Posted on 03/01/2006 6:57:02 AM PST by Gengis Khan
The US has provided Pakistan Air Force (PAF) with AGM-154 'Beyond Visual Range (BVR)' stand-off missiles, ostensibly to target terrorist hideouts.
While state-run news agency said Pakistan has attained another landmark in modern missile technology by producing a joint standoff weapon system capable of hitting "over-the-horizon" targets with accuracy, 'Pakistan Observer' newspaper said the AGM-154 system was provided by US ahead of President George W Bush's visit to the country.
According to the daily, the announcement of Pakistan acquiring the BVR missile system came at the Corps Commanders meeting presided over President Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday.
The system uses technologies called 'Integrated Global Positioning System' and Inner-shell Management System Navigation and could engage targets 70 km away.
This apparently is the first BVR missiles the PAF has acquired that could be fired from a distance without coming into visual contact with the enemy.
It could be fired from fighter jets fitted with sensors.
The missile was provided by US reportedly to stem criticism arising out of its spy planes firing similar missiles at a village in Bajore tribal agency last month to target Al-Qaeda second in command Ayaman al-Zawahiri killing upto 18 civilians.
As part of equipping Pakistan with military hardware to fight terrorists, US has granted approval to sell latest models of F-16s and supplied a fleet of helicopters, transport and sea surveillance planes.
Ping!
Hahaha I dont think these missiles will be targeting any terrorists.
Mushy's going to save em up, like he hoardes every other scrap of hardware the US throws his way now and again.
Hes probably going to trumpet these few missiles as a triumph of foreign policy.
AGM's are guided missiles (air-to-air), right? Are the hideouts now airborne?
Well, CLINTON armed our ENEMIES, I guess it's time we fully armed our ALLIES.
No, theyre Air to Ground missiles.
Raytheon [Texas Instruments] for the Air Force and the Navy. The AGM-154A (Formerly Advanced Interdiction Weapon System) is intended to provide a low cost, highly lethal glide weapon with a standoff capability. JSOW family of kinematically efficient, air-to-surface glide weapons, in the 1,000-lb class, provides standoff capabilities from 15 nautical miles (low altitude launch) to 40 nautical miles (high altitude launch). The JSOW will be used against a variety of land and sea targets and will operate from ranges outside enemy point defenses. The JSOW is a launch and leave weapon that employs a tightly coupled Global Positioning System (GPS)/Inertial Navigation System (INS), and is capable of day/night and adverse weather operations. The JSOW uses inertial and global positioning system for midcourse navigation and imaging infra-red and datalink for terminal homing.
Allies like Pakistan?
AGM = Air to Ground Missile.
AIM = Air Intercept Missile
The AGM-154 is the Joint Standoff Weapon, or JSOW. It's a low cost glide "bomb" with a GPS guidance system or IR seeker head. Once it gets to its target, the payload bay pops open and 145 BLU-97/B submunitions pop out. Per Wikipedia, "The bomblets have a shaped charge for armor defeating capability, a fragmenting case for materiel destruction, and a zirconium ring for incendiary effects."
It can also carry a bunker penetrator system (BROACH), but the maximum range is only about 65 miles with a high-altitude launch. The more typical low-altitude launch is only about 15 miles. It's a pretty devastating weapon, but a cruise missile it's not, and you can't put a nuke on it.
Why Pakistan is getting F-16s, Awacs, Phalanx, P3Cs, Frigates and weapon locating radars to take out all the terrorist hideouts right? Thats what we are told.
I agree...100%.
And Indians have a right to know from President Bush as to why is he still arming Pakistan with weaponry that will most certainly be used against India. I would appreciate if President Bush can give us an honest answer.
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Agreed.
They why does US need India's alliance?
Primarily to counter the Chinese.
I would prefer that any systems sold to Pakistan be
those for use against terrorists, not India.
Long term, India and Pakistan need to learn to get along.
"Long term, India and Pakistan need to learn to get along."
Thats like asking Iran and Israel to learn to get along.
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