Hatf-IX - Tactical Multi-Tube Ballistic Missile

[foxhound]

ref:Pakistan Tests 'Nuke-Capable' Short-Range Missile - Defense News

Pakistan Tests 'Nuke-Capable' Short-Range Missile
By USMAN ANSARI
Published: 20 Apr 2011 16:53 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan yesterday conducted the first official test firing of what it described as a short-range surface-to-surface multitube ballistic missile.

An Inter-Services Press Release statement said the Nasr (Victory) missile could be tipped with "nuclear warheads of appropriate yield with high accuracy," therefore confirming Pakistan's long-assumed tactical nuclear weapons program.

The statement also described it as a "quick response system [which] addresses the need to deter evolving threats."

Nasr is the ninth in the Pakistani Hatf (Vengeance) series of missile systems. Images, and film released by ISPR and Associated Press of Pakistan show it to be a two-round system carried on the Chinese-origin 8x8 high-mobility truck chassis used by the Army's AR1A/A100-E 300mm Multiple Launch Rocket System.

Haris Khan, of the Pakistan Military Consortium think tank, said Nasr answers India's Cold Start doctrine.

"Hatf-IX is a perfect answer to the Indian concept of Cold Start," Khan said. "It establishes that tactical nuclear weapons will be deployed very close to its border with minimum reaction time to counter any armor or mechanized thrust by an enemy into its Pakistani territory."

The Nasr test shows Pakistan can build small nuclear warheads for all kinds of delivery platforms, said Mansoor Ahmed, a lecturer at Quaid-e-Azam University here who specializes in nonconventional weapons and missiles.

"Theoretically, 1 kilogram of weapons-grade plutonium boosted with 4-5 grams of tritium gives a 10-20KT yield, provided the trigger is sophisticated," Ahmed said. "However, the diameter size of Nasr suggests that the warhead would be less than 1 kilogram, and would be of sub-kiloton range, suitable for battlefield use and could be a fission boosted sub-kiloton fission device."Pakistan will now "not accept any cap in plutonium production in the foreseeable future," he said.
Similar in concept to the Russian Iskander, the Nasr has a much shorter range: 60 kilometers, which Ahmed said could be extended.

ref:http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article1709352.ece
Pakistan tests short-range ballistic missile
Anita Joshua
Share · Comment · print · T+ Pakistan on Tuesday claimed to have successfully conducted the first flight test of the newly developed short range surface-to-surface multi-tube ballistic missile ‘Hatf IX' (NASR).

Viewed by some strategic analysts as Pakistan's answer to India's Cold Start Doctrine, NASR has a range of 60 km and “shoot-and-scoot'' nuclear delivery capability.

The Inter-Services Public Relations said NASR's quick response system addressed need to deter evolving threats. Addressing a gathering at the undisclosed site of the test, Director-General of the Strategic Plans Division Khalid Ahmed Kidwai said the successful flight marked a milestone in consolidating Pakistan's strategic deterrence capability at all levels of the threat spectrum.

Lt. Gen (retd.) Kidwai pointed out that in the hierarchy of military operations, NASR provided Pakistan with short range missile capability in addition to the already available medium and long range ballistic missiles and cruise missiles in its inventory.

Welcoming the test, security analyst Shireen Mazari said in a statement that Pakistan had now acquired tactical nuclear capability with a low yield that could be used in the battlefield. “It will act as a deterrent against use of mechanised conventional land forces. This was essential in the wake of India's adventurist war-fighting doctrine formulations, which envisaged the use of rapid deployment of armed brigades and divisions in surprise and rapid attacks.''

Referring to India's Cold Start Doctrine, Ms. Mazari said, “India has always felt that Pakistan had a loophole in terms of lacking short range battlefield nuclear weapons, which it could exploit on the assumption that it made little sense for Pakistan to respond to such conventional attacks with strategic nuclear weapons. With NASR, Pakistan has plugged that loophole. Indian dreams of a limited war against Pakistan through its Cold Start strategy have been laid to rest. This will allow for a reassertion of a stable nuclear deterrence in the region.''

