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Pakistan Navy Successfully Tests Indigenous SMASH Ballistic Missile from Warship.
The Pakistan Navy successfully conducted a test launch of the indigenously developed SMASH ballistic missile from a warship. On November 4, 2024, the Pakistan Navy announced the flight test, demonstrating the weapon system's ability to engage both land and sea targets with high precision. With a range of 350 kilometers, the missile is equipped with advanced navigation and maneuverability features, allowing it to adjust its trajectory and speed mid-flight. The test was observed by the Chief of Naval Staff, senior naval officers, as well as scientists and engineers involved in the project.
Screenshot of the video showing the launch of the SMASH missile from the frigate and its impact on the target (Picture source: ISPR)
The SMASH missile, internally designated as P-282, significantly extends the Pakistan Navy's offensive and defensive reach, as well as its A2/AD (Anti-Access/Area Denial) capabilities. This technology, enabling the missile to strike targets over 350 kilometers away, provides a substantial deterrent against potential threats in the Indian Ocean region. Equipped with a sophisticated navigation system, the SMASH missile can adapt to variations in speed and direction, making it difficult to intercept and highly adaptable to modern combat environments.
This missile shares notable similarities with the Chinese CM-401, an ASBM (Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile) model designed to target large and medium-sized ships, fleets, and harbor installations. The CM-401 is known for its supersonic speed and complex maneuverability, enabling it to follow a near-space, semi-ballistic trajectory before diving towards its target with a terminal attack approach that is particularly challenging to intercept. Key features of this model include its near-space trajectory, supersonic maneuverability, terminal dive capability, compatibility with multiple launch platforms, and multi-trajectory coordination to evade enemy defenses.
These technological attributes grant the SMASH missile unique penetration capabilities against modern naval defenses, which are often optimized for intercepting slower, less maneuverable missiles. The SMASH missile also shows design similarities to the short-range Fatah-II ballistic missile, introduced to Pakistan’s arsenal in May 2024, indicating a shared design framework and potentially standardized components among Pakistan's new missile systems.
Close cooperation between Pakistan and China in developing these military technologies highlights the deepening defense relations between the two nations. Chinese military exports to Pakistan are a crucial aspect of China's foreign policy, allowing Pakistan to rapidly enhance its military capabilities without lengthy domestic development cycles. This partnership provides Pakistan with advanced stealth, precision, and speed capabilities that would be challenging to achieve independently.
Images of the test, released in an official video by the Pakistan Navy, show the SMASH missile being launched from an inclined position on the warship, followed by its adjustment to a vertical flight path. The launch platform is likely one of the Zulfiquar-class frigates, based on the Chinese Type 053H3 design, and equipped with inclined launchers initially intended for Chinese C-802 anti-ship missiles. Although details on modifications to the ship’s control systems to integrate the SMASH missile are limited, this operation reflects Pakistan’s efforts to adapt its naval infrastructure to advanced technology.
The successful test prompted congratulations from the President of Pakistan, the Prime Minister, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, and the heads of the armed services, underscoring the strategic importance of this achievement for national defense. The SMASH missile’s capability to precisely target maritime and land-based threats significantly enhances the strategic balance in the Indian Ocean, a key region for regional security.