babur is developed. I guess it is a short term arrangement to counter the Indian Navy being fitted with Brahmos.

I think if this maybe the reason, then perhaps RA'AD will be tested with the JF's as well because JF's will replace the mirages in the near future.
However i would wana place a question here, RA'AD has a range of 350kms while the radars of both JF's and mirages have a lesser sea range. Like for e.g if an RC-400 is used as a radar for the JF-17 and in which pakistan has shown much interest, its range for sea targets is 250kms, so how does this effect the capability of firing the missile or does it effect at all? My purpose of asking this question is that can the plane take out the maximum advantage of its missile range and get out of the enemies SAM range after firing?

 

[Aliph Ahmed]

Pakistan missile project ahead of India’s’By Our Correspondent

NEW DELHI, Jan 9: India’s missile scientists have said that the country’s indigenous missile programme is flagging and needs foreign assistance to revive it.

The embarrassing admission came amid claims by Indian analysts that Pakistan’s missile programme had proved to be more robust and surefooted than India’s. The Mail Today newspaper on Wednesday quoted the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as announcing that it would scrap its 25-year Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) by the end of this year.

“Plagued by cost overruns and repeated failures, the announcement is a virtual admission of failure,” the newspaper said. “In fact, some former chiefs of the different services said as much on hearing the news.”

Speaking of the Trishul surface-to-air missile that has now been termed a technology demonstrator, former naval chief Sushil Kumar said: “It was a national embarrassment. DRDO made fake claims for 25 years. In the 1999 Kargil conflict, the navy was vulnerable to attacks from Pakistan’s Harpoon.

“Finally the project was scrapped when the navy went in for the Israeli Barak missiles. The Prithvi’s naval variant, Dhanush, is also flawed and ill-conceived, which is being inflicted on the navy.”On the Akash missile, which was the subject of the DRDO media conference here on Tuesday, former air chief S. P. Tyagi said: “Akash was to be ready at a certain time, but it wasn’t. I had to change everything to make up for the delay.” Both missiles were part of a programme to develop indigenous weapons, which began in July 1983, with plans for Agni, Prithvi, Trishul, Akash and Nag missiles.

The IGMDP, which was aimed at achieving self-sufficiency in missile development and production, comprises five core missile programmes -- the strategic Agni ballistic missile, the tactical Prithvi ballistic missile, the Akash and Trishul surface-to-air missiles and the Nag anti-tank guided missile.

The Mail Today quoted S. Prahlada, chief of the Control Research and Development, DRDO, as saying that development and production of most of the futuristic weapon systems would henceforth be undertaken with foreign collaboration.

With regard to the nuclear-capable Agni series, comprising I and II, the newspaper quoted army sources as saying while they had been tested five times each “a handful of tests are not enough to prove a missile’s worth”.

There were different problems with other systems too.

“Pakistan has always been one step ahead of India in its missile programme,” the newspaper said, adding that Islamabad has “a much more robust missile force than India, one capable of launching nuclear weapons to any part in this country.”

Unlike Indian missiles, which were declared “inducted” after a few tests, the Pakistani projectiles have always been thoroughly tested.


Courtesy: Dawn, 10 January 2008

 

[Aliph Ahmed]

