Syed Samiullah
Pakistan unveiled its new guided multiple-launch rocket system (G-MLRS), Fatah-II, on December 27, 2023. Though this was the first publicly disclosed flight test of the rocket, it was initially showcased by Global Industrial and Defense Solutions (GIDS), representing Pakistan’s governmental defense manufacturing, at the IDEF-2023 exhibition in Turkey.
In 2019, Pakistan’s Ministry of Defense Production (MoDP) referred to two indigenous MLRS programs in development a standard MLRS and an “extended-range” MLRS. Initially, it was believed that the A-100 was the initial MLRS variant, and subsequently, Fatah-I was the “extended-range” system. However, in light of the Fatah-II, it is now apparent that the MoDP referred to two domestic programs, where Fatah-I was the standard MLRS and Fatah-II was the “extended-range” version.
The rocket system aims to diversify conventional targeting options for Pakistan, enabling precision strikes deep into an adversary’s territory against various targets with different types of conventional warheads. It has been debated that Fatah-II’s development responded to the Indian limited war doctrine known as the Cold Start Doctrine (CSD), ensuring Pakistan’s capability of retaliating with surgical precision. Additionally, Fatah-II strengthens Pakistan’s conventional strike capabilities, reaching rear Indian military bases, ammunition depots, logistics hubs, and air bases for the first time.
Fatah-II is not a new system but an addition to the existing G-MLRS club worldwide. Examples include the United States’ M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and China’s Weishi rocket series. According to Pakistan’s military media wing, ISPR, the rocket is “equipped with state-of-the-art avionics, a sophisticated navigation system, and a unique flight trajectory,” according to the official press release.
It can effectively engage adversaries’ targets within a 400 km range, with a circular error probable (CEP) of less than 10 meters. Setting itself apart within the Fatah rocket series, the Fatah-II incorporates cutting-edge flight control technology and a refined path-finding mechanism.
This includes the integration of satellite and inertial navigation systems, ensuring an exceptional level of accuracy with a CEP of less than 10 meters. This precision targeting capability underscores the Fatah-II’s significance in advanced missile technology. The weapon system seamlessly complements existing models such as the Fatah-I, the Chinese A-100, the Yarmouk series, and the Nasr tactical ballistic missiles.
Notably, the Fatah-II’s ability to accurately target locations over a distance of 400 kilometers marks a substantial advancement in the field of long-range artillery, surpassing its predecessor, the Fatah-I, which boasts a range of 140 kilometers. Military analysts have labeled the Fatah-II a “flat trajectory missile,” a design attribute that poses a radar detection challenge.
Its predecessor, the Fatah-I, is manufactured by Global Industrial Defense Solutions. The conglomerate says the Fatah-I is intended “to precisely attack and destroy the enemy’s group and area targets, such as military bases, massive armored troops, missile launching sites, large airports, harbors, and other important facilities.” The Fatah 1 is an eight-round guided multiple rocket launch system based on the same Taian chassis as the 10-round A-100 multiple launch rocket system in service with Pakistan.
The Fatah-II test “marks another step in Pakistan’s efforts to field multiple precision strike artillery systems with variable ranges to hold adversary targets at risk,” said Frank O’Donnell, a nonresident fellow with the Stimson Center think tank’s South Asia Program and a senior research adviser at the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network.
The fact Pakistan developed the weapon, he added, demonstrates the country has learned lessons from recent or ongoing conflicts. “When viewed in the context of Pakistan’s parallel efforts to field a similarly diverse arsenal of combat drones, its implementation of certain lessons which the military feels the Azerbaijan-Armenia and Russia-Ukraine wars have reinforced become clear,” O’Donnell told Defense News.
“They include the advantages of assigning adversary precision ground bombardment missions to relatively low-cost artillery and combat drone systems, preserving manned fighter aircraft for higher-end strike missions and interception of their counterparts.”
Now questions like why Pakistan introduced a long-range artillery system when it already possesses short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) with similar ranges or what benefits are associated with the Fatah-II rocket, could be answered by offering a comparative analysis of Fatah-II’s costs, ability to conduct deep strike missions, short sensor-to-shooter response time, and precision strike capability with other weapon systems.
Fatah-II rationally provides more bang for Pakistan’s buck because it has lower production and operational costs compared to sensitive systems like SRBMs. Ballistic missiles have high maintenance and operational costs and require separate storage sites and staff to maintain them, while Fatah-II can easily blend with the MLRS fleet. Besides, the sensor-to-shooter response time of Fatah-II is significantly shorter, making it a preferable choice for operational commanders. Based on footage of the test released by ISPR, the Fatah 2 appears to be a two-round guided multiple-launch rocket system based on the Chinese Taian TAS5450 eight-wheel drive chassis. Fatah-II’s extended range of 400 km enables it to eliminate the enemy’s strategic long-range air defense systems deployed in the rear.
For instance, it can take out even mobile targets like S-400 air defense systems that can quickly be shifted from one firing location to another.
Additionally, its low cost incentivizes the military to employ it against enemy air defenses by firing a barrage of rockets on a single battery of S-400 to overwhelm the system and, in the process, eliminate it as well. This makes Fatah-II a unique system in Pakistan’s conventional arsenal to perform suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) missions in the future.
In a conversation with Eurasian Times, Defense analyst Patricia Marins expressed astonishment, pointing out the lack of information regarding the missile’s unique trajectory. Marins emphasized the need for more details on the missile’s evasive maneuver. Highlighting the challenges posed by the Fateh-II, Marins said that the high range and considerable mobility make it elusive for anti-missile systems to locate launchers effectively.
This advancement is expected to contribute to Pakistan’s strategic endeavor to build a robust and versatile military capability for conducting highly accurate strikes over a wide array of distances and with diverse munitions. The integration of the Fatah-II into its arsenal at a subsequent stage would, therefore, mark a major leap in enhancing the country’s terrestrial strike competencies.
The author is a Research Officer at RFI and Associate Editor of Monthly Interaction.
