Pakistani Tactical nuclear missiles deployed close to Indian Borders

Pakistani Tactical nuclear missiles deployed close to Indian Borders

Satellite pictures confirmed that atleast six Nasr Tactical missiles deployed in Gujranwala, Pakistan. Each Nasr can carry four missiles. The deployment consists of four launcher comprising twenty four missiles, ammunition bunkers and support systems. Gujranwala is 80km off from Indian borders, where Nasr's full range is 60 kilometers.

The tactical missile deployment recently get operational status, after series of ground works completed to house those missiles. Recent upgrades in Google imagery unveiled the new constructions and operational deployment of those missiles. Since they were placed in the open field for an induction ceremony.

Normally those launchers kept under fortified hangers. which keeps alive those missiles from airstrikes. The satellite pictures reveals two large hardened garages in the suspected area. which can keep three launchers in one garage.  both of them interconnected each other and the ammunition bunkers situated few meters away from the launch pad.

The base still in expansion, suggests new constructions and launch pads inside the compound. the main launch area has two launch pads. while another area had five launch pads connected with five separate garages. Each of those garages can accommodate two Nasr batteries. Satellite pictures also clearly shows Tyre marks between the launch pad and garage shows regular exercises has been happening in the base.

Another complex in the same compound looks like base administration buildings, buildings for troop accommodation, command and control centers. Which gives quick access to the crew to reach the launch pads and garage area.

Nasr is considered as a nuclear missile, used to counter the Indian cold start doctrine, The doctrine explains quick mobilization of massive Indian army close to the International border, further step inside Pakistan.

Pakistan uses the Nasr missile for reliability since it's shorter range that means sixty kilometers. Nasr is single stage missile, and carries upto five kilotons of nuclear warhead.

The above information are good enough to prove that Pakistan must use the nuclear missiles. in case of any border conflict with Pakistan. Those missiles can be used, if Indian soldiers march inside Pakistan. Those missiles are well close to Indian cities that means hundred kilometer from Jammu and 80 kilometers from Amritsar.

India have better option to counter the Pakistani tactical nuclear threats.To counter the Nasr launch IAF should conduct a preemptive air strike on those location. Since the deployed area is small and can be marked using GPS/LGB guided bombs. IAF need bunker busting bombs to destroy those launchers. Since they were kept under hardened concrete shelters.

Normal High Explosive heavy bombs will not penetrate such shelters. IAF may use the Jaguar fighters from Amritsar Air force base. IAF already had few Bunker busting LGB's bought from US major Lockheed Martin. Some reports mentions IAF bough one hundred bunker busting GBU 28 Paveway III LBG bombs. However there is no details available about additional procurement.

It's believed, few of the home made Sudharshan LGB's also had penetration capability to strike hardened shelters. By assessment IAF need more than twenty five Jaguar bomber each armed with three LGB's to destroy the key infrastructure in the Gujranwala Tactical deployment base.

Below is the Google map of Gujranwala Tactical deployment base.

Thanks to Raj 47

Prahaar Short Range Ballistic Missile

Prahaar Short Range Ballistic Missile

   Prahaar is a Indian made short range Ballistic missile to fill the cap between long range rocket artillery and the theater ballistic missile Pritvi on the other end, after the lessons from Kargil, India makes a strategic doctrine to fill the cap of missile Ranges used to attack each an every inch of Pakistani Territory, while those gun based Artillery and Rocket artillery's lacks range and warhead weight the short range ballistic missiles can be launched to counter the threats located deep inside enemy territory with high precession,

   After developing the Pinaka Multiple Launch Rocket System, which can cover the 40 to  60 kilometer enemy land with powerful 200 kg HE or sub munitions warhead, for broader range of Strike India lacks good missile systems, but they always relies on Missiles Launched from the Fighters, During the Iraqi war the US forces extensively used the Short range tactical missiles from it's Rocket artillery systems to counter the Iraqi Air fields, and strategic locations to pave the way for Strike Helicopters.

  The same idea brighten the DRDO Scientists to develop a desi version of ATACMS, BDL and DRDO makes full fledged of effort to design a short range ballistic missile system which can uses the Solid fuels to makes them ready to deploy and can be fired very quickly, so DRDO designs the system with six missiles into one single launching Vehicle, the program gears up early 2008, and it was successfully test fired in July 2011,

   After that, both the Army and DRDO conducted more tests and user evaluation tests, before deploying it into the battlefield, but the deployment numbers and information kept on secret for surprise and hard attack against the Pakistani or Chinese invasion, Because of multiple launch, ballistic trajectory, High speed, large payloads and quick launch characteristics the Missile can change the need of Fighter based missions like Strategic bombing and airbase denial purpose, because of multiple sub munitions, the Prahaar can make big carter in enemy Air base runways. thus makes the enemy air field out of action and their Fighters sit in the ducks, the typical mission can be mostly done by the Air force's Air field denial weapons, because of the arrival of prahaar the mission can be achieved 100% without loss of any pilots lives and can be done with less cost, barrage of Six missile enough to take out a bigger airbases,

   while most of the Pakistani cities located within the Prahaar Strike range, the major advantage of the Prahaar is, it's very hard to intercept by anti aircraft missile systems, So far Pakistan has no good missile which can intercept and destroy the Prahaar type missiles, that's applies to India and China too, when launched by Bigger numbers, Like if Army plans to launch a barrage of some 120 missiles into Rawalpindi makes the city out of action for Centuries, the Prahaar will not strike at bulls eye, but having high precession of 10 meters of Circular error possibility. Equipped with a fibre-optic gyro-based inertial navigation system combined with a GPS receiver, the extra uses an aft section fitted with stabilising fins and a solid-rocket motor.

   Pakistan too have similar system called Nasr Short range ballistic Rockets, But it don't have enough range to strike Indian cities, the Nasr Missile has the Strike Range of upto 60 to 100 kilometers, where Prahaar can strike far 150 km to 200 km, during Initial phase of war India first locate and destroy the Nasr and Hatf missile positions whose range is more than 200 kilometers, but it can be launched as single missiles,

   As Pritivi missile is considered as a Conventional missile, which means firing a Pritivi missile makes the Pakistani's thinks that a Nuclear Missiles, which leads into a nuclear war, Since it's a Pure Ballistic missile having strike Range of more than 300 kilo meters,  But the Tactical missile Prahaar can be act as a normal unconventional warfare weapon,

   A export version also developed by DRDO called as Pragti which was unveiled in South Korea last year,