| Country: |
Pakistan |
| Class: |
IRBM |
| Basing: |
Road mobile |
| Payload: |
Single warhead |
| Warhead: |
Nuclear, HE |
| Propulsion: |
Multiple-stage liquid |
| Range: |
3000-3500 km |
| Status: |
Development |
Details
The Ghauri 3 is an intermediate-range, liquid propellant ballistic missile under development by Pakistan. It is considered to be a project of the Hatf 5 program. The missile reportedly started development in 1994 with a planned range of 3,000 km (1864 miles). However, recently statements from Pakistan claim a range of 3500 km (2175 miles). There is also a Ghauri 3A that has a reported range of 3500 km. It is possible that the 3A program started in 2004. It is presumed to be road mobile and use an inertial guidance system, like previous Pakistani designs. These two missiles may serve as the basis for a satellite launch vehicle (SLV) based on the Taep'o-dong 1 (SLV).
The Ghauri 3 is likely designed for long-range strikes into India. It is nuclear capable and will probably be equipped to deploy nuclear warheads against civilian and military targets deep within India. There have been three wars fought between India and Pakistan since 1947, and there is a considerable danger that the next one would be nuclear. Both sides have been engaging in an arms race, of which the Pakistani Ghauri 3 and the Indian Agni-3 are the latest developments.
Pakistan reported in late May 2004 that it would be testing the Ghauri 3 in early June, but instead tested two Hatf-5 (Ghauri 1) missiles, to a range of 1,500 km (932 miles).
Footnotes
- Jane’s Strategic Weapons Systems, Issue 50, ed. Duncan Lennox, (Surrey: Jane’s Information Group, January 2009) 113-115.
Pakistan Establishes Three Strategic Commands
August 9, 2006 :: Kyodo :: News
Kyodo reports that Pakistan has set up three strategic commands in its armed forces equipped with nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, and capable of retaliating against any first nuclear strike by India. According to Shaukat Sultan, a spokesman for the Indian Defense Ministry, the three commands are located within the army, air force, and navy. The army command, established in 2003 under Lieutenant General Ghulum Mustafa, forms the backbone of Pakistan’s combined strategic force. It includes up to 100 facilities, mostly underground, where Pakistan’s medium-range Shaheen and long-range Ghauri missiles are kept. Sultan refused to divulge the number of people involved in the storing, security, deployment, and operation of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, although Kyodo quotes independent sources as saying that the army’s strategic force alone includes nearly 6,000 people. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Nuclear Weapons, Pakistan
» Missile details: Hatf 5 (Ghauri-3), Hatf 6
Afghanistan Asks Pakistan to Rename Missiles
February 23, 2006 :: BBC :: News
The BBC reports that Afghanistan has asked Pakistan to rename three of its missiles, the Haft-2 Abdali, the Ghauri, and the Ghaznavid, which are named after former Muslim conquerors that lived between the 11th and 18th centuries in what is now Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. Pakistan, however, has refused to rename these missiles, despite objections from Kabul which claims that Pakistan has linked these historical figures with “tools of destruction and killing.” The Haft-2 Abdali missile is named after the founder of the powerful Durrani dynasty, which helped shape modern Afghanistan. The Ghauri missile is named after Mohammed Ghauri, who defeated a Rajput Hindu king in 1192 along what is now the Pakistan-India border. The Ghaznavid missile is named after Mahmud Ghaznavi, who conquered Punjab in 1021 and was never defeated on the battlefield. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Pakistan
» Missile details: Hatf 5 (Ghauri-3), Hatf 2
Pakistan Now Plans to Test Two Ghauri-III Missiles
May 28, 2004 :: News
Coming one week after reports that Pakistan would test launch a Ghauri-III missile in early June, the Pakistani newspaper Nawa-i-Waqt now claims that the country will now conduct two tests of the missile, on May 29 and on June 3. The Ghauri III, said to be capable of carrying nuclear warheads 3,500km, is Pakistan’s longest-range missile. “After the successful test-fire of Ghauri III missile, Pakistan will join the ranks of other countries that can manufacture intermediate range missiles,” the paper boasted.
Update: May 29: Pakistan Tests Hatf-5, with range of 1,500 km. (More »»»)
» May 21, 2004: Pakistan to test Ghauri III in early June
» More stories on: Pakistan, Testing - Foreign
» Missile details: Hatf 5 (Ghauri-3), Hatf 5
Pakistan to Test Ghauri III Missile in Early June
May 21, 2004 :: News
Pakistan is preparing to test a 3,500km range ballistic missile, referred to as the Ghauri-III, in the first week of June, possibly on June 3. This would be the first flight test of the liquid-fueled Ghauri III, and the longest-range missile of Pakistan’s to date, surpassing the range of the Shaheen II. A successful motor test for the missile has already taken place, reports the Pakistani newspaper Nawa-i-Waqt, probably in September 1999.
The missile will be fired from the testing range near the northwest province of Nowshera, and will travel southward, into the Arabian Sea. The Ghauri missile system was initially developed by Abdul Qadeer Khan. In March, Pakistan tested its Shaheen II missile, with a reported range of 2,000 to 3,000km.
Several news reports describe the Ghauri III missile as “long range,” but a missile with a range of 3,500km would be classified as an intermediate range ballistic missile, or IRBM.
Update: May 24: Pakistan could launch missile within 48 hours (Article, Link)
» March 9, 2004: Pakistan tests Shaheen II
» Nawa-i-Waqt report on Pakistan test (subscription)
» More stories on: Pakistan, Testing - Foreign
» Missile details: Hatf 5 (Ghauri-3)
