Desert Fox
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Shaheen 1A
On 25 April 2012, Pakistan successfully test-launched an upgraded Shaheen I called Shaheen 1A. Like the US naming of the Pershing 1 and 1A, Pakistan has named both missiles as Shaheen 1 and 1A respectively. The features of the Shaheen 1A are similar to the United States MGM-31 Pershing 1A. The military said in a statement that the Shaheen 1A is a medium-range ballistic missile.[5] It is an improved version of the Shaheen 1 with better accuracy and double the range of its predecessor.[6]
The Pakistani military initially did not publicly reveal the range of the missile which lead to media speculation of the true range of the missile. The missile is also equipped with maneuverable reentry vehicle warheads designed to evade missile defense systems, he said.[7] The speed of the Shaheen 1A also provides an extremely high impact speed for nearby targets, enabling it to avoid any anti-ballistic missile defenses that may develop in the immediate region. A western official in Islamabad mentioned that the Shaheen 1A missile seems to have an improved ability to strike at its targets. It also has a more powerful engine, which means that it travels at scramjet speeds and can strike at longer distances than Shaheen-1.[8]
On 25th April 2012, the ISPR revealed more information about the missile. The missile weight is approximately 10,000 kg, slightly heavier than its predecessor and can carry either a single 1000kg warhead or be MIRVed with between 3 to 5 nuclear warheads weighing between 200-300 kg each.[9] In addition, the Shaheen IA primarily contains sophisticated automated refueling and advanced stealth technology features that were not present in its previous version to avoid detections from radars. Even Pakistani radars could not track the missile after it was launched. All three Shaheen missiles, Shaheen I, Shaheen 1A and Shaheen II are reportedly equipped with the latest PSAC (Post-Separation Attitude Correction) system. This is a unique feature which consists of small thrusters that can adjust the warhead trajectory for greater accuracy and evading anti-ballistic missile defence systems. The features of the missile could also serve as a testbed of features which could be implemented on the yet to be deployed Shaheen III which could potentially have a range of 4500km
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