Pakistan Successfully Tests Medium Range 'Ababeel Weapon System'

Utkarsh Classes Last Updated 28-12-2023

Pakistan Successfully Tests Medium Range 'Ababeel Weapon System'

Defence 3 min read

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) of the Pakistan Army informed that Pakistan conducted a successful flight test of the ‘Ababeel Weapon System’ on 18 October 2023.

The objective of Ababeel Weapon System Testing:

The objective of the test flight was to redefine various designs, technical parameters and performance evaluation of various sub-systems of the weapon system.
The Ababeel Weapon System is intended to defeat Indian ballistic missile defense systems.
Theoretically it could also be used in a retaliatory strike to destroy India's nuclear arsenal before it can be used.
The objective was to ensure the survivability of Pakistan's ballistic missiles in an increasing regional ballistic missile defense (BMD) environment.

Medium-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile:

Ababeel is Pakistan's surface-to-surface medium-range ballistic missile. Its range is said to be 2200 kilometers.

Capable of dodging S-400 missile defense:

The primary objective of the Ababeel weapon system is to circumvent India's S-400 missile defence. This missile is capable of conventional and nuclear attacks.
According to ISPR, the purpose of the weapon system is to maintain retaliatory power and maintain strategic stability in the region.

Ababeel Weapon System:

The Ababeel missile has a length of 21.5 meters and a diameter of 1.7 meters and is designed to carry both conventional and nuclear warheads.
It carries multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), marking South Asia's first MIRV payload.
The Ababeel missile has a maximum range of 2,200 kilometers (1,400 mi).
In such a situation, this will be Pakistan's first missile with this capability.
It can carry a total of 1,500 kg (3,307 lb) of weapons, including three standard weapons of 500 kg (1102.3 lb) or 5 of 300 kg (661.4 lb) or 8 maximum weapons of 185 kg (408 lb).

Major missiles of Pakistan:

Pakistan currently has 6 operational ballistic missile systems with nuclear capability.
These include short-range missiles Abdali (Hatf-2), Ghaznavi (Hatf-3), Shaheen-1/A (Hatf-4) and Nasr (Hatf-9).
Whereas Gauri (Hatf-5) and Shaheen-2 (Hatf-6) with medium-range firepower are included.