 

[Dazzler]

They say you need to possess the deadliest weapon to avoid the war and this is where i was heading. Both countries know the result of a nuclear fallout. An inevitable destruction. Coming back to topic, NASR has given us multiple options and the argument of "why NASR when we got hold of A-100?, the answer is, one is a guided missile able to avoid the danger of SAM and the other is a mild guidance equipped rocket so both cannot be compared despite having similar objectives.

 

[irfan1173]

AoA
Congratulations to all those involved in developing this.

People are doing a mistake of looking at cold start in isolation. The purpose of cold start is nothing different that what the purpose of strike corps are on both sides. For whatever reasons if india decided to attack us its a full fledged war. cold start is just a fancy term for what the strike corps supposed to do. Seeing the back drop of nuclear weapons in the subcontinent if that doesn't stop India from waging war, rest assured a tactical nuclear weapon will not stop them. In a nutshell war will be decided keeping the nuclear weapons in mind but not whether they are tactical or strategic in nature.

How the enemy will retaliate is anybody's guess. But to feel that since we will use this on our territory so India wont retaliate is a stupid thought. Had a candid discussion with a person in know, simple point is either you go all the way or nothing. There is no middle ground.

 

[foxhound]

ref:Pakistan's new missile aimed at India's 'Cold Start' doctrine: Experts - The Economic Times

20 Apr, 2011, 06.12PM IST,PTI
Pakistan's new missile aimed at India's 'Cold Start' doctrine: Experts

Read more on »Pakistan|Islamabad|India|ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's new short-range nuclear-capable Hatf-9 missile is primarily aimed at deterring India's purported Cold Start military doctrine that envisages quick thrusts by small integrated battle groups in the event of hostilities, experts and analysts here have claimed.

The Hatf-9 or Nasr, described as a missile with a range of 60 km and designed to carry "nuclear warheads of appropriate yield with high accuracy", was tested for the first time at an undisclosed location yesterday.

The missile will be deployed with a mobile multi-barrel launch system that has "shoot and scoot attributes", or the ability to fire at a target and immediately relocate to another position to avoid enemy counter-fire.
The new system is primarily aimed at deterring India's purported Cold Start doctrine, under which the Indian army has allegedly created integrated battle groups comprising infantry and mechanised elements that could be quickly mobilised and used for launching rapid thrusts into Pakistani territory in the event of hostilities, according to an analyst who did not want to be named.

The Indian army has always denied existence of any such doctrine.

The Hatf-9 missile system is a tactical nuclear weapons and "low-yield battlefield deterrent" capable of inflicting damage on mechanised forces such as armed brigades and divisions, military sources told The Express Tribune newspaper.

With the development of the Hatf-9's shoot and scoot capability, "Indian planners will now be deterred from considering options of limited war", the military sources said.

The Pakistani military had formulated its "new war fighting concept" in response to India's purported Cold Start doctrine, the Dawn newspaper quoted unnamed sources as saying.

The development of the Hatf-9 is also being seen as a major achievement in terms of miniaturisation of nuclear warheads, the daily reported.

Another analyst, who did not want to be named, told PTI that weapons like the Hatf-9 missile will limit the space for "limited war under a nuclear umbrella".

However, the analyst noted that the military may have to use such a system within Pakistani territory in the event of an Indian thrust and this could have adverse consequences, such as nuclear fallout or the radiation hazard from an atomic blast.

 

[Ghareeb_Da_Baal]

Zindabad Pakistan.................. now I gotta get back to working.

 

[F-16_Falcon]

I am not happy with 60 km nuclear missile. increase the range to 200 km.

 

[Ghareeb_Da_Baal]

I am not happy with 60 km nuclear missile. increase the range to 200 km.

It is a tactical system hence the short range. I am sure they will tweak and enhance it for better performance and more tubes. For faster movement I think 4 would be max.

 

[Thorough Pro]

@Indians
ARTHUR isn't good for quasi ballistic trajectories simply because even in the terminal stages the projectile can vary its coarse; because the propulsion unit is still ON WORK!!
@Pakistanis
I am unfortunate to say that are you humans...we are discussing the prospects of a nuclear [I don't care mini/macro] nike upon India...We must realise this from our side will be of the gravest of all mistakes...as we van now no more rely on our nukes as mere deterrent furthermore nuclear hazards can play havoc with our soldier lives. Like I said previously we must use cluster type ammunitions or kinetic rods which are more lethal both to the armour or the infantry...& yet HUMANE

Though I agree with most parts of your post, but there is nothing "Humane" about war, your objective is to completely and totally destroy the enemy foces ASAP with the start of hostilities to avoid any such attempt by the enemy.

