Indian Brahmos missle crashes in Mian Channo

[SIPRA]

What a shock to see the serious, sober @Signalian posting with this pawky sense of humour!

A very pleasant shock.

Kissi aadmi kay ander gupt "bhaand" kissi bhi waqt jaag sakta hae. Hamaaray waala, tau khaer, sauta he naheen.

 

[VkdIndian]

Wasn't potential "discrimination against Muslims" the fundamental reason, behind the demand for Pakistan?

Yes it was I guess.
But the perception of discrimination just due to religion can be flawed. East vs West Pakistan was an example of that. They were all Muslims to start with but we all know what happened.
Within a certain religion there can be enough fault lines to keep going on an on. Some Muslims consider themselves bigger Muslims then the others. Arabs consider themselves the true ones and others inferior. Then, there are sects and sub sects. Within sects clans and biradaris start. Colour of skin, language, ancestry etc etc….
I also think that there is no religion without these issues. Learned people on these issue may be able to tell why.

 

[SIPRA]

Yes it was I guess.
But the perception of discrimination just due to religion can be flawed. East vs West Pakistan was an example of that. They were all Muslims to start with but we all know what happened.
Within a certain religion there can be enough fault lines to keep going on an on. Some Muslims consider themselves bigger Muslims then the others. Arabs consider themselves the true ones and others inferior. Then, there are sects and sub sects. Within sects clans and biradaris start. Colour of skin, language, ancestry etc etc….
I also think that there is no religion without these issues. Learned people on these issue may be able to tell why.

Agree.

Your whole post is valid. My post, about discrimination, on the basis of religion, didn't exclude the other ones, which you have mentioned.

 

[Khan vilatey]

I believe india is planning a cold start attack
Facts we have determined

1. The Brahmose land missile system is a version of the anti ship Russian cruise missile

1. As it flys at high altitude to take advantage of its ram jet motor it is very detectable at longer ranges and can be shot down by most Pakistani air Defense systems in service today.the missile was tracked 300 kms (180km in India + Pakistani radar located 200 kms from the border). What this means is Pakistan is able to at least see 400-500 kms inside India!

1. The missile is not very maneuverable as it losses significant fuel/ range with even basic maneuvers are established like a right turn into Pakistan as it “crashed” after 234 kms of flight with NO warhead meaning the system was 200 kg lighter

1. India does not have full control over the missile beyond a certain range and has to rely on pre fed coordinates for attack a lot like most naval weapons. If this were nit the case they would have activated self destruct for the weapon
2. 
   
3. It is clear from this action that Brahmose does not use cameras or satellite communication as is focused much more on pre fed coordinates or glasnos coordinates

1. Brahmose in the Indian service is not nuclear capable and is not governed by Indian strategic command
2. 
   
3. Pakistan defiantly has the ability to shoot this missiles down as the same ly-80 and hq-9p systems are placed on Pakistani and Chinese ships to provide air cover against incoming supersonic cruise missiles like brahmose

1. Pakistani SOPs against a thread are solid. See what most people don’t realize is
   1. In a war India could fire a first salvo to see what systems we use to intercept the missiles and then launch a second strike to take those systems out! Then launch massive air strikes on Pakistani forward bases. To counter this one would guess that Pakistan would attempt to put as many aircraft up as possible as part of the first wave of defenders, prepare a second wave of air defense as they have another 6-8 minutes before the detection of the second strike and thirdly begin preparing long rang strike packages to take out Indian forward air bases this would need to be launched within 1 hour of the strike coordinated with Pakistani Babur cruise missile strikes to weaken Indian air defenses. Babaur has a 800 km range, flies very low and has a nuclear capable payload of 600 kg. Since it uses a turbofan engine it is extremely maneuverable
2. We know india is conducting massive exercises with its best elements of quick strike force.
3. The Indian navy tried to infiltrate a submarine in Pakistani waters
4. Indians were conducting near live attack tests with cruise missiles with targets in Pakistan
5. Indian airborne forces conducted training jumps recently
6. India canceled its large air exercises to Reserve parts
7. India knows that past April the monsoon season will start I,e May , June and July which will make it very difficult for tanks and armored formations to maneuver
8. Pakistani acquisition of major systems like jf-17 block 3 , j-10c , hq-9p hq-16 hq 9b , multiple naval systems inclusive of ships, submarines , new tanks , sh-15 sp artillery and longer ranged rocket artillery are new and require at least a year of familiarization
9. India war time supplies are dwindling as Russia is focused on resupplying its own army first and all the spare factories in Ukraine an alternate source for Russian weapons is no longer available. I estimate the supply of parts for a major operation will be consumed by peace time operations in 3-6 months. Indian has a large military.
10. Modi sees that the next election maybe hard for him unless he can give an actual victory for his people. Inflation numbers and economical factors are not in his favor and as America is embroiled in Europe and may be willing to cut deals with the Chinese in return for favors against resupplying Russia . This would lead to the possibility of allowing China to arm its ally and attack a weak india is too great.
11. Pakistani goverment is distracted due to political issues
12. Insurgent operations via TTP and BLA have increased significantly tieing up Pakistani forces in the north west

