Pakistan tests South African Torgos MUPSOW as Ra ad ALCM

warrior monk

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RAWALPINDI: Pakistan on Tuesday conducted a successful flight test of the indigenously developed Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) – Ra’ad – said the military’s media wing in a statement.

The flight test of the cruise missile, which is also known as Hatf VIII, was the seventh since it was first tested in 2007.

It is essentially a flying bomb, generally designed to carry a large conventional or nuclear warhead many hundreds of miles with high accuracy. Modern cruise missiles can travel at supersonic or high subsonic speed.

These guided missiles are self-navigating and fly on a non-ballistic very low altitude trajectory in order to avoid radar detection.

The most common mission for cruise missiles is to attack relatively high value targets such as ships, command bunkers, bridges and dams. The modern guidance system permits precise attacks.

The Inter-Services Public Relations said Ra’ad, with a range of 350km, “enables Pakistan to achieve air delivered strategic standoff capability on land and at sea.” The missile is approximately five metres long and could weigh up to 1,000kg.

Special “terrain hugging low level flight maneuvers enable it to avoid detection and engagement by contemporary air defence systems,” the statement added.

Cruise technology is extremely complex and has been developed by only a few countries in the world.

The president and the prime minister congratulated the scientists and engineers behind the development for their outstanding achievement on the successful flight test of Ra’ad.

Director General Strategic Plans Division, Lt Gen Mazhar Jamil, termed the success a major step towards complementing Pakistan’s deterrence capability.

He said achievement of “this milestone will surely enhance strategic stability and contribute to peace in the region.”



http://www.dawn.com/news/1234015/pakistan-successfully-tests-raad-cruise-missile-ispr
 

warrior monk

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THE ACTUAL MISSILE



Torgos ALCM MUPSOW

Originated From:
South Africa
Possessed By:South Africa
Class:Subsonic
Basing:Air-launched
Length:4.86 m
Launch Weight:980 kg
Payload:500 kg
Warhead:HE, fragmentation
Propulsion:Turbojet
Range:300 km
Status:Unknown

he MUltiPurpose StandOff Weapon (MUPSOW) is a South African air-launched cruise missile. Some believe that the weapon may have evolved from the Raptor series of glide bombs. 1 The development program was first reported in 1993, and a follow-on design was announced in 1995. In 1999, another new design called the Torgos was reported. It was designed as a smaller and lighter version to be carried on JAS-39 Gripen, Mirage 2000 and F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft. The status of this South African development program remains unknown.


Torgos shown in flight.
www.saairforce.co.za

The 1995 improved MUPSOW variant has a length of 4.92 m, a launch weight of 1,200 kg, and a range of 150 km. The angular frame is similar to the Taurus KEPD-150 cruise missile. The Torgos has a length of 4.86 m, a wing span of 1.98 m, and a launch weight of 980 kg. It is guided by INS/GPS with an imaging infrared seeker for the terminal phase. The Torgos carries a 500 kg warhead with the option of a high explosive (HE), HE fragmentation, or submunitions. The Torgos has a 300 km range.

The status of the program is unclear. The program may have been halted due to funding problems.

http://missilethreat.com/missiles/mupsowtorgos/


Pakistanis have modified it with the help of Chinese
 

Coalmine

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I think a 'n' is missing before 'd' in that missile name
 

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