The Babur missile (named after the Mughal Emperor Babur) is the first cruise missile fielded by Pakistan. It is capable of carrying either conventional or nuclear warheads and has a reported range of 700 km (435 miles). It is reported that it can hit its target with "pinpoint accuracy" and can be fired from warships, submarines and fighter jets. It is designed to avoid radar detection and penetrate undetected through a defensive system. The cruise missile is a terrain hugging missile and it has an up-to-date navigation and guidance system, and a high degree of maneuverability. Serial production of Babur started in October 2005. The distance AB is the wing span of this Aer Lingus Airbus A320. ... A B61 nuclear bomb in various stages of assembly; the nuclear warhead is the bullet-shaped silver cannister in the middle-left of the photograph. ... An inertial navigation system measures the position and altitude of a vehicle by measuring the accelerations and rotations applied to the systems inertial frame. ... A Russian SA-4 TEL. Photo by GulfLINK. A Russian SA-8 TELAR. Photo by Naval Expeditionary Warfare Training. ... The Mughal Empire (alternative spelling Mogul, which is the origin of the word Mogul) of India was founded by Babur in 1526, when he defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last of the Delhi Sultans at the First Battle of Panipat. ... Zāhir ud-Dīn Mohammad, commonly known as Bābur (February 14, 1483 – December 26, 1530) (Chaghatay/Persian: ; also spelled ), was a Muslim Emperor from Central Asia who founded the Mughal dynasty of India. ... A Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missile of the Luftwaffe A cruise missile is a guided missile which uses a lifting wing and most often a jet propulsion system to allow sustained flight. ... A conventional weapon is a weapon that does not incorporate chemical, biological or nuclear payloads. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945 lifted nuclear fallout some 18 km (60,000 feet) above the epicenter. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... USS Virginia, a Virginia-class nuclear attack (SSN) submarine Alvin in 1978, a year after first exploring hydrothermal vents. ... A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for attacking other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ... This long range radar antenna, known as ALTAIR, is used to detect and track space objects in conjunction with ABM testing at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein atoll. ... A guidance system is a device or group of devices used to navigate a ship, aircraft, missile, rocket, satellite, or other craft. ...

Design

In 1998, six Tomahawk cruise missiles fired at Taliban bases in Afghanistan by US destroyers mis-fired and landed in Pakistan. It is speculated that Pakistan seized upon the opportunity to reverse-engineer the Tomahawk and develop its own prototype. The propulsion system appears to approximate that of Tomahawk according to video of its launch. Chinese assistance is further speculated to have been taken to develop its guidance system.^[1] However, there is no confirmation of this, and both the Pakistani missile development company, NESCOM, and Chinese authorities have rejected the theory. Some members of NDC/NESCOM have come out saying, off the record, that Pakistan has been working on cruise missiles since 1995. A Tomahawk cruise missile The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) is a long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile with stubby wings. ... The Taliban (Pashto: ) are a fundamentalist Sunni Muslim and ethnic Pashtun movement that ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001, when their leaders were removed from power by American aerial bombardment and Northern Alliance ground forces. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with prototyping. ... National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM) is a Pakistani Scientific and Research organization carrying out research in many engineering and scientific areas including Information Technology, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Mechanical and Chemical Engineering with specialities in the design and production of the defence systems for the Pakistan Army. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ...

Babur is believed to be extremely accurate. It is steered by an inertial navigation system (INS). INS continuously measures the movement, speed and position of the missile. It is equipped with a precision guidance system that allows the missile to hit small targets. It is powered by a cruise turbo-fan engine which enables the missile to reach an approximate speed of 880 km/h (550 miles/h). The missile's design features can be compared with the American BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile. However, no confirmation of range or accuracy of the missile has been made. An inertial navigation system measures the position and altitude of a vehicle by measuring the accelerations and rotations applied to the systems inertial frame. ... The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) is a long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile with stubby wings. ...

Operation

Babur being Launched

On August 12th, 2005, Pakistan publicly announced that it had successfully test fired a nuclear-capable Babur cruise missile. The missile was launched from a land based transporter erector launcher (TEL). With this test, Pakistan became one of twelve countries that possess cruise missile technology. Babur is part of Pakistan's Hatf missile series. The unannounced initial launch on 11 August 2005 caught much of the international community by surprise due to the technically advanced nature of the missile, as well as the fact that Pakistan did not notify India of its test-firing in accordance with the existing notification agreement, as it is limited to ballistic missile testing only. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 471 pixelsFull resolution (1020 × 600 pixel, file size: 96 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)Image of the Babur Cruise missile test launch released to the public. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 471 pixelsFull resolution (1020 × 600 pixel, file size: 96 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)Image of the Babur Cruise missile test launch released to the public. ... August 12 is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Russian SA-4 TEL. Photo by GulfLINK. A Russian SA-8 TELAR. Photo by Naval Expeditionary Warfare Training. ... The Hatf-I is a short-range, road mobile, solid propellant ballistic missile. ... is the 223rd day of the year (224th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On July 26, 2007 Pakistan reportedly tested a upgraded babur cruise missile launched from the topedo tubes of a Agosta 90-b submarine. Varius reports also claimed that it has also been upgraded to carry on future PAF fighters such as the F-16 and JF-17. With this Pakistan now has an advanced well networked range of second strike capability that it can use in wartime. It has now been confirmed that the second version of the Babur cruise missile has the capability of being fired from submarines, in this case Pakistan's Agosta-90B, or fighter aircraft, such as Pakistan's JF-17, F-16, or A-5 Fantan. ^[2] Agosta class submarine Agosta 90B class submarines are French attack submarines (SSKs) used by France, Spain, and Pakistan. ... The J-9 is also known as the FC-1 or JF-17 is a third generation fighter jet being developed jointly by the Peoples Republic of China and Pakistan. ... The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a modern multi-role jet fighter aircraft built in the United States and used by dozens of countries all over the world. ... The Nanchang Q-5 (NATO reporting name Fantan), also known as the A-5 in its export versions, is a Chinese-built jet ground attack aircraft based on the Soviet MiG-19. ...

