The Shaheen-III (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

surface-to-surface A surface-to-surface missile (SSM) or ground-to-ground missile (GGM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea and strike targets on land or at sea. They may be fired from hand-held or vehicle mounted devices, from fixed ins ...

medium range

ballistic missile A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are guided only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles stay within the ...

, which was test fired for the first time by

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require a ...

on 9 March 2015. Development began in

secrecy Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controvers ...

in the early 2000s in response to India's ''

Agni-III The Agni-III (IAST: Agni, ) is an Indian intermediate-range ballistic missile inducted into service in 2011 as the successor of the Agni-II. It has a range of and can reach targets deep inside neighbouring countries including China. Introduct ...

'', ''Shaheen'' was successfully tested on 9 March 2015 with a range of 2750 km (1700 mi), which enables it to strike all of India and reach deep into the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

parts of

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

. The missile, according to a former Director General of Pakistan's

Strategic Plans Division Strategic Plans Division Force or (SPD Force) ( ur, ) is Pakistan's agency responsible for the protection of its tactical and strategic nuclear weapons stockpile and the strategic assets. It is the security branch of the National Command Author ...

, is designed to reach the Indian islands of Andaman and Nicobar so that India cannot use them as “strategic bases” to establish a “

second strike In nuclear strategy, a retaliatory strike or second-strike capability is a country's assured ability to respond to a nuclear attack with powerful nuclear retaliation against the attacker. To have such an ability (and to convince an opponent of it ...

capability.” Shaheen-III-missile-range

The ''Shaheen'' program is composed of the solid-fuel system in contrast to the ''Ghauri'' program that is primarily based on liquid-fuel system. With the successful launch of the ''Shaheen-III'', it surpasses the range of ''

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. The ''Shaheen-II'' is designed and developed by the NESCOM and the National ...

''— hence, it is the longest-range missile to be launched by the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

. The US Air Force

National Air and Space Intelligence Center The National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC) is the United States Air Force unit for analyzing military intelligence on foreign air and space forces, weapons, and systems. NASIC assessments of aerospace performance characteristics, ca ...

estimates that as of June 2017 this missile type was not yet operationally deployed.

Overview

Development history

The range of the Shaheen-3 is sufficient to target all of mainland India from launch positions in most of Pakistan to the south of Islamabad. But apparently, the missile was developed to do more than that. According to Gen. Kidwai, the range of 2750 km was determined by a need to be able to target the Nicobar and Andaman Islands in the eastern part of the Indian Ocean that are “developed as strategic bases” where “India might think of putting its weapons”. But for a 2750-km range Shaheen-3 to reach the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, it would need to be launched from positions in the very Eastern parts of Pakistan, close to the Indian border. If deployed in the Western parts of the Balochistan province, the range of the Shaheen-3 would for the first time bring Israel within range of Pakistani nuclear missiles. In 2000, the Space Research Commission concluded at least two design studies for its space launch vehicle. Initially, there were two earlier designs were shown in

IDEAS In common usage and in philosophy, ideas are the results of thought. Also in philosophy, ideas can also be mental representational images of some object. Many philosophers have considered ideas to be a fundamental ontological category of being. ...

held in 2002 and its design was centered on developing a space booster based on the design technologies of the

Shaheen-I The Shaheen-I ( ur, شاہين-ا; official codename: Hatf–IV Shaheen), is a Pakistani land-based supersonic and short-to-medium range surface-to-surface guided ballistic missile jointly designed and developed by the joint venture of NESCOM an ...

. Since then, Shaheen owes its existence largely to the joint efforts led by NDC of

NeScom The National Engineering & Scientific Commission (NESCOM) ( ur, ) is a Pakistani missile manufacturer and civilian research organization of Pakistan, under the administrative control of the Strategic Plans Division of Pakistan's National Command ...

and Space Research Commission. The ''Shaheen-III'' was shrouded in top

and very little information was available to the public, mostly provided in 2002 IDEAS. Majority of the efforts and funding was being made available to ''

Ghauri-III The Ghauri-III (Urdu:غورى–ااا; Hatf-VIII), was a codename of a program to developed land-based surface-to-surface intermediate range ballistic missile in a response to India's Agni-III missile. Development began in KRL as primarily ...

