On 03 May 2025, Pakistan’s Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced that the Pakistan Army (PA) successfully fired the “Abdali” surface-to-surface missile (SSM) as part of a training exercise.
In a press release, the ISPR states that the “Abdali Weapon System” has a range of 450 km and that its training launch was aimed at “validating key technical parameters, including the missile’s advanced navigation system and enhanced manoeuvrability features.”
Officials and personnel from the Army’s Strategic Forces Command, the Strategic Plans Division, and other “strategic organizations” were also present at the training launch.
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Developed by Pakistan’s National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM) and marketed by Global Industrial and Defence Solution (GIDS), the Fatah-series is a family of conventional SSMs available for both domestic use and export to foreign markets.
The Fatah-1 is a Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) introduced in 2021. It offers a range of 70-140 km and is fired via two quad-cell launch canisters. It was developed as part of an initiative to develop new guided artillery rockets for the PA which, up to that point, had used a mix of domestically-built unguided Yarmouk 122 mm rockets and Chinese-supplied guided-A100s.
This was followed by the induction of the Fatah-2 in January 2024, which was formally designated as a SSM. The domestic variant for the PA offers a range of 400 km, while the export version is capped to a maximum range of 290 km. According to GIDS, the Fatah-2 can deliver a 365 kg unitary blast or blast fragmentation warhead. It has an accuracy of within 50 m CEP.
The Fatah-2 is launched from a twin single-cell canister system. One of the Fatah-2’s key features is that it leverages a warhead with “in-flight maneuverability” with “guidance-till-impact” capability as well as “unique programmable trajectory.” In an interview with local media, GIDS CEO Asad Kamal said that the Fatah-2 utilizes a “supersonic glide vehicle.”
Overall, the Fatah-2 appears to leverage newer generation ballistic missile technology compared to Pakistan’s older platforms, including the Hatf 2 Abdali. Both visual similarities and an identical stated range with the Fatah-3 suggest that the new Abdali is a Fatah-series variant, if not the Fatah-3.
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