India’s Missile Power: A Step Ahead of Pakistan in Range, Reach, and Readiness

India has the Russian S-400 air defense system.

Apr 29, 2025 - 00:30
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India’s Missile Power: A Step Ahead of Pakistan in Range, Reach, and Readiness

New Delhi: India and Pakistan—two nuclear-armed neighbours—bear long been racing to augment missile programs. While Pakistan has made development with strengthen from various countries, India’s dwelling-grown missile program has long past powerful extra. Thanks to years of appealing work, innovation, and point of curiosity on self-reliance, India now stands forward in both quality and quantity of missiles. Here’s how India’s missile programs are stronger than Pakistan’s—whether by manner of differ, selection, or superior skills.

Longer Differ and Stronger Reach

Pakistan’s most extremely effective missile, the Shaheen-III, can shuttle up to 2,750 km—adequate to duvet most of India. However India’s Agni-V missile can flee over 5,000 to eight,000 km, reaching even China, Europe, and past. The corpulent Agni series, from Agni-I to Agni-V, affords India the flexibility to answer to various threats at various distances.

Extra importantly, India has submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) admire the K-4, with a differ of three,500 km. This affords India sturdy 2nd-strike capacity—that arrangement, although attacked first, it'll strike help from hidden submarines. In distinction, Pakistan’s missile differ stays interior South Asia. India’s a ways-reaching missiles offer strategic energy that Pakistan simply doesn’t bear.

Extra Developed and Varied Missile Forms

Pakistan’s missile series mainly contains quick and medium-differ weapons admire the Nasr (70 km) and Ababeel (2,200 km), plus cruise missiles admire Babur and Ra’advert. These are precious for cease-differ or regional employ.

India, nonetheless, has an impressive wider selection. The BrahMos, developed with Russia, is a supersonic cruise missile that travels at Mach 3 and will most likely be launched from land, sea, air, and submarines. When put next, Pakistan’s Babur is subsonic and slower.

India also has missiles admire Pralay (500 km) and Shaurya (700 km) which will most likely be expeditiously to open and extremely lawful. In 2024, India tested a hypersonic missile that flies at Mach 9—one thing Pakistan hasn’t accomplished yet. This spacious differ of missiles arrangement India can tackle many forms of threats, quick and effectively.

Stable Missile Protection Machine

India has built a Ballistic Missile Protection (BMD) system to shoot down incoming missiles—even nuclear ones. It has two layers:

PAD (Prithvi Air Defence) for high-altitude interceptions.

AAD (Developed Air Defence) for decrease-stage threats.

This methodology can quit missiles coming from as a ways as 5,000 km away. On top of this, India has also bought the Russian S-400 air protection system, including one other layer of safety.

Pakistan has exclusively true started engaged on a favorite missile protection system admire Hatf-IX, which is tranquil in its early phases and much less capable. India’s protection programs decrease the chance of a hit enemy attacks and give it a large advantage in any future battle.

Made in India: Innovation and Independence

Pakistan’s missile program relies closely on attend from China, North Korea, and Iran. Shall we embrace, Pakistan’s Ghauri missile relies on North Korea’s Rodong-1. This dependence makes it appealing for Pakistan to carry out new or favorite programs by itself.

India, in distinction, has taking into account building its fill skills since the 1980s, when the Built-in Guided Missile Vogue Programme (IGMDP) used to be launched by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. India learned to carry out every part from ring-laser gyroscopes to composite rocket motors. Even beneath Missile Know-how Management Regime (MTCR) restrictions, India developed most of its missile programs indigenously. Recently, bigger than 90% of India’s missiles are made with Indian skills. This protects India from international sanctions and delays—one thing Pakistan tranquil struggles with.

Matching Pakistan’s Tactical Missiles

Pakistan’s Nasr missile is built for employ in battles cease to the border. It carries a small nuclear warhead and is geared in direction of countering India’s stronger navy. However India has an reply—Prahaar (150 km) and Pralay (500 km), which will most likely be true as effective and extra lawful.

India also has air-launched missiles admire Rudram-II and BrahMos-A that may strike deep interior Pakistan with out even crossing the border. These are great for precision strikes, admire focusing on terrorist camps. With these tools, India can neutralize Pakistan’s quick-differ missiles and tactical advantages.

Prepared for the Future

India isn’t true taking into account this day—it’s getting ready for tomorrow. New developments consist of:

MIRVs (A couple of Independently Targetable Re-entry Autos) for missiles admire Agni-Prime, which may hit a pair of targets with one missile.

Hypersonic lumber along with the hotfoot vehicles which will most likely be faster and extra difficult to quit.

Scramjet engines and superior satellite tv for computer navigation for better withhold watch over and lag.

Pakistan has also tested its Ababeel missile with MIRV aspects—nonetheless it’s tranquil in early testing. India’s upcoming Segment-III BMD is being built to quit even hypersonic threats, conserving it a ways earlier than regional opponents.

Conclusion: India’s Optimistic Advantage

India has built a extremely effective missile power that beats Pakistan’s in differ, selection, skills, and protection. While Pakistan has made development with missiles admire Shaheen-III and Babur, India’s Agni-V, BrahMos, and BMD programs space it in a total various league.

Most importantly, India’s point of curiosity on self-reliance arrangement it'll withhold making improvements to with out looking out on others. With a missile program that's both sturdy this day and ready for tomorrow, India stays one step forward—defending its borders and making its trace as a global missile chief.

(The author Girish Linganna of this article is an award-a hit Science Creator and a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He's also Director of ADD Engineering Parts, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You perhaps can reach him at: [email protected])

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