What I believed happened
I believe india is conducting a short and quick insertion plan for a short and tactical war against Pakistan. In this regard significant training is being conducted of fast deployment units. To punish Pakistan and take a smaller area of Pakistan To stay within the nuclear threshold but gain concessions. In this process of realistic exercises one missile was launched due to incompetence of the army units in-charge of this . The Indians immediately informed the US which then passed the message to Pakistan and China so no retaliation takes place.

Pakistans response for to follow its SOPs as I would assume they expected a first salvo followed by a second salvo to take out our forward airbases.

I believe india is planning a cold start attack

What I think Pakistan needs to do

1. use the international forums to continually raise the stink on india with allied countries
2. India will not attack Pakistan while the OIC Confrence is in effect. The attack will be either be on or earlier than 23 March or after the 25 of March all the way till end of April.
3. Immediate attention should be put on war preparedness
4. Air Defences should be put on battle alert at the same level as when Rajiv Gandhi threatened war with Pakistan in the late 80s
5. We should conduct our own drills and mobilizations, maybe a large exercise like zarb e momin
6. Close the airspace to all Indian civilian and military traffic and order all AD units to shoot down any incoming threat from India. This will reduce the risk of Pakistan engaging any civilian threats from India.

Your opinion is welcome

K

 

[Joe Shearer]

I appreciate the nuances you raise, however when a uniform that discludes the religious beliefs of people is mandated and reasonable accommodations to the affected parties (i.e. wearing the hijab) are not provided, the mandate is discriminatory. The court upholding the mandate on the false grounds that hijab is not critical to the exercise of practicing the religion is by extension discriminatory.

By disallowing any form of clothing in any setting you are necessarily discriminating. The court just simply believes the hijab is not worthy of accommodation / is ok to be discriminated against by that institution (just as if it were blue clothing).

I hope, in this precise context, you will take a look at the comment by another member of a private group that I attached as an answer to @Jf-17 block 3 17 block 3

Every time something bad related to Hindu Nationalism happens, "sane" Indians will say "it's fine because it's a country of 1 billion" and that these people are a minority.

Last night, I sat through an interview on TV (shown on YouTube - I don't own a TV) that actually restored some of my lost confidence. I will forward it, but on a different thread of your choice. You may find it interesting.

Dear sane Indians, your country is not a progressive, secular nation which believes in unity in diversity any more. It's time to accept that and stop living in denial.

I continue to have hope.

It's time for you to stop jumping in and defending these atrocities committed by your countrymen. If you bring attention to their wrongdoings instead of covering for them, you will help combat this cancer consuming your country.

I should not be responding to this part at all.

It's time for you to stop jumping in and defending these atrocities committed by your countrymen. If you bring attention to their wrongdoings instead of covering for them, you will help combat this cancer consuming your country.

By doing so, you are not anti national. You are defending the basis your country was founded on.

The spread of Hindutva only gives more credibility to the two nation theory.