'' to seek strike in Eastern region of India. In May 2000, the ''Ghauri-III'' was cancelled due to its less advance and lack of technological gain. Despite strong advocacy by Abdul Qadeer Khan for the Ghauri-III program made to be feasible, the program was terminated by then-

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Pervez Musharraf General Pervez Musharraf ( ur, , Parvez Muśharraf; born 11 August 1943) is a former Pakistani politician and four-star general of the Pakistan Army who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of t ...

who made the funding available for ''Shaheen-III'' program which was to be led under

Samar Mubarakmand Dr. Samar Mubarakmand (Urdu: ; b. 17 September 1942; ), is a Pakistani nuclear physicist known for his research in gamma spectroscopy and experimental development of the linear accelerator. He came to public attention as the director of the t ...

. The

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

, however, pressed for ''Shaheen-III'' to make it feasible as

liquids A liquid is a nearly incompressible fluid that conforms to the shape of its container but retains a (nearly) constant volume independent of pressure. As such, it is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, gas, a ...

were being developed that would allow the missiles to be left in a ready-to-shoot form for extended periods. The ''Shaheen-III'' was initially purposed as the space booster for the

space program A space program is an organized effort by a government or a company with a goal related to outer space. Lists of space programs include: * List of government space agencies * List of private spaceflight companies * List of human spaceflight prog ...

to make it possible for installing the satellite

payload Payload is the object or the entity which is being carried by an aircraft or launch vehicle. Sometimes payload also refers to the carrying capacity of an aircraft or launch vehicle, usually measured in terms of weight. Depending on the nature of ...

applications. Despite its efforts, the existence of ''Shaheen-III'' continued to be speculated in

news media The news media or news industry are forms of mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public. These include news agencies, print media (newspapers, news magazines), broadcast news (radio and television), and th ...

Pakistan Ministry of Defence The Ministry of Defence ( ur, , ''Wazarat-e-Difa'', abbreviated as MoD), is an executive ministry of the Government of Pakistan, tasked in defending Pakistan's national interests and values at home and abroad. It plays a major supporting role ...

and the Joint Staff HQ nor confirms or deny the existence of the program. In a press conference held in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

in 2009,

stated that: "Pakistan would launch its own satellite in April 2011." Although no confirmation or denial of ''Shaheen'' program's existence was given by Dr. Mubarakmand, the rumors and speculations yet to be continued for the existence of the program. After years of speculations, the ''Shaheen-III'' was eventually revealed and tested on 9 March 2015 with a 2750 km (1700-mile) range. It uses the

WS21200 The WS21200 is a large transporter erector launcher built and developed in the People's Republic of China. Like the WS51200, the WS21200 is not actually used by the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, instead, the primary customer is Pakista ...

transporter erector launcher A transporter erector launcher (TEL) is a missile vehicle with an integrated tractor unit that can carry, elevate to firing position and launch one or more missiles. History Such vehicles exist for both surface-to-air missiles and surface-to-su ...

(TEL) manufactured in China by

Wanshan Special Vehicle Wanshan Special Vehicle, officially Hubei Sanjiang Space Wanshan Special Vehicle Co., Ltd (Ch:湖北三江航天万山特种车辆有限公司), is a truck and bus manufacturer in China. Its WS-series military trucks are used by the People’s Liber ...

Testing

On 9 March 2015, the ISPR released a press statement on notifying the successful testing of the Shaheen-III that was conducted from the southern coast off the

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...

. Military officials from JS HQ,

SPD The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been t ...

scientists and engineers, oversaw the launch of the system and witnessed the

impact point Impact may refer to: * Impact (mechanics), a high force or shock (mechanics) over a short time period * Impact, Texas, a town in Taylor County, Texas, US Science and technology * Impact crater, a meteor crater caused by an impact event * Impact ...

in the

. Reports summed up by

NTI Nti is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Collins Agyarko Nti (born 1958), Ghanaian politician * Opoku Nti (born 1961), Ghanaian footballer * Theophidack Nti (born 1977), Ghanaian footballer {{Surname Surnames of African ori ...

