Saturday, Pakistan successfully conducted the flight test of the surface-to-surface ballistic missile Shaheen-III. Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) revealed the news on its Twitter account.
According to the press release issued by ISPR, the test flight aimed to revalidate various design and technical parameters of the weapon system.
“Pakistan today conducted successful flight test of Shaheen-III surface to surface ballistic missile. The test flight was aimed at revalidating various design and technical parameters of the weapon system,” ISPR said.
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Pakistan today conducted successful flight test of Shaheen-III surface to surface ballistic missile. The test flight was aimed at revalidating various design and technical parameters of the weapon system. pic.twitter.com/WHmjPGZobZ
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) April 9, 2022
The last time Pakistan conducted the test of the Shaheen III missile was in January 2021. Present at the occasion, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen. Nadeem Raza, who witnessed the test, said: “Pakistan desires peaceful co-existence in the region and its strategic capability is to deter any aggression against the sovereignty of Pakistan.”
Special features of Shaheen III
First tested in March 2015, Shaheen III is Pakistan’s longest-range missile. Interestingly, Pakistan developed Shaheen III in the early 2000s in secrecy and in response to India’s Agni-III.
With a range of 2,750 kilometres, Shaheen III is capable of reaching the farthest point in India’s northeast and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. As a result, Pakistan reserves it for second-strike capability in case of a nuclear attack.
Another point about Shaheen III is that it allegedly has the potential to destroy Israel in 12 minutes. In an interview, former three-star Lt. Gen (R) Ghulam Mustafa made the claims. He also said Shaheen III is 18 times faster than the speed of sound.
Moreover, Shaheen III is the largest in the Shaheen series and the successor of the earlier produced Shaheen 1 and Shaheen 2 ballistic missiles.
On March 26, Pakistan successfully test-fired Shaheen-1A surface-to-surface ballistic missile. Furthermore, Shaheen-1A has the capability to achieve its target within the range of 900 kilometers.
Pakistan often conducts tests of its missiles. Important to note, missiles are an essential component of any defense strategy. Additionally, missiles provide a country with round-the-clock strategic capabilities to protect its sovereignty against any and all threats. Therefore, missiles are tested frequently.
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Apart from the Shaheen tests, Pakistan in December 2021, conducted a test launch of an enhanced range version of the indigenously developed Babur Cruise Missile 1B. Similarly, prior to Babur, Pakistan successfully tested the training launch of the ‘Ghaznavi.’