 

[Joe Shearer]

Yes it was I guess.
But the perception of discrimination just due to religion can be flawed. East vs West Pakistan was an example of that. They were all Muslims to start with but we all know what happened.
Within a certain religion there can be enough fault lines to keep going on an on. Some Muslims consider themselves bigger Muslims then the others. Arabs consider themselves the true ones and others inferior. Then, there are sects and sub sects. Within sects clans and biradaris start. Colour of skin, language, ancestry etc etc….
I also think that there is no religion without these issues. Learned people on these issue may be able to tell why.

I'm so glad to read your posts.

Isn't India, which is defacto a Hindu Raj state, doing exactly, what was always expected from it? Wasn't potential "discrimination against Muslims" the fundamental reason, behind the demand for Pakistan?

It was not intended to be like this.

It need not have been like this.

The liberals, and also the leftist, lost the ball, failed to educate people, and we are now in a messed up country.

Gandhi took 32 years to get people into a particular way of thinking, burying their prejudices and village superstitions with a tidal wave of passion for freedom.

It took the horrors nearly 70 years of unremitting toil to undo those 30++ years.

 

[Chak Bamu]

It wasn't, how the wreckage fell is enough to clear that khushfehmi of yours .. Those who know, know..


Rafiqui is Shorkot Air Base located near Jhung.

Sargodha is a different airbase and it's official name is MUSHAF Air Base .. please stop stating incorrect information.


Not bases .. sites and they were 4 in total not 6 .


Every country charges fee from flights using it's airspace and providing ATC services. Considering number of aircrafts that fly to India through Pakistan, we will also lose a lot of money so not a very good idea.


The load was not JETTISONED . The bombs were DROPPED on the target and fell pretty close to the building. They failed to hit because of stupidity and incorrect information/intel provided to the IAF plus the bad weather. If it was not cloudy, story would have been different.


I can share positions of all flights if you have flight numbers.. but all the information you have posted so far is either incorrect or unconfirmed so yeah..

Thank you for responding & clearing all this up. Many must have noted but you actually went ahead and corrected the wrong information.

 

[OldenWisdom...قول بزرگ]

I believe india is planning a cold start attack
Facts we have determined

1. India war time supplies are dwindling as Russia is focused on resupplying its own army first and all the spare factories in Ukraine an alternate source for Russian weapons is no longer available. I estimate the supply of parts for a major operation will be consumed by peace time operations in 3-6 months. Indian has a large military.
2. Modi sees that the next election maybe hard for him unless he can give an actual victory for his people. Inflation numbers and economical factors are not in his favor and as America is embroiled in Europe and may be willing to cut deals with the Chinese in return for favors against resupplying Russia . This would lead to the possibility of allowing China to arm its ally and attack a weak india is too great.

Your opinion is welcome

K

You may have something here...

India has a window here... along with motivation there maybe outside influences that may force the hand.
But, unlike your proposition if Pakistan is to prevail... then India should be but one of the foes in the calculus. Meaning that it should be a percentage of the total capacity and not the whole. Only a dedicated sum of resources must be channeled for one theater... sparing the rest for other eventualities/redundancies.

You have a solid imagination V!

 

[Chak Bamu]

I believe india is planning a cold start attack
Facts we have determined

1. The Brahmose land missile system is a version of the anti ship Russian cruise missile

1. As it flys at high altitude to take advantage of its ram jet motor it is very detectable at longer ranges and can be shot down by most Pakistani air Defense systems in service today.the missile was tracked 300 kms (180km in India + Pakistani radar located 200 kms from the border). What this means is Pakistan is able to at least see 400-500 kms inside India!

1. The missile is not very maneuverable as it losses significant fuel/ range with even basic maneuvers are established like a right turn into Pakistan as it “crashed” after 234 kms of flight with NO warhead meaning the system was 200 kg lighter

1. India does not have full control over the missile beyond a certain range and has to rely on pre fed coordinates for attack a lot like most naval weapons. If this were nit the case they would have activated self destruct for the weapon
2. 
   
