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Pakistan Navy Tests Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile ‘SMASH’
On 04 November, the Pakistan Navy (PN) announced that it test-fired an anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) with a range of 350 km. Based on the video footage released by the PN, the ASBM is called the ‘SMASH’ (possibly an acronym for ‘Supersonic Missile Anti-SHip’).
The same video footage also indicates that the PN launched the SMASH ASBM from a Zulfiquar-class (F-22P) multi-mission frigate, of which the PN operates four ships.
It is not known if the SMASH is related to the P282, which the PN leadership first revealed in 2020 as a ‘hypersonic’ solution. Previously, SMASH seemed to be a supersonic-cruising anti-ship missile (AShM), similar to the CM-302 or BrahMos, for example. It is worth noting, however, that the PN recently inducted CM-302; these are being deployed from its Tughril-class (Type 054A/P) frigates.
The Pakistan Navy Builds its Missile Mix
After embarking on its large-scale modernization and fleet expansion program, the PN set out to build its AShM inventory. It used to mainly rely on subsonic-cruising AShMs, such as the RGM-84 Harpoon, MBDA Exocet, and Chinese C-802. Not only was the PN’s missile mix restricted to subsonic designs, but all of its munitions were imported from the United States, France, or China.
This changed in 2016, when the PN test-fired the ‘Zarb’, a shore-based subsonic AShM. This was the first time the PN had deployed a locally built AShM. In 2017, the PN announced that it test-fired the Babur 3, a submarine-launched cruise missile (SLCM) based on the Babur-series land-attack cruise missile (LACM).
The final piece of the PN’s indigenous subsonic attack capability was the Harbah, a dual-role AShM/LACM that was test-fired in 2018. The export variant of the Harbah has a stated range of 280 km, but the AShM’s reach was likely capped for compliance with the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). Considering how the Babur 3 (which has size restrictions for deployment from submarine torpedo tubes) offers a stated range of 450 km, the Harbah AShM/LACM should match, if not exceed, 450 km.
The next step of the PN’s missile development program was to induct supersonic and hypersonic systems…
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