Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
How 'Shaheen' Was Developed
by Hanif Khalid
Rawalpindi Jang 19 April 1999 page 10
As a result of missile tests on 14 and 15 April
1999, after the nuclear test on 28 May 1998, the defense of Pakistan has
become invincible. As far as the test firing of the Ghauri-II missile is
concerned, it is a gift of the KRL scientists and engineers to the people
of Pakistan. Dr. A. Q. Khan is the chief of the KRL. As numerous articles
have been published after the first test of the Ghauri missile on 6 April
1998, in these lines I am giving necessary information regarding the
famous missile of the National Defense Complex (NDC).
The Prime Minister laid the foundation of NDC during his first tenure in
1993. The objective of this institution was to develop necessary weapons
for the national defense. The Shaheen missile program was initiated in
1995 and it was assigned to the NDC. Dr. Samar Mubarikmand is the founder
and director general of this institution. In 1995 the work on the missile
was initiated for which the then Chief of Army Staff, General Abdul
Waheed Kakar himself got the necessary permission from the then Prime
Minister. The strategy for this project was that the resources that are
available within different institutions must be fully utilized. In
addition where possible the services of the national industry must also
be used. Only that infrastructure should be created within the National
Development Complex for which capabilities are not available within the
country, such as developing a certain piece of equipment or part. This
gave two benefits. First, the missile was prepared in a record short
period of time, and second, it did not cost too much. The facilities and
infrastructure available with SUPARCO [Space and Upper Atmosphere
Research Commission] were utilized on their premises. The facilities and
infrastructure available within different industries of Pakistan was also
utilized to the fullest. The industries of Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad,
Gujranwala, Sialkot, Gujrat and other cities were also used.
Before the beginning of this project, the National Defense Complex had a
reasonable infrastructure for missile production. After the development
of numerous parts of the missile from various places these were brought
in the NDC for integration. After passing these parts through the quality
control process the missile was developed. Pakistani scientists and
engineers, following this procedure, developed Shaheen-I in a short
period of two and half years. Shaheen is the only example in the world
where a missile of such high technology was prepared in such a short
time. At the moment, Pakistan's missile development capabilities are
enough to comprehensively meet the national defense needs.
In fact, it can produce double the missiles required for national
defense. In the beginning of 1998, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif suggested
the name of the missile by taking a cue from the philosopher of Pakistan,
Allama lqbal's poetic symbol shaheen (eagle). He also kept in mind the
insignia of the Pakistan Airforce, which is also a shaheen (eagle).
Fortunately, at the beginning of its missile development program, Pakistan got
the services of such Pakistani brains, both inside and outside the
country, which can be compared with the best missile scientists and
engineers of the world. It is our good luck that just as we have an
abundance of talent in the field of cricket, hockey and other fields,
similarly we have plenty of talent in the field of technology. The
Pakistani nation is an intelligent nation. For the Shaheen Program, Dr.
Samar Mubarik gathered the best foreign qualified Pakistani scientists
and engineers from within and outside the country under the roof of the
NDC. Then he provided them the best work environment and that is the
reason that the best missile of South Asia was developed in a record
short period.
The Shaheen missile was prepared with the spirit of nationalism. Had
Pakistani scientists and engineers including the Director General of the
NDC worked for a European country, they would have received hundreds of
thousands of dollars in monthly salaries. However, from the Director
General to the modest technician, all have willingly worked on very
ordinary wages compared to European standards and with their day in and
day out efforts made the Pakistani nation proud. The NDC only offered a
good working environment, love and respect to the young engineers and
scientists. They didn't even take weekends off. They even worked on Eid
holidays and did shopping for the project on these
days. These young scientists and engineers even spent their nights in
their workplaces like the Muslims spend their time on
simple rugs in Mecca and Madina
during the Haj. These scientists and engineers were not paid much higher
salaries than the ordinary pay scale. They were just given 10 to 15
percent higher pay. However, the NDC does make such arrangements that
when these scientists are in the field their immediate families do not
face any problem. Due to this environment, the NDC managed the amazing
work of the Shaheen missile. The NDC did not coerce its employees to work
but got the job done with love and by providing them a home-like work
environment.
The Shaheen missile was conceived keeping in mind two things. First,
what are our defense needs. Second, which of the enemy's military
installations should come within our range. These were kept in mind while
determining the range of the Shaheen missile.
Everyone knows that India has established most of its air bases, cantonments,
and Corps headquarters within 300 to 400 kilometers from Pakistan's
border. These include the military bases of Pathankot, Halwara, Amritser,
Jampur, Chandigarah, Delhi, Jalandar, Ambala, and Rajestan. The distance
of Delhi from Pakistan's border is less than 400 kilometers. It was also
kept in mind while designing the Shaheen missile that it should have a
ready-to-fire system and excellent accuracy must be developed with the
terminal guidance system. In other words, efforts were made to make
Shaheen missiles state-of-the-art, the fastest and most deadly weapon of
South Asia. After successful test-firing of the Shaheen missile on April
15, one observer said on an Indian television channel, "Pakistan could
not have prepared a missile like Shaheen". This remark is the biggest
compliment to the engineers and scientists of the National Development
Complex.