3. It is clear from this action that Brahmose does not use cameras or satellite communication as is focused much more on pre fed coordinates or glasnos coordinates

1. Brahmose in the Indian service is not nuclear capable and is not governed by Indian strategic command
2. 
   
3. Pakistan defiantly has the ability to shoot this missiles down as the same ly-80 and hq-9p systems are placed on Pakistani and Chinese ships to provide air cover against incoming supersonic cruise missiles like brahmose

1. Pakistani SOPs against a thread are solid. See what most people don’t realize is
   1. In a war India could fire a first salvo to see what systems we use to intercept the missiles and then launch a second strike to take those systems out! Then launch massive air strikes on Pakistani forward bases. To counter this one would guess that Pakistan would attempt to put as many aircraft up as possible as part of the first wave of defenders, prepare a second wave of air defense as they have another 6-8 minutes before the detection of the second strike and thirdly begin preparing long rang strike packages to take out Indian forward air bases this would need to be launched within 1 hour of the strike coordinated with Pakistani Babur cruise missile strikes to weaken Indian air defenses. Babaur has a 800 km range, flies very low and has a nuclear capable payload of 600 kg. Since it uses a turbofan engine it is extremely maneuverable
2. We know india is conducting massive exercises with its best elements of quick strike force.
3. The Indian navy tried to infiltrate a submarine in Pakistani waters
4. Indians were conducting near live attack tests with cruise missiles with targets in Pakistan
5. Indian airborne forces conducted training jumps recently
6. India canceled its large air exercises to Reserve parts
7. India knows that past April the monsoon season will start I,e May , June and July which will make it very difficult for tanks and armored formations to maneuver
8. Pakistani acquisition of major systems like jf-17 block 3 , j-10c , hq-9p hq-16 hq 9b , multiple naval systems inclusive of ships, submarines , new tanks , sh-15 sp artillery and longer ranged rocket artillery are new and require at least a year of familiarization
9. India war time supplies are dwindling as Russia is focused on resupplying its own army first and all the spare factories in Ukraine an alternate source for Russian weapons is no longer available. I estimate the supply of parts for a major operation will be consumed by peace time operations in 3-6 months. Indian has a large military.
10. Modi sees that the next election maybe hard for him unless he can give an actual victory for his people. Inflation numbers and economical factors are not in his favor and as America is embroiled in Europe and may be willing to cut deals with the Chinese in return for favors against resupplying Russia . This would lead to the possibility of allowing China to arm its ally and attack a weak india is too great.
11. Pakistani goverment is distracted due to political issues
12. Insurgent operations via TTP and BLA have increased significantly tieing up Pakistani forces in the north west

What I believed happened
I believe india is conducting a short and quick insertion plan for a short and tactical war against Pakistan. In this regard significant training is being conducted of fast deployment units. To punish Pakistan and take a smaller area of Pakistan To stay within the nuclear threshold but gain concessions. In this process of realistic exercises one missile was launched due to incompetence of the army units in-charge of this . The Indians immediately informed the US which then passed the message to Pakistan and China so no retaliation takes place.

Pakistans response for to follow its SOPs as I would assume they expected a first salvo followed by a second salvo to take out our forward airbases.

I believe india is planning a cold start attack

What I think Pakistan needs to do

1. use the international forums to continually raise the stink on india with allied countries
2. India will not attack Pakistan while the OIC Confrence is in effect. The attack will be either be on or earlier than 23 March or after the 25 of March all the way till end of April.
3. Immediate attention should be put on war preparedness
4. Air Defences should be put on battle alert at the same level as when Rajiv Gandhi threatened war with Pakistan in the late 80s
5. We should conduct our own drills and mobilizations, maybe a large exercise like zarb e momin
6. Close the airspace to all Indian civilian and military traffic and order all AD units to shoot down any incoming threat from India. This will reduce the risk of Pakistan engaging any civilian threats from India.

Your opinion is welcome

K

This is a quality post, though I wish formatting was better. I suggest that you use edit function.

There are two ways to look at the scenario:
1. The launch was a bungled affair that spilled beans before even the appetizer. So, in that India's failure is to Pakistan's advantage.
2. The launch was a calculated move to judge Pakistan's reaction for later reference. The missile was fired to deliberately not hit any target as such.

Any analysis would follow either of these options.

