Ukraine’s state-run defence firm Ukroboronprom 30th August announced a successful test of a new cruise missile, dubbed Neptune. However, Yuzhmash, the developer of the Neptue cruise missile had sold design documents of its earlier cruise missile designs to Pakistan.

Pakistan's Clandestine Missile Acquisition

Babur Cruise Missile

Babur also designated Hatf VII, is a short range turbojet powered subsonic cruise missile that can be launched from land or mobile underwater platforms.

Some sources suggest Pakistan's Babur cruise missile is based on the Ukrainian Kh-55SM/Korshun LACM, whose detailed production engineering data packages were bought from Kiev by 2001 which had by then been developed by Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk-based Yuzhnoye State Design Bureau or Yuzhmash.

Defence analyst Prasun K Sengupta writes, "while the world is now more than well-conversant with the ‘Wall Mart’ of nuclear weapons proliferation that was created by Pakistani metallurgist Dr A Q Khan since the mid-1990s, substantial details have emerged since late 2004 about a parallel ‘Wall Mart’ that Dr Khan had built up, this time for acquiring LACMs off-the-shelf from Yuzhmash."

Predictably, the Babur’s IIR terminal seeker—offering a CEP of 10 metres—is supplied off-the-shelf by China's Xi’an Sicong Group.

Ra'ad Cruise Missile


The Ra'ad is an air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) under development by Pakistan. 

In 1993 South Africa;s Kentron (now Denel Dynamics) started development of an air launched cruise missile. By 1997 the design phase was completed and first prototypes were built for testing.

In 1999 Kentron being a private company fell into financial crisis due to lack of buyers. The same year Kentron presented the "Torgos" cruise missile at a defence tech show. South Africa guided weapons company Kentron unveiled its 300 km (180 mi) range Torgos cruise missile for the first time at Dubai 2000 in November 1999. The new missile is a development of the existing family of precision guided weapons from Kentron, a division of the Denel Group.

The original Torgos and its Turkish version the SOM-J

This missile was offered for co-development as it was not read for use and needed further testing. Two Islamic countries showed interest in the transfer of technology, Turkey and Pakistan. Turkey later developed their "SOM"  missile from the basic data and design obtained from TOT deal.

Pakistan developed the design for 8 years and made the Ra'ad missile in 2007.

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