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India-Pakistan tensions
This Week in AsiaPolitics

India, Pakistan enter new missile race after deadly border clash

As India invests in more BrahMos missiles and upgraded SAAW systems, observers say Pakistan is ‘copying China’ with a new rocket force

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Missile launchers and other air defence systems are seen on display at a military exhibition in Islamabad on Thursday during Independence Day celebrations. Photo: AFP
Junaid Kathju
India and Pakistan have embarked on a new arms race, investing billions in advanced missile systems that observers warn could define the next era of South Asian warfare.

The moves follow their deadly four-day conflict in May, which saw some of the most intense border hostilities between the nuclear-armed rivals in years.

Earlier this month, India announced it would procure an additional 110 BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles as part of a new 670 billion rupee (US$8.7 billion) defence package.
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Simultaneously, the Indian government says it is upgrading its indigenous Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon (SAAW) to feature advanced guidance systems and be compatible with both the air force’s Russian Sukhoi Su-30MKI and French Rafale aircraft. The enhanced SAAW will have an extended range of some 200km (124 miles).

Pakistan, meanwhile, marked its Independence Day by unveiling plans to establish a new rocket force designed to counterbalance India’s growing missile capabilities. In a nationally televised address last Wednesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the new unit would be equipped with cutting-edge technology and strengthen the military’s combat potential.
Islamabad is copying China and establishing a rocket unit
Ajey Lele, Indian defence analyst

Abdul Basit, a senior associate fellow at the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research in Singapore, described the developments as the start of a new missile race between the two arch-rivals.

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