In the first case, we are forewarned & Indians would have a harder time executing their plans. The element of surprise is gone to a good extent as far as Brahmos is concerned. Pakistan has gotten data for reference & an idea to update SOPs accordingly.

In the second case, I hope we gave nothing away - no SIGINT, no reaction time, no actual AD assets' deployment, etc... I am glad that we lobbed nothing over the fence either, which would tell them our retaliation plans or even an idea/confirmation of our missiles' performance. Lack of a reaction was the best reaction in this case. Any further adventurism would certainly not be met with a lack of response. India will have to do something else to provoke a response and I think planners on this side must have already gamed alternatives for maximum effectiveness if & when an emergent situation demands.

In both the above cases we seem to have done well. In the bargain we have a stick to beat India with, diplomatically speaking. Any further action from India would be looked at unfavorably by the whole world.

The idea of timing that you have presented is a bit off. There are pre-monsoon rains sometimes in June. These can not be taken as an obstacle whatsoever. Proper Monsoon establishes itself in mid-July. So the window is a bit large here as far as weather is concerned & even the weather may not be a decisive factor.

I also agree with your point about the situation of Russian spare parts. An idea of how Indian weapons procurement works does not inspire confidence in Indian ability for on-time procurement, unless they have good deal of reserves built up. Any conflict that prolongs would be disastrous since it would draw in other powers & would spread to India's disadvantage in more ways than one.

Lastly, we know that Modi's go-to strategy to regain popularity is to target Pakistan to rally his base & get broad support. In cases he tries something like drama of Surgical Strikes, or Balakot Crow affair, Pakistan's response should be disproportionate. Do note that our responses to both of the above did not produce results that proved to have deterred Modi. He sold 26 Feb & 27 Feb as accomplishments despite them being duds. I agree with @MastanKhan when he said that PAF should not have let any SU-30 MKI leave the arena without a missile on its tail. Had we targeted them effectively, Modi could not have hid his failure and therefore would have paid the price - no matter how dim / dumb his supporters are.

I hope PAF stays vigilant & PA stays alert to deal with any misadventure from the East.

 

[Slav Defence]

Stick to the topic.

 

[Khan vilatey]

This is a quality post, though I wish formatting was better. I suggest that you use edit function.

There are two ways to look at the scenario:
1. The launch was a bungled affair that spilled beans before even the appetizer. So, in that India's failure is to Pakistan's advantage.
2. The launch was a calculated move to judge Pakistan's reaction for later reference. The missile was fired to deliberately not hit any target as such.

Any analysis would follow either of these options.

In the first case, we are forewarned & Indians would have a harder time executing their plans. The element of surprise is gone to a good extent as far as Brahmos is concerned. Pakistan has gotten data for reference & an idea to update SOPs accordingly.

In the second case, I hope we gave nothing away - no SIGINT, no reaction time, no actual AD assets' deployment, etc... I am glad that we lobbed nothing over the fence either, which would tell them our retaliation plans or even an idea/confirmation of our missiles' performance. Lack of a reaction was the best reaction in this case. Any further adventurism would certainly not be met with a lack of response. India will have to do something else to provoke a response and I think planners on this side must have already gamed alternatives for maximum effectiveness if & when an emergent situation demands.

In both the above cases we seem to have done well. In the bargain we have a stick to beat India with, diplomatically speaking. Any further action from India would be looked at unfavorably by the whole world.

The idea of timing that you have presented is a bit off. There are pre-monsoon rains sometimes in June. These can not be taken as an obstacle whatsoever. Proper Monsoon establishes itself in mid-July. So the window is a bit large here as far as weather is concerned & even the weather may not be a decisive factor.

I also agree with your point about the situation of Russian spare parts. An idea of how Indian weapons procurement works does not inspire confidence in Indian ability for on-time procurement, unless they have good deal of reserves built up. Any conflict that prolongs would be disastrous since it would draw in other powers & would spread to India's disadvantage in more ways than one.