To achieve these capabilities, the NDC developed solid fuel for the
Shaheen. It is very difficult to develop a missile that uses solid fuel.
India test-fired the Agni-I missile in 1994. Its one engine used liquid
and the other engine used solid fuel. India took five more years to
prepare Agni-II, whose both engines use solid fuel. This
gives an idea of how difficult is the technology of solid fuel. The
advantage of solid fuel is that it enables a missile to be launched on 15
minutes notice. However, missiles with liquid fuel need four to six hours
to launch after receiving such orders. The reason for this is that the
liquid fuel cannot be kept in the missile's tank for more than one hour,
as its components Nitro acid and the other Kerosene oil, if left in the
tank of the missile, will make holes in the tank. On the other hand,
solid fuel can be kept in the missile. It does not damage the missile
even over a period of ten years. The solid fuel does not even expire.
Pakistani engineers and scientists have used this solid fuel after first
developing it. It has not been imported as no other country can provide
even one kilogram of it.
Pakistan has also prepared a terminal guidance system. Its development was
the biggest challenge for Pakistani scientists and engineers. The
development of this system has given maximum accuracy to the Shaheen
missile. This means that the Shaheen missile has a 100 percent capability
of destroying its target. It was also kept in mind while designing the
Shaheen missile that it should be so fast that no missile defense system
could intercept it. During the test flight of the Shaheen missile it was
observed that its speed is three times more than the latest Indian
missile, Agni-II. This has been made possible as a very powerful rocket
motor has been designed for the Shaheen missile. This enabled the Shaheen
missile to reach its target in less than seven minutes.
Shaheen is a medium-range ballistic missile. All long and medium-range
missiles of the world in the initial stage of their flight go straight
up. Shaheen on Thursday (April 15) at quarter to ten gained an altitude
of ten kilometers in the first 20 seconds after its launching. After 20
seconds of vertical flight it started turning toward the target. In order
to cover the launching of Shaheen four camera teams were stationed at the
Somiani launching pad. The Shaheen missile defeated these seasoned
cameramen and most of the cameras could not record the initial stage of
its flight completely. The Director general of the NDC, Dr. Samar Mubarik
Mand, was present at the Somiani launching pad with his team. Before the
launching of Shaheen, the scientists and engineers of NDC recited the
Quran and prayed for the success of the
missile. Soon after the launching, Shaheen's motor produced a powerful
flame and this kept tailing the missile for a long time. This flame was
very similar to the flame of the United States' Apollo rocket. The
powerful flame of Shaheen was indicative of its thrust and power. The
combination of Shaheen's lightening speed, terminal guidance system and
solid fuel have made it the most state-of-the-art, fastest and deadliest
missile of South Asia. All these capabilities have not been integrated in
any one of the missiles of South Asia.
On the night of April 15 an analyst who is the Director of the
Institute of Strategic studies, Quaid-e-Azam University, endorsed on
Pakistan television that these three capabilities are not integrated in
any other missile of South Asia. This writer has found from reliable
sources that though Agni is heavy and has a longer range, due to its
heavy weight its speed is very slow and it does not even have a terminal
guidance system. That is the reason that although India announced the
test-firing of Agni-II, it did not divulge its circular error
probability. It has kept it secret and at the same time has not revealed
whether it fell on target or not. In contrast, the hundred percent
target-hit for Shaheen has been ascertained. The missile hit its target
on Thursday and on the same day its warhead was found from the target
area in Chaghi. The warhead went 15 to 20 meters deep into the ground and
created a crater of 10 to 12 meters radius. The destroyed parts of the
warhead scattered in around one kilometer area. On the next day (Friday),
40 to 50 kilometers away from the target, villagers found the burnt motor
of the Shaheen missile in the desert. They informed the authorities, who
later removed it from the area.
The Shaheen missile weighs 9 tons and is filled with approximately 7
tons of solid fuel. The weight of its motor is one ton and it has a
warhead of one ton. The test firing of Shaheen-I has provided some very
useful information to the scientists and engineers of the National
Defense Complex, which will help in completing the Shaheen-II. This
missile, with a 2500-kilometer range, will soon reach its completion
stage. The three special features of Shaheen-I have also been included in
this version. The Shaheen-II missile will consist of two rocket motors
(two stages.). The whole of India will come under its range and this was
the basic purpose of developing Shaheen-II. Pakistan does not have any
other enemy country in the neighborhood. NDC developed the design of
Shaheen, manufactured it, and those parts that were planned to be
manufactured from the Pakistani industry were developed according to the
required standards under the direct supervision of the NDC. The National
Defense Complex has already started production of Shaheen according to
the needs of Pakistan's armed forces. Pakistan, after meeting its defense
needs, can export these missiles to the international market and annually
earn hundreds of millions of dollars. This will help in providing
respectable employment to those thousands of engineers and scientists who
in order to provide better living standards to their families have gone
abroad.
The successful test-firing of Ghauri and Shaheen missiles after the
nuclear tests have given a pride to the whole Islamic world. Several OIC
member countries including Iran and Saudi Arabia congratulated Prime
Minister Muhammad Nawaz Shairf on this historical success of Pakistan.
Moreover, due to these successes the people are no more awed by India's
military preparations.
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