Missile Ghauri

The Hatf-V Ghauri is a land-based medium-range ballistic missile developed as part of a program initiated in 1987. Design development occurred between 1994 and 2001, drawing technical influence from the North Korean Nodong-1 and Soviet Scud technology. The system was developed to provide a platform for nuclear weapon delivery.

The missile utilizes a single-stage liquid-propellant rocket motor. The propellant system uses a fuel mixture of gasoline and kerosene with a nitric acid and nitrogen tetroxide oxidizer. Guidance is provided by an inertial system with terminal capabilities. The Ghauri is designed to carry either high-explosive or nuclear warheads, with nuclear options featuring yields between 12 and 35 kilotons. The airframe incorporates a rounded conic nose section, a design revision necessitated after the original configuration failed during atmospheric re-entry due to thermal stress and hypersonic shock waves. Because it utilizes a liquid-fuel system, the missile requires a fueling process lasting several hours before it can be launched.

The system entered service with the Pakistan Army's Army Strategic Forces Command in 2003. It is deployed using an 8WD semi-trailer mounted on a Mercedes-Benz Atego truck, which functions as a transporter erector launcher. The missile has undergone multiple test flights, beginning with an initial trial in 1998 where the nose section failed upon re-entry. Subsequent successful tests were conducted in 2004, 2010, 2012, and 2015. The 2012 flight test was utilized to validate the Strategic Command and Control Support System. There are no recorded instances of combat use.