, there had been series of testings taken place of the

rocket engine nozzle A rocket engine nozzle is a propelling nozzle (usually of the de Laval type) used in a rocket engine to expand and accelerate combustion products to high supersonic velocities. Simply: propellants pressurized by either pumps or high pressure ul ...

s before the eventual tests took place in 2015. On 20 January 2021, the ISPR released a press statement stating that a successful test of Shaheen-III aimed at "revalidating various design & tech parameters of weapon system" was conducted. On 9 April 2022, the ISPR released a press statement stating that a successful test of Shaheen-III aimed at "re-validating various design and technical parameters of the weapon system" was conducted.

Analysis

Strategic prospect

Several Pakistani

nuclear Nuclear may refer to: Physics Relating to the nucleus of the atom: * Nuclear engineering *Nuclear physics *Nuclear power *Nuclear reactor *Nuclear weapon *Nuclear medicine *Radiation therapy *Nuclear warfare Mathematics *Nuclear space *Nuclear ...

and

military strategists A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

reportedly quoted that the "Shaheen-III has a range greater than that of any other missile system in-service with

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. Earlier testings of ''Shaheen-III'' had the maximum range of about 2,500 km, which meant it can reach all parts of India, even the

northeastern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

and eastern frontier. Air Marshal Shahid Latif, a retired senior commander in the

Pakistan Air Force , "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional) , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = ...

, was reported to have said: "Now, India doesn’t have its safe havens any more. It's all a reaction to India, which has now gone even for tests of extra-regional missiles. It sends a

ery Yeru or Eru (Ы ы; italics: ), usually called Y in modern Russian or Yery or Ery historically and in modern Church Slavonic, is a letter in the Cyrillic script. It represents the close central unrounded vowel (more rear or upper than i) a ...

loud message: If you hurt us, we are going to hurt you back!". Mansoor Ahmad, a professor of Strategic studies at the Islamabad's

Quaid-i-Azam University Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad ( ur, ; commonly referred to as QAU), founded as University of Islamabad, is a ranked 1 public research university in Islamabad, Pakistan. Founded as the University of Islamabad in 1967, it was initially dedi ...

, stated, "Pakistan's

, however, is not interested in a "

tit-for-tat Tit for tat is an English saying meaning "equivalent retaliation". It developed from "tip for tap", first recorded in 1558. It is also a highly effective strategy in game theory. An agent using this strategy will first cooperate, then subseque ...

arms race An arms race occurs when two or more groups compete in military superiority. It consists of a competition between two or more states to have superior armed forces; a competition concerning production of weapons, the growth of a military, and t ...

with India," and speculated that developmental work may be under progress to make missile capable of delivering multiple warheads which would make them harder to defend against. Pakistan would later test the Ababeel missile with this capability.

Peace prospect

In a views of

political scientist Political science is the science, scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of politics, political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated c ...

, Dr.

Farrukh Saleem Farrukh Saleem (Urdu: فاروخ سليم) is an Islamabad-based Pakistani political scientist, economist, financial analyst, journalist and a television personality. He has published articles on geopolitics, economic competition and educatio ...

, the ''Shaheen-III'' seems to be a reaction to

Integrated Guided Missile Development Program The Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) was an Indian Ministry of Defence programme for the research and development of the comprehensive range of missiles. The programme was managed by the Defence Research and Development O ...

. Dr. Saleem, on the other hand, stressed that: "Pakistan seem to be aiming at competing with India and Pakistan's aims seem to revolve around the creation of a credible deterrence, and a credible deterrence is bound to strengthen

strategic stability Strategic stability is a concept in the international relations indicating a lack of incentives for any party to initiate the nuclear first strike; the term is also used in a broader sense of the state of the international environment helping to avo ...

References

External links

Shaheen III test fire video

Image of Shaheen 3 Missile on Launchpad
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 2015 in Pakistan Embedded systems Medium-range ballistic missiles of Pakistan Military equipment introduced in the 2010s