Pakistan launches ballistic missile ‘Nasr’: ISPR

The missile is capable of defeating — by assured penetration — “any currently available BMD [Ballistic Missile Defence] system in our neighbourhood or any other system under procurement [or] development”

Pakistan has conducted another successful launch of the tactical ballistic missile Nasr as part of the Army Strategic Forces Command training exercise, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday.

The exercise included a training test on January 24, when the short-range surface-to-surface missile was fired in a salvo of four missiles, and single shots fired on January 28 and 31.

According to the ISPR, the second phase of this exercise was aimed at testing the “extreme in-flight manoeuvrability” of the missile.

The launch was witnessed by Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, the director general of the Strategic Plans Division, commander of Army Strategic Forces Command, chairman of NESCOM, senior officers from the Army Strategic Forces Command and scientists and engineers belonging to strategic organisations.

According to the press release, General Hayat appreciated the participating troops, scientists and engineers on “achieving yet another milestone of national significance towards Pakistan’s strategic deterrence capability”.

ISPR had earlier described the 70-kilometre range Nasr missile as “a high precision, shoot and scoot Weapon System with the ability of in-flight manoeuvrability”.

Pakistan had inducted the Nasr missile in its strategic arsenal in 2017 and its first training launch was held in July 2017. Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa had on that occasion said: “Nasr has put cold water on Cold Start.”

Introduced in April 2011, Nasr was developed in response to India’s Cold Start doctrine, the existence of which was officially confirmed by Indian Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat. The tactical nuclear weapon system, it is said, is meant to deny space to India for conventional conflict below the nuclear threshold.