Lastly, we know that Modi's go-to strategy to regain popularity is to target Pakistan to rally his base & get broad support. In cases he tries something like drama of Surgical Strikes, or Balakot Crow affair, Pakistan's response should be disproportionate. Do note that our responses to both of the above did not produce results that proved to have deterred Modi. He sold 26 Feb & 27 Feb as accomplishments despite them being duds. I agree with @MastanKhan when he said that PAF should not have let any SU-30 MKI leave the arena without a missile on its tail. Had we targeted them effectively, Modi could not have hid his failure and therefore would have paid the price - no matter how dim / dumb his supporters are.

I hope PAF stays vigilant & PA stays alert to deal with any misadventure from the East.

Thank you for your kind words. I used Apple notes to compile this and then copied it over which has negatively affected formatting. I wanted to know your opinion on creating a dedicated thread on this post which would allow a lot more discussion ?

K

 

[Chak Bamu]

Thank you for your kind words. I used Apple notes to compile this and then copied it over which has negatively affected formatting. I wanted to know your opinion on creating a dedicated thread on this post which would allow a lot more discussion ?

K

Threads are free here. So go ahead and shoot. But be sure to choose the title appropriately - something like "Strategic implications of the Brahmos missile attack". You may want to rewrite for formatting as well as incorporate some of the feedback, if you wish.

 

[Khan vilatey]

Threads are free here. So go ahead and shoot. But be sure to choose the title appropriately - something like "Strategic implications of the Brahmos missile attack". You may want to rewrite for formatting as well as incorporate some of the feedback, if you wish.

Thank you for your feedback!
What window of operation would you recommend we put in I believe they will go for pre May due to the heat and rains which will affect mobility of troops ?

I will reformat using word and add the thread properly formatted using a laptop

K

 

[MastanKhan]

This is a quality post, though I wish formatting was better. I suggest that you use edit function.

There are two ways to look at the scenario:
1. The launch was a bungled affair that spilled beans before even the appetizer. So, in that India's failure is to Pakistan's advantage.
2. The launch was a calculated move to judge Pakistan's reaction for later reference. The missile was fired to deliberately not hit any target as such.

Any analysis would follow either of these options.

In the first case, we are forewarned & Indians would have a harder time executing their plans. The element of surprise is gone to a good extent as far as Brahmos is concerned. Pakistan has gotten data for reference & an idea to update SOPs accordingly.

In the second case, I hope we gave nothing away - no SIGINT, no reaction time, no actual AD assets' deployment, etc... I am glad that we lobbed nothing over the fence either, which would tell them our retaliation plans or even an idea/confirmation of our missiles' performance. Lack of a reaction was the best reaction in this case. Any further adventurism would certainly not be met with a lack of response. India will have to do something else to provoke a response and I think planners on this side must have already gamed alternatives for maximum effectiveness if & when an emergent situation demands.

In both the above cases we seem to have done well. In the bargain we have a stick to beat India with, diplomatically speaking. Any further action from India would be looked at unfavorably by the whole world.

The idea of timing that you have presented is a bit off. There are pre-monsoon rains sometimes in June. These can not be taken as an obstacle whatsoever. Proper Monsoon establishes itself in mid-July. So the window is a bit large here as far as weather is concerned & even the weather may not be a decisive factor.

I also agree with your point about the situation of Russian spare parts. An idea of how Indian weapons procurement works does not inspire confidence in Indian ability for on-time procurement, unless they have good deal of reserves built up. Any conflict that prolongs would be disastrous since it would draw in other powers & would spread to India's disadvantage in more ways than one.

Lastly, we know that Modi's go-to strategy to regain popularity is to target Pakistan to rally his base & get broad support. In cases he tries something like drama of Surgical Strikes, or Balakot Crow affair, Pakistan's response should be disproportionate. Do note that our responses to both of the above did not produce results that proved to have deterred Modi. He sold 26 Feb & 27 Feb as accomplishments despite them being duds. I agree with @MastanKhan when he said that PAF should not have let any SU-30 MKI leave the arena without a missile on its tail. Had we targeted them effectively, Modi could not have hid his failure and therefore would have paid the price - no matter how dim / dumb his supporters are.

I hope PAF stays vigilant & PA stays alert to deal with any misadventure from the East.

Hi,

Breaks my heart when I read your post.

 

[khansaheeb]

Bloomberg - Are you a robot?

