Pakistan Navy Tests Land-launched Anti-ship Missile

Pakistan Navy test fired land based anti-ship missile as part of a training exercise from the coastal region on March 10, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan.

The missile successfully followed its preplanned trajectory till accurate target engagement at sea, a statement by the Pakistan Navy (PN) said. However, the Navy did not specify the type or specifications of the missile, but a report by quwa.org says that since this missile has been used as part of an exercise, it’s mostly likely already been in service for some time.

The report specifies a land-based anti-ship missile (AShM) – designated ‘Zarb’, which was inducted in April 2016. It says, the PN followed the Zarb with a test in March 2017 of an identified “long-range” land-based AShM, again not disclosing the specifications while also not confirming it was the Zarb or another AShM.

In theory, the recently-tested Harba AShM and – if modified with terminal-stage seeker – Babur Version 2 land-attack cruise missile (LACM) could also be used as land-based AShM. In any of these cases, the PN’s emphasis could be to leverage range to deter enemy activity near Pakistan’s coasts.