asian defence

A new type of conventional missile being researched by the Chinese Army is set to be weaponised for entry into active service within five years, military sources revealed.

The China News Service has reported that China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) will complete research, production and delivery of the new missile by 2015.

A military source revealed that the mew missile is a medium and long-range conventional missile with a travelling distance of 4,000km.

Used in both defence and attack, the new missile will be capable of dealing with threats from land, sea, air, space and cybernetic attacks.
"The project will also entail a three-year evaluation period. It extends the range of China's missiles and will therefore greatly enhance the national defence capabilities," the source added.

Posted in Missiles and Bomb News category — By Press Trust of India on Friday, February 11th, 2011.

Pakistan test fired nuclear-capable Babur (Hatf-7) cruise missile with a range of 600 km that can hit targets in India.
The test of the indigenous-developed missile was “part of a process of validating the system,” said a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations. The statement did not mention where the test was conducted.
The successful test of Hatf-7 or Babur cruise missile was witnessed by Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman Gen Khalid Shamim Wynne, who said the launch would “go a long way in consolidating Pakistan’s strategic deterrence capability and further strengthening national security.”
“Pakistan’s resolve and commitment to continue its strategic program will remain paramount,” he said.
The test was “warmly appreciated by the President and Prime Minister,” who congratulated the scientists and engineers on their success, the statement said.
The Director General of the Strategic Plans Division, Lt Gen (Retd) Khalid Ahmed Kidwai, Army Strategic Force Command chief Lt Gen Jamil Haider, senior officers from the military and strategic organizations, scientists and engineers also witnessed the test.



The Babur can carry strategic or conventional warheads and has stealth capabilities, the statement said.
It is a “low flying, terrain-hugging missile with high maneuverability, pin-point accuracy and radar avoidance features.”
The missile also incorporates modern cruise missile technology of terrain contour matching (TERCOM) and digital scene matching and area co-relation (DSMAC), the statement said.

In July 1997 Pakistan allegedly test-fired an 800 km missile. The Pakistani Government acknowledged that a missile had been tested, but did not identify its range. Indian sources assert the missile was a Chinese M-9. American analysts, however, have concluded that the missile was possibly an improved M-11. Very little information is available on this alleged launch, and considerable confusion extends to the Pakistani nomeclature for this missile.

In early June 1998 a leading Pakistani scientist Dr. Samar Mubarik Mund, director General of the National Development complex, stated that Pakistan was prepared to test fire the medium range Shaheen-I (Eagle) missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads up to 700 kilometers.

The Shaheen I is a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) with an optimal range of 750 km propelled by a single stage solid fuel rocket motor. The Shaheen I can deliver either a conventional or a nuclear payload much faster than liquid fuelled missiles such as the Ghauri because it does not need to be fuelled before launch, reducing deployment time significantly.
The Shaheen I is believed to be very accurate; Pakistani military sources state a CEP of 25 to 50 m can be achieved, partly due to a "post-separation attitude correction system." This system would allow the missile to modify its trajectory, improving accuracy and, along with the stealthy warhead shaping, giving some capability to evade missile defence systems. It is based on terminal guidance system technology, which improves warhead accuracy by firing small thrusters to adjust the warhead's trajectory and uses satellite navigation systems to help find the target. Such systems would allow the Shaheen to be used against strategic targets without requiring a nuclear warhead to ensure the target's destruction.

The advanced version of the indigenous Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will be test-fired in February and will enable the manifestation of a fully operational missile shield for vital areas and installations in the country.

The BMD system will be a two-tier system and has been upgraded for greater range. The aim of the two-tier system is to first destroy an incoming missile, at a higher altitude, in the exo-atmosphere and if that fails, the endo-atmospheric interception will take place. The Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) intercepts missiles at altitudes between 50-80 kilometres and the Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile destroys them at heights between 15-30 kilometres.

According to DRDO, the upgraded BMD system with its missile shield will be able to intercept missiles at exo-atmospheric altitudes of 150 kilometres and endo-atmospheric height of 80 kilometres. The need to enhance the BMD system’s exo-atmospheric and endo-atmospheric altitudes was felt by the DRDO due to the modern warfare scenario where enemy missiles will need to be intercepted with more stealth and capability. The two tier-BMD system with greater altitude range will ensure that a second layer can be opted for in case of failure in the first attempt.

Last year, V.K. Saraswat, Director-General of DRDO had assured that the first phase of the indigenous Ballistic Missile Defence System to intercept and destroy incoming enemy missiles of less than 2,000-km range is expected to be deployed in two years. He added that the first phase would be made operational through the new concept of ‘capability-based deployment.’ The Air Defence Programme has been divided into two parts — depending upon the threat perception. While the first category of threats pertains to enemy missiles with less than 2,000 kilometres range, the second type belongs to those with more than 2,000 kilometres. Besides, both these phases will have two layers.

According to the DRDO, new technologies have been added and modifications have been made in the interceptor missile PAD 02 to provide higher energy, an improved guidance and control system and an integrated a Gimbaled Directional Warhead with it. The new warhead weighed only around 30 kilograms but will generate the impact of a 150 kilogram omni-directional warhead could make. The entire system is fully automated and human intervention is not needed for activation.

However, the DRDO has not been able to skirt the delays in the indigenous BMD system. Till mid 2010, it had managed to conduct only four tests of BMD system in the last four years. The first three tests in November 2006, December 2007 and March 2009 were dubbed successful, killing enemy missiles at altitudes of 48 kilometres, 15 kilometres and 80 kilometres. However, the fourth test in March 2010 was aborted midway after technical glitches. DRDO feels that if the tests in February this year are successful, the deployment of the BMD system by 2015 is a possibility. India will also fall in the elite group of four countries to have successfully developed an Anti-ballistic missile system, after United States, Russia and Israel.

Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible foreign military sale to the Government of Bahrain of 25 AIM-120C-7 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) and associated equipment, parts and services at an estimated cost of $74 million. The Government of Bahrain has requested a possible sale of 25 AIM-120C-7 AMRAAMs, missile containers, spare and repair parts, support and test equipment, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistical and program support. The estimated cost is $74 million.