Errant Indian Missile Nearly Led to Pakistan Retaliatory Strike​

• Pakistan held back after realizing something was amiss: people
• India missile launch occurred due to human, technical errors

An Indian Army Brahmos missile and launcher.
Photographer: Prakash Singh/AFP/Getty Images
By
Sudhi Ranjan Sen and
Faseeh Mangi
March 15, 2022, 3:15 AM PDTUpdated onMarch 15, 2022, 6:50 PM PDT

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In this article​

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An accidental missile fired by India last week prompted Pakistan to prepare a retaliatory strike, people familiar with the matter said, showing how close the nuclear-armed neighbors came to blows over a potentially disastrous mistake.
Pakistan had prepared to launch a similar missile to strike India but held back because an initial assessment indicated something was amiss, people familiar with the matter said. The Indian missile ended up damaging some residential property but caused no casualties.



The Indian Air Force fired the BrahMos medium-range cruise missile on March 9 from the garrison town of Ambala, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of the capital New Delhi, according to people familiar with the matter in India. The mishap occurred due to human and technical errors during a routine exercise to check systems capable of taking offensive action in war, the people said.
Still, after the launch India didn’t use the direct hotline between the top army commanders on both sides to inform Pakistan, the people said, asking not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the information. Instead, Air Force officials moved to shut down the missile systems to avoid any further launches, they said.
Pakistan held a briefing to publicize the incident a day later after failing to hear an explanation from India, the people said. India finally offered a response Friday following the Pakistani protest over the launch.

Pakistan’s Air Force said it tracked the flight path of the missile from the northern Indian town of Sirsa to its landing spot in Mian Channu city in Pakistan’s Punjab province, military spokesman Major General Babar Iftikhar told reporters in Rawalpindi, home to the country’s military headquarters.

Missile Accidentally Launched​

Pakistan says “unarmed supersonic missile” struck Mian Channu city

Source: Bloomberg

While all cruise missiles have designated targets, the one fired didn’t arm itself because it failed to reach the intended destination, the people said. The Indian Air Force is currently reviewing what went wrong as well as any changes to standard operating procedures for missile launches, the people said.
The Indian Air Force, Indian Army and the Indian Defense Ministry didn’t respond to requests for comment. The Pakistan Army and Foreign Ministry also didn’t immediately respond to queries.
Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said an inquiry would reveal the exact reasons that led to the accidental launch. “India gives utmost priority to the safety and security of its missile systems and any gap revealed by the probe will be addressed,” he said.

‘Very Serious’​

In a statement over the weekend, Pakistan called on the international community “to take serious notice of this incident of grave nature in a nuclearized environment.”

“If Pakistan’s Air Force didn’t pick it up inside India and it was matched with an accident reaction, do people realize the implications, consequences of that,” Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told a briefing in Islamabad on Tuesday. “That’s very serious.”
India’s nuclear warheads and delivery mechanisms are always kept separate in peace time. The country’s nuclear-armed missiles are under the Strategic Forces Command headed by the prime minister, and several layers of permissions are required before they can be even moved.
Why India and Pakistan Don’t Get Along: QuickTake
Relations between Hindu-dominant India and Muslim-majority Pakistan have been hostile since both gained independence from British rule in 1947. Tensions have centered on the border region of Kashmir, an area in the Himalayas claimed in full -- and ruled in part -- by both countries. They’ve fought two of their three wars over control of the region.

Tensions have been elevated since 2019, when a suicide bomber killed 40 Indian paramilitary police in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government responded with India’s first air strikes on Pakistani soil since 1971, which led to an aerial dogfight.
The countries have an agreement in place to notify each other ahead of flight tests of ballistic missiles and military exercises. That deal doesn’t extend to tests of cruise missiles.
“Any cruise missile flight, especially for a faster than average cruise missile, such as BrahMos, occurs very quickly,” said Christopher Clary, nonresident fellow with Stimson Center’s South Asia program. “Even if Pakistani air defense radars observed the missile, which is by no means clear, there would have been only a few minutes or even a few seconds to coordinate a response to the intrusion.”
(Adds more details in sixth paragraph.)