Posted on 11/18/2016 7:33:39 PM PST by Jyotishi
It is only a matter of time before Pakistan can launch short-range missiles to counter conventional attacks
New Delhi - A study of Google satellite images and information from other intelligence sources by US nuclear scientists Hans Kristensen and Robert Norris released earlier this week contains startling revelations: contrary to the conditions laid down by the US when it sold Pakistan F-16 fighters, the US jets, along with the Pak air force's French Mirages, are now nuclear-enabled.
Speaking exclusively to DNA, Hans Kristensen, co-author of the 'Nuclear Notebook on Pakistani Nuclear Forces' released November 16 acknowledged that despite the study, US strategic interests in the region will determine further weapons sales to Pakistan.
"The US nuclear establishment can but won't initiate further action," the Director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists told DNA.
"The F-16s were considered to be the first planes that are nuclear-capable in the Pakistan arsenal and the French mirage was upgraded as well to carry a new air launch cruise missile. But the US made its case. What Pakistan does once they get the planes is inevitably up to them," he said.
The worry that prevails -- as several attacks on Pakistani military establishments have shown -- is that its nuclear arsenal could land in the wrong hands: that of Islamist terrorists.
But which of the study's revelations are new, given that there have been many precedents based upon satellite pictures?
"We haven't had a picture of where Pakistan's nuclear-capable forces went for a long time but this study throws up a more focused posturing of Pakistan's nuclear-capable forces and their infrastructure," Kristensen told DNA. "There will be more to come, this is only the beginning."
Kristensen said that while the number and location of Pakistan's nuclear-capable missile bases is not known, an analysis of Google satellite images threw up features to suggest that at least five bases might throw light on Pakistan's emerging nuclear network: army garrisons at Akro, Gujranwala, Khuzdar, Pano Aqil and Sargodha. The scientist speculates that a sixth base at Bawalpur may be under construction while a seventh seems to be coming up near Dera Ghazi Khan. Gujranwala in particular could be of concern to India: this is where the Pakistani Taliban have been active and in the open.
Do these revelations indicate that Pakistan has now reached what is known as a 'full-spectrum nuclear deterrent posture'? Almost, says Kristensen, but warns that it is only a matter of time before Pakistan is fully equipped not only for retaliatory strikes in response to nuclear attacks but also to launch short-range missiles to counter conventional attacks.
The US scientist added that the study of Pakistan's nuclear installations is a routine one and that one of India and other nuclear weapons states will follow.
'Short-range' nuclear strikes are likelier to damage Pakistan than India, but will certainly interest New Delhi's defence, diplomatic and military establishment, since they could be launched if Islamabad merely perceives the threat of an all-out invasion by the Indian military establishment.
Consequently, Kristensen suggested that even quick 'surgical strikes' by India will have to make it 'appear' to Pakistan as though there is no danger of an all-out pan-national aggression of Pakistan by India.
It was a great idea to give them hundreds of millions of dollars every year to not hate us.
look what they did with the money.
Savages with nukes.
That’s just fantastic. The people who are such a-holes that they couldn’t get along with GHANDI. And they hid out Bin Ladin. So what do we do? Cut em off? Nooooooo... we sell em F-16s set up for nukes.
If they use theirs, India will use theirs, and no one wins.
I don’t know what their arming procedures are, but if the Taliban got ahold of one would they even be able to use them? Easily?
The F-16s that are sold, are sold WITHOUT avionics, engines or radar. The ONLY allies we sell the “good stuff” to are the ABC’s. Australia, Great Britain and Canada.
Everyone else gets the skins. They can put any engine they want into it, except ours. Any radios and weapons systems, except ours and certainly not our radar
We kept the best for ourselves. Always have, always will.
In a war with Pakistan; India will utterly devastate them. It will not even be close.
Hey, let’s give these muzzies technology that can be made nuclear capable! What could go wrong?!?
PING!
Nukes are not on impact. Thats all you need to know.
U.S. F-16s (and all other weapons) are sold with U.S. parts. So the F-16 is sold only with the P&W F-100 or G.E. F-110 engines; no country has ever been able to install anything else. Same goes for radars.
I had always heard the Israeli’s took their F-16 plain, no EW or radar suite....they installed their own, no? Myth?
EW and some weapon system, yes. About radar, I don’t think Israel has been able to install its own radars on its entire F-16/F-15 fleets, though I’d guess that’s more an issue of military aid financing politics.
https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/israel-selects-raytheon-radar-for-f-15i-fleet-432590/
thanks, you learn something new every day don’t you? Especially on this forum:)
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