On March 22nd, 2007, Pakistan test-fired the second version of the nuclear-capable Babur/Hatf VII nuclear-capable cruise missile with the capability to avoid radar detection and an extended range of 700km.[1] March 22 is the 81st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (82nd in Leap years). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

In the future a more advanced version of the babur will be further developed, that will likely have more range, and will weight considerably less than the current 1,400 KG of the babur. Other likely upgrades might include being equipped to the J-10 or the German U-212/U-214.

Surprise

Babur

The sudden test of the Babur missile surprised some. The United States gave a muted response. India which, though gave no official response, was criticized by its media for not knowing beforehand. Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf praised the Pakistani scientists and engineers by saying that they had once again done the country proud by mastering a rare technology[2][3][4]. By conducting a cruise missile test Pakistan has joined a select group of countries which have the capability to design and develop cruise missiles. Musharraf also said that Pakistan was not into an arms race with anyone but would never compromise on its strategy of defensive deterrence. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Pervez Musharraf (Urdu: پرويز مشرف) (born August 10, 1943) is the President of Pakistan, the Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army and the fourth Pakistani General to govern the country in the wake of a coup. ... Deterrence theory is a defensive strategy developed after World War II and used throughout the Cold War. ...

Other missiles currently in the service of Pakistan are Hatf-I (BRBM), Abdali-I (BRBM), Ghaznavi (SRBM), Ghauri-I (MRBM), Ghauri-II (MRBM), Ghauri-III (IRBM) (under development), Shaheen-I (MRBM) and Shaheen-II (IRBM). The Hatf-I is a short-range, road mobile, solid propellant ballistic missile. ... Battlefield Range Ballistic Missile (abbreviated to BRBM) is a type of ballistic missile with battlefield range. ... Abdali-I is a short-range ballistic missile (SRBM). ... Battlefield Range Ballistic Missile (abbreviated to BRBM) is a type of ballistic missile with battlefield range. ... Ghaznavi is the name given to a North Korean missile acquired by Pakistan. ... SRBM is a millitary acronym for Short Range Ballistic Missile. ... Ghauri is an IRBM acquired by Kahuta Research Laboratories (KRL) of Pakistan in response to the missile program developed by India. ... MRBM stands from Medium Range Ballistic Missiles such as the SS1. ... The Ghauri-II is an medium-range ballistic missile MRBM. It is a longer ranged variant of the Ghauri-I missile. ... MRBM stands from Medium Range Ballistic Missiles such as the SS1. ... The Ghauri-III is an intermediate-range ballistic missile under development by Pakistan. ... An intermediate-range ballistic missile, or IRBM, is a ballistic missile with a range of 2750-5500 km or 1719-3437 miles. ... The Shaheen missile series (named after a white eagle that lives in the mountains) is a variant of the Hatf missile that was developed by National Defence Complex (NDC), a subsidiary of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) which was formed in 1993, under the guidance of Dr. Samar Mubarakmand. ... MRBM stands from Medium Range Ballistic Missiles such as the SS1. ... The Shaheen missile series (named after a white eagle that lives in the mountains of Pakistan) was developed by National Defence Complex (NDC), a subsidiary of the NESCOM which was formed in 1993, under the guidance of Dr. Samar Mubarakmand. ... An intermediate-range ballistic missile, or IRBM, is a ballistic missile with a range of 2750-5500 km or 1719-3437 miles. ...

Notes

1. ^ Babur - Pakistan's Cruise Missile, PakMilitary.net, 2005
2. ^ Confirmation Reference of second version of Babur cruise missile.

External links

• http://kuku.sawf.org/Articles/2111.aspx
• http://uk.internationalreporter.com/news/read.php?id=975
• http://www.pakmilitary.net/army/arsenal/cruise_missile.html
• Pakistan fires new cruise missile, BBC News, 11 August 2005
• Babur cruise missile animated video broadcast on Pakistani television, Putfile
• http://www.trmilitary.com