Pakistan Test Fires Shore Based Anti-Ship Missile

Pakistan has test-fired a shore-based anti-ship missile, ‘Zarb’.

The Pakistani Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) did not disclose any specific information in regard to range, speed, payload weight of the missile.

Pakistan had issued a navigational warning notice several days in advance of the test. The maximum range allotted for the test was set at 300km, which was compliant with the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), an international legal framework that regulates commercial missile and drone sales on the global arms market, Quwa reported Sunday.

The Zarb was inducted to enhance Pakistan’s area denial capabilities by equipping its coastal areas with AShM-tipped launch batteries, which in turn could fire AShMs at intruding surface ships up to a maximum range of 300km.

Upon concluding the test, the Navy announced that it had formally inducted the Zarb AShM. With no prior tests registered over the Arabian Sea, and the fact that it is MTCR-compliant, it is likely that the Zarb is an off-the-shelf purchase.

Given the fact that it was tested from a coastal battery, it is plausible to suggest that the Zarb is basically the C-602. Produced by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), the C-602 is a heavy AShM capable of delivering a 300kg warhead. A heavier variant (with a 480kg warhead) is also available in the form of the CM-602G.