Pakistan tests nuclear-capable Shaheen-III ballistic missile

Pakistan has successfully conducted a flight test of Shaheen-III surface-to-surface ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear and conventional warheads up to 2,750 kilometers.

What is Shaheen III?

• The Shaheen III is Pakistan’s longest-range missile system.
• The ballistic missile is capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to a target up to 2,750 kilometers away.
• It is solid-fuelled and equipped with Post-Separation Altitude Correction (PSAC) system.
  • Solid fuel is suited for rapid response capabilities, while the PSAC feature provides it the ability to adjust the warhead trajectory for greater accuracy and evading anti-ballistic missile defence systems.
• The Shaheen-III was first test-fired in 2015.                                                                     

Is it an attempt to counter India?

• The missile is developed with the intention of being capable of reaching Indian island territories to deny Indian forces the ability to establish a “second strike capability”.
• India and Pakistan have been developing stockpiles of nuclear warheads and missiles of varying ranges since they tested nuclear devices in 1998.
• The two neighbors have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947.

List of India's missiles: