Shaheen-II Has 1,200 Mile Range, Nuclear Warhead
Multiple sources reported Saturday
morning that Pakistan had test fired an intermediate-range
ballistic missile, with a range of 2,000 km (over 1,200 miles) and
capable of carrying nuclear or conventional warheads. A photograph
released by Pakistani authorities showed the launch of the
Shaheen-II missile.
Given the tense situation in the region, Pakistan notified
neighboring countries in advance of the launch. This has become a
routine practice both for Pakistan and for its nuclear rival India,
which have fought three major wars and innumerable lesser campaigns
since their 1947 partition. The Pakistanis have already notified
their neighbors of an upcoming test of another missile, the
Ghaznavi-ER short range ballistic missile.
The Shaheen-II missile is a two-stage, solid-propellant rocket,
fired from a twelve-wheeled mobile launcher, which according to
Pakistani claims was developed entirely locally. It had been tested
previously, although those tests were not completely successful.
According to Pakistani sources, this one was. "Al Hamduillah
[Praise Allah], all parameters were validated," a Pakistani
statement said.
"Shaheen" means
"Eagle." Some reports call it a Hatf-VI, but that apparently is a
different weapon. "Hatf" means "The Prophet's Lance," and the
original Hatf-I was a SCUD-class, but solid-fueled, weapon. Experts
on subcontinent arms dismiss the idea that the Pakistani weapons
were developed locally, but claim that they are locally produced
"badge-engineered" Chinese models -- and the missiles and launchers
do indeed seem to be identical to Chinese ones. The Shaheen-II, and
its launcher, are dead ringers for the Chinese M-18.
Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf, who observed the
test in person, was expansive after the launch. "In my opinion,
today we have achieved a technological milestone. Our own
scientists, our local scientists, have successfully achieved the
big milestone of two-stage motor separation," he said.
Musharraf further claimed that Pakistan's deterrent force was
now in place, and that Pakistan had no nuclear ambitions beyond
deterrence. "Ever since we started feeling nuclear and missile
threats, we responded by quantifying minimum level (of deterrence)
and today I am very happy to announce that we have crossed that
minimum deterrence level," he added. Another Pakistani source
claims that the Shaheen-II can reach any point in India within
seven minutes of launch. (However, that source, a 1999 article by
Hanif Khalid which purports to tell the inside story of Pakistani
missile development, also contains many demonstrable falsehoods and
must be read with caution. That article is available in the
Federation of American Scientists' coverage of Pakistani
proliferation).
Pakistani sources have previously suggested that by nuclear and
missile threats, he refers to India, which developed these
technologies ahead of Pakistan. India first tested a nuclear weapon
in 1974, Pakistan in 1998, but in both cases the delivery means
took years beyond that date to mature.
Musharraf rejects any suggestion of disarmament, noting that the
Pakistani nuclear program was broadly popular with the public. "The
capability is here to stay, will continue to go from strength to
strength and no harm will ever be allowed to come to it," Musharraf
said. Pakistani spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan added that,
according to Musharraf, "Pakistan will not only maintain its
missiles capability but also improve and expand it according to
future requirements."
A military statement renewed Musharraf's pledges of
nonproliferation. In the light of revelations last month by
Pakistani physicist (and national hero) Abdul Qadeer Khan that
Pakistan supported the nuclear weapons programs of Iran, North
Korea and Libya to an even greater degree than previously thought
-- nominally criminal acts for which he's already been pardoned by
Musharraf -- these pledges can scarcely be taken seriously by other
nations, whether friends or potential enemies of Pakistan.
American and European officials are watching with great interest
and considerable concern. While rival India has held its nuclear
and missile capabilities at home, Pakistan has widely exported the
technology. Some clients, such as Libya and Iraq, have since
renounced nuclear weapons; others like North Korea and Iran are
still thought to be developing them. The situation with Pakistan is
touchy for the USA, as Musharraf has been a crucial, if reluctant,
ally in the war on Islamist terrorists.