http://www.mailtoday.in/epapermain.aspx?queryed=9&eddate=1/9/2008

Pak always a step ahead

By Manoj JoshiIn New Delhi
1/9/2008


Pakistan has always been one step ahead of India in its missile programme. When purists in the DRDO claimed that they would design an indigenous missile, the practical Pakistanis obtained their missiles, just like their nuclear technology, by hook or by crook. As a result, Pakistan today has a much more robust missile force than India, one capable of launching nuclear weapons to any part in this country.
The globalsecurity.org states that Pakistan’s ballistic missile development programme has followed a twin-track approach — of importing missile systems and subsystems from China and North Korea and then using these to press ahead with its indigenous development. The early Pakistani missiles of the Hatf series were nothing but unguided rockets and were never really deployed. The canny Pakistanis allowed two approaches — one for liquid propellant missiles that A.Q. Khan got from North Korea, and the more complex solid-fuelled missiles that the National Development Complex, headed by his rival Samar Mubarakmand, got through China.
Shortly after the first test of India’s Prithvi in 1987, Pakistan began negotiations for M-11 missiles off-the-shelf from China. The first batch was supplied in 1989, and hidden in crates at the Sarghodha air base to prevent triggering US sanctions.
Later, the Chinese transferred an entire production plant to Pakistan. No doubt, immediately after the Agni test in 1989, the Pakistanis were negotiating with the North Koreans for the No Dong.
Adrian Levy and Catherine Scott Clark say the key negotiation was done by Benazir Bhutto, whose official visit in 1993 was used to carry on a barter of Pakistani nuclear technology in exchange for what became the Ghauri missile. This coincided with the freezing of India’s Agni programme after it was claimed that the technology demonstration tests had been done through the third launch of Agni-I in May 1994.
In April 1998, Pakistan tested Ghauri (Hatf-5), its version of the North Korean No Dong. The nuclear-capable surface-to-surface missile with a range of 1,000-1,500 km sent shockwaves through India, most of whose cities now came in its range. The denouement was the Indian decision to test nuclear weapons in May 1998.
When India was struggling with its Agni, Pakistan tested a range of new missiles. Ghauri-II was tested in April 14 1999, Shaheen-I based on the Chinese M-9 intermediate-range ballistic missile was tested a day later. Within a couple of years, variants of both missiles entered service.
Unlike Indian missiles, which were declared “inducted” after a few tests, the Pakistani projectiles have always been thoroughly tested. In almost all cases, the DRDO claimed that not many tests were needed because of its superior systems.
Anyway, the first test of a “useful” Agni II was conducted in April 1999. The second took place in January 2001, and the missile was declared fit. The DRDO argument appears hollow because even Russia, one of the world’s foremost missile powers, has tested its Topol-M at least 30 times.
Pakistan has often tested its missiles over populated areas in a trajectory from the Jhelum testing range to Baluchistan.
It indicates the confidence they have in their missiles. India, on the other hand, has yet to carry out a true land-to-land test.
The country’s approach on cruise missiles is not different either. It joint venture with Russia to make the BrahMos missiles prompted the Pakistanis to come out with Babur, which took a 600-km test.
Pakistan has always been one-up over India in missiles and soon will have an edge in submarines, too. They will soon have an air-independent propulsion submarine capable of remaining submerged for a long time before our nuclear-propelled submarine gets going.
In matters of security, what matters is what you have, not how you acquired it. Most of these missiles are meant to carry nuclear weapons and are likely to be used only in the remotest contingency.

http://www.mailtoday.in/epapermain.aspx?queryed=9&eddate=1/9/2008

 

[Aliph Ahmed]

Pakistan test fires nuclear-capable medium-range missile Hatf-4
Updated at: 1100 PST, Friday, January 25, 2008


ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday successfully test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile Hatf-4 Shaheen-1 at the conclusion of the army's annual field training exercises, the military said.

A statement said that the Strategic Missile Group had launched the Shaheen-1 missile on Friday from an undisclosed location.

The nuclear-capable missile has a range of 700 kilometers (420miles). Pakistan routinely tests the various missiles in its arsenal, designed to match that of neighboring archrival India.

A Strategic Missile Group (SMG) of the Pakistan Army’s Strategic Force Command (ASFC) conducted a successful training launch of the Shaheen-1 (Hatf-IV) Medium Range Ballistic Missile.

The launch was conducted at the conclusion of the annual field training exercises of a Shaheen-1 Missile Group.

It may be recalled that the Shaheen-1 Ballistic Missile System, with a range of 700 kms, is an operationalised weapon system held by the ASFC and is routinely fired during training exercises by the troops of the ASFC.

The field launch exercise of the ASFC was witnessed by the Chief of the Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, senior military officers and scientists.

Addressing the troops in the exercise area, the COAS congratulated them on achieving high standards of training and excellent results.

He said that the nation had developed a strong nuclear deterrence capability and expected that the officers and men entrusted with the task of deterring aggression would continue to train hard and maintain professional excellence.

The Chief of Army Staff made it clear that Pakistan did not have any aggressive designs against anyone and Pakistan’s nuclear capability was solely for the purpose of deterring all types of aggression.

Referring to international concerns regarding speculative scenarios, he dismissed such concerns as unrealistic and based on a lack of understanding of Pakistan’s command and control mechanisms.

He said that the Pakistani Armed Forces were a highly professional, motivated and well trained force and were capable of safeguarding and securing nuclear assets against all categories of threat.

The nation stood behind the armed forces. He stressed that creating irresponsible alarm by certain quarters would be counter productive.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=36060