 

[Thorough Pro]

Also, is it possible for India to locate this system with fire finding radars ?

Only if they survive the attack.

 

[Pak_Sher]

Though I agree with most parts of your post, but there is nothing "Humane" about war, your objective is to completely and totally destroy the enemy foces ASAP with the start of hostilities to avoid any such attempt by the enemy.

Everything is fair in love and war. With a shorter range and a large warhead can destroy advancing forces. Also a pre-emptive strike with Nasr on deployed forces can cause havoc on the ground. Previous versions of Hatf-1 and Hatf-3 can also be combined to pose a solid offense. Any country posing a threat to attack Pakistan deserves no mercy and the work "Humane" does not make any sense in war scenarios.

 

[Thorough Pro]

I still dont agree with you.

You have made this system alright.

But usage of a nucleared Nasr on Indian troops even on ur soil will require lot of guts.

You have to keep in mind of the response that may come if u guys ever plan to go through "that" road.

Your argument reminds me of a joke which goes like this,

A man is sitting on the chest of another man on the ground and punching him accross the face and crying out loud at the same time, a passerby asks him the reason for crying while he is on top of the other, the man replies I am crying for what he is going to do to me when he gets up.

No Sir we are not like that man, God forbid, if the time comes our first offensive will ensure that the enemy NEVER gets up, we will not hold or think about our first strike for what the enemy might do, you know why? because we know what our first strike will do.

For Pakistan there is no such thing as "Limited Strike" or "Surgical Punitive Strike", any such misadventure is an act of war, a full fledge war and we will give a befitting response as per our war doctrine.

 

[Birruna]

Your argument reminds me of a joke which goes like this,

A man is sitting on the chest of another man on the ground and punching him accross the face and crying out loud at the same time, a passerby asks him the reason for crying while he is on top of the other, the man replies I am crying for what he is going to do to me when he gets up.

No Sir we are not like that man, God forbid, if the time comes our first offensive will ensure that the enemy NEVER gets up, we will not hold or think about our first strike for what the enemy might do, you know why? because we know what our first strike will do.

For Pakistan there is no such thing as "Limited Strike" or "Surgical Punitive Strike", any such misadventure is an act of war, a full fledge war and we will give a befitting response as per our war doctrine.

Good example, bad context. Why is the man sitting on another man's chest in the first case anyway? Most likely the guy on the ground did something amazingly stupid and thinks he can get away with it.

I think the narrative by Shireen Mazri is Pakistan's usual way of announcing a new weapon they have decided to deploy in their own sensational low key way.

If at all India decides to factor in Hatf-IX the response will be to bring along their own tact nukes to the battleground some sort of counter deterrent. Both Pakistan's and later India's tact nukes will fall on Pakistani soil. I can live with that.

 

[somebozo]

indian doctrine clearly states that any nuclear attack on India or its soldiers whether in its own territory or outside would be treated as a Nuclear strike on India and would invite massive retaliation.

So you expect indian soldiers to cross with border with all pomp and trumpet and Pakistanis to stand and watch the ceremony?? Hello, wake up..this isnt bollywood..which law in the world states that a country should standby and watch being invaded..and which law actually secures your soldiers from attacks who are standing in the enermy terriotry during war? Watch less bollywood please.

DAZ HOW WE ROLL!!!

N-Bazooka

Vespa Bazooka

hahahaahaha...we need to find some dada jee for driving that vespa! May be Anupan Kheer can make "crossing the border in 60 seconds" feat in that!

 

[Thorough Pro]

Good example, bad context. Why is the man sitting on another man's chest in the first case anyway?
Most likely the guy on the ground did something amazingly stupid and thinks he can get away with it.

Exactly! I hope you understand.

 

[rajusri]

Only if they survive the attack.

How? The radar detects it first. It has to come close to 60 km to launch it. There will be many radars.