Ra'ad-II

The Ra'ad-II ( 'Thunder-2') is a standoff and an air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) derived from the Hatf-VIII Ra'ad. It was first publicly unveiled on the Pakistan Day Parade on 23 March 2017,

The ''Ra'ad'' features extended range, changes in its control mechanism, its guidance and enhanced flight control systems.

Testing and unveiling

On 18 February 2020, ''Ra'ad-II'' was test-fired from the Pakistan Air Force's Mirage-IIIR platform. The test was overseen by ''Ra'ad-II'' program manager, the Strategic Plans Division, developing contractor, NESCOM, and the Pakistan Air Force and Army's Strategic Commands.

According to the ISPR, it significantly enhanced Pakistan's air delivered strategic standoff capability on land and at sea.

Technical design

Data provided by the Inter-Services Public Relations, the ''Ra'ad-II'' has an extended range of and has a conventional tail fin configuration compared to the twin tail configuration of the previous version.

It has a new "X" type tail as opposed to previous versions large horizontal tails. It has a length of , and is much lighter than the previous weapon system. Design and control surfaces changes to ''Ra'ad-II'' allows to integrate with the JF-17 ''Thunder'' platform— the PAF's primary strike platform.

Aerial-based deterrence

Both ''Hatf-VIII Ra'ad'' and ''Ra'ad-II'' are seen as providing Pakistan the aerial nuclear deterrence against the much larger Indian Air Force and their air defenses in an event of large scale conventional war.

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