Shaheen-II

The Shaheen-II (Urdu:شاهين–اا; codename: Hatf–VI Shaheen) is a Pakistani land-based supersonic surface-to-surface medium-range guided ballistic missile.[4] The Shaheen-II is designed and developed by the NESCOM and the National Defence Complex (NDC) of Pakistan.[5][6] The Shaheen missile series is named after a falcon that lives in the mountains of Pakistan. It is suspected to be a derivative of Chinese M-18 missile,[7] a two-stage missile based on the M-9.[8]

Shaheen-II / Hatf-VI
TypeMedium-range ballistic missile
Place of origin Pakistan
Service history
In serviceNovember 2014[1]
Used byStrategic Plans Division
(Army SFCOM, Air Force SFCOM)
Production history
DesignerNESCOM
National Defence Complex (NDC)
ManufacturerNational Defence Complex (NDC)
Specifications
Mass25,000 kg
(Re-entry vehicle 1,050 kg)
Length17.5 m
Diameter1.4 m
WarheadConventional high-explosive or Strategic nuclear weapon
EngineTwo-stage solid-fuel rocket motor
Operational
range
2,500 km[2][3]
Flight altitude300km
Guidance
system
Inertial navigation system
GPS satellite guidance
Launch
platform
Transporter erector launcher (TEL)

US Air Force National Air and Space Intelligence Center estimates that as of June 2017 fewer than 50 launchers were operationally deployed.[9]

Description

The Shaheen-II is a longer ranged variant of the Shaheen-I missile. It was the most advanced ballistic missile in service until shaheen III with the Pakistan Armed Forces. It uses a two-stage solid-fuel rocket motor designed to carry conventional or nuclear payloads. It is transported and launched by a 6-axle transporter erector launcher (TEL). According to U.S. based analysts, a satellite image of a Pakistani missile production facility taken on 5 June 2005 shows fifteen 6-axle TELs being fitted out for the Shaheen 2 missile.[10]

It is a two-stage rocket with diameter of 1.4 m, length of 17.5 m, weight of 25 tons and a range of 2,000 km. Shaheen-II was successfully test fired for the first time on 9 March 2004 and again on 13 November 2014.

Re-entry vehicle

The re-entry vehicle carried by the Shaheen-II missile has a mass of 700–1250 kg, which includes the mass of a nuclear warhead and a terminal guidance system.[11]

This re-entry vehicle is unlike that of the Shaheen I in that it has four moving delta control fins at the rear and small solid/liquid-propellant side thrust motors, which are used to orient the re-entry vehicle after the booster stage is depleted or before re-entry to improve accuracy by providing stabilization during the terminal phase. This can also be used to fly evasive manoeuvres, making it problematic for existing anti-ballistic missile (ABM) systems to successfully intercept the missile. The Shaheen II warhead may change its trajectory several times during re-entry and during the terminal phase, effectively preventing ABM radar systems from pre-calculating intercept points. The re-entry vehicle is also stated to utilise a GPS satellite guidance system to provide updates on its position, further improving its accuracy and reducing the CEP.[12][13]

Foreign sources claim the missile to have an accuracy of 350 m CEP based on speculation that the design is the same or similar to one of several Chinese systems such as the DF-11 or DF-25.[14][11] However, according to a press video shown by NDC at the IDEAS 2004 defence exhibition in Pakistan, the missile can achieve "surgical precision". This has led to speculation that Shaheen II incorporates a satellite navigation update system and/or a post separation attitude correction system to provide terminal course correction, which "may indicate a CEP of much less than 300 m." According to Harsh Pant, reader of international relations at the Defence Studies Department of King's College London, "the current capability of Pakistani missiles is built around radar seekers." [15][16]

Future developments

Since deployment of the 2750 km range Shaheen-III, a multiple independently targeted re-entry vehicle (MIRV) system was assumed to be in development.

See also
Related developments
Related lists

References
  1. https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/hatf-6/#en-659-1
  2. http://www.nasic.af.mil/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=F2VLcKSmCTE%3d&portalid=19
  3. https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/hatf-6/#en-659-1
  4. "Giant leap: Agni-V, India's 1st ICBM, fired successfully from canister".
  5. Ballistic and Cruise Missile Threat – Federation of American Scientists.
  6. Greisler, David (2006-11-15). Handbook of technology management in public administration. CRC Press, 2006. ISBN 978-1-57444-564-0.
  7. https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/hatf-6/#en-659-1
  8. Sagan, Scott Douglas (2009-08-17). Inside Nuclear South Asia. ISBN 9780804762380.
  9. Ballistic and Cruise Missile Threat (Report). Defense Intelligence Ballistic Missile Analysis Committee. June 2017. p. 25. NASIC-1031-0985-17. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  10. "Archive | Your Source of News on the World Wide Web". Dawn.Com. Retrieved 2011-03-27.
  11. "Haft 6 "Shaheen 2"". CSIS Missile Threat. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  12. How 'Shaheen' Was Developed
  13. "Hatf 6 "Shaheen 2"". MissileThreat. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  14. Duncan Lennox; Hatf 6 (Shaheen 2), Jane’s Strategic Weapon Systems; June 15, 2004.
  15. Strategy Center Details Archived 2012-12-29 at the Wayback Machine
  16. http://www.defensenews.com/article/20110321/DEFFEAT06/103210303/Pakistan-Seeks-Counter-Indian-ABM-Defenses
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