On 28 April 2026, Pakistan’s Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced that the Army Rocket Force Command (ARFC) conducted a successful training launch of the Fatah-II (Fatah 2) surface-to-surface missile, a 400 km-range supersonic guided missile developed by the National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM) and marketed internationally by Global Industrial and Defence Solutions (GIDS).
According to the ISPR, the Fatah-II launch was aimed at training troops, validating key technical parameters, and evaluating the performance of sub-systems designed for improved accuracy and enhanced survivability. The ISPR did not disclose the location, evaluation parameters, or results of the test.
According to official GIDS marketing materials, the Fatah-II is described as a supersonic, non-ballistic missile with “all-course manoeuvre” capability – meaning it can execute evasive manoeuvres throughout its flight, not solely during the terminal phase. The ISPR’s description of a “unique trajectory” and manoeuvrability features designed to defeat missile defence systems is consistent with this profile.
The GIDS specification sheet lists the Fatah-II’s export-variant range at 100–290 km, with a warhead weight of 365 kg (unitary blast or blast fragmentation), a length of 7.5 m, and accuracy of 50 m circular error probable (CEP) or less.
However, the ISPR has consistently stated the Fatah-II’s range at 400 km – indicating that the domestic variant retains a significantly longer reach than the version offered for export, a common practice for missile programs subject to export control considerations.
The Fatah-II is a 600 mm-diameter missile – considerably larger than the 301 mm Fatah-I – and is powered by a single-stage dual-thrust solid rocket motor with an indigenous thermal protection system. Its guidance suite integrates inertial navigation (INS) with satellite navigation (GNSS), and the missile can fly a programmable trajectory.
The Fatah-II’s launcher consists of a twin-cell oblique-launch canister system mounted on an 8×8 wheeled chassis, with auto aiming, levelling, positioning, and orientation capabilities. This two-round configuration distinguishes the Fatah-II from the Fatah-I, which uses an eight-cell launcher – reflecting the Fatah-II’s larger airframe and heavier payload.
The launcher supports both salvo and non-salvo firing modes, allowing the ARFC to employ the Fatah-II in either rapid-fire volleys or deliberate single engagements depending on the tactical scenario.
Senior officials from the Strategic Plans Division (SPD), Army Rocket Force Command, and the Pakistan Army (PA) witnessed the Fatah-II launch, alongside scientists and engineers from Pakistan’s strategic organizations. President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir commended the teams involved.
The Fatah-II was first tested in December 2023 and is understood to have been inducted into the PA’s inventory in 2024.
The April 2026 test is notable for being framed as a “training launch” rather than a developmental test. This distinction suggests that the Fatah-II has moved beyond the testing phase and is now an operational system within the ARFC’s deployed inventory, with the launch serving to validate readiness and crew proficiency rather than prove the missile’s core design.
This is the first publicly acknowledged Fatah-II firing since the formation of the ARFC in August 2025, when the PA formally organized its growing arsenal of conventional guided rockets and missiles under a dedicated command structure.
It is also the first known Fatah-II launch since the 2025 conflict with India, during which the PA employed the shorter-ranged Fatah-I guided multiple launch rocket system (GMLRS) in combat.
The Fatah-II training launch comes barely a day after Quwa published an analysis of the PA’s broader shift towards an integrated precision-fire and precision-strike strategy. The timing, while likely coincidental, underscores how central the ARFC and the Fatah family of guided surface-to-surface missiles have become to the PA’s evolving doctrine.
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