GHAURI MISSILE (IRBM)

Origin--Pakistan
Type-Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile

Technical Specification

Dimensions
Length :                 50 ft (15.2 m)
Body Diameter :     4 ft (1.2 m)
Weight :                35273 lb (16,000 kg) with a fuel load of 14,000 kg
Payload:               1,547 lb (700 kg)
Fuel:                     Liquid Fuel
Range:                1,500 km/930 miles and an accuracy of (CEP) of                              250-m/820 ft at 1,500 km
Warhead:               nuclear, chemical or anti tank warhead.

The Ghauri is a liquid-fuel, road-mobile missile with a 1,500-kilometer range. In theory, at least, it would give Islamabad for the first time the ability to strike deep into Indian territory According to the US intelligence sources, the Ghauri is based on North Korea's No Dong missile, which in turn has its roots in the old Soviet-era Scud missile. It is believed that North Korea provided Pakistan with the blueprints and technical knowledge as well as possibly a few missiles for reverse engineering.

The creation of Pakistani Ghauri missile has a lot to do with the common history of India and the Pakistan. Pakistan says the Prithvi is named after the Indian Hindu ruler Prithviraj Chauhan. In reply Pakistan named its missile as the Ghauri after Sultan Mohhamed Ghauri, who defeated Prithviraj Chauhan in the battlefield. Though India maintains that its missile is named after the five elements of life.

The Pakistani government claims that the missile's payload is 700-kg/1,547 lb. It also claims that the Ghauri can carry a nuclear, chemical, or anti-tank warhead. In absence of any confirmed data available, it is assumed that the Ghauri missile has a liquid fuel system. The missile can be fired from a mobile launcher.