Tel Aviv: Israel is following the development of new weapon systems in Pakistan as this country has enhanced its defence relations with Turkey, which has adopted an anti-Israeli policy.
Israeli senior defence analysts told Raksha Anirveda that the new Pakistani SMASH missile, is an indigenously developed anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) system of the Pakistan Navy. It was successfully test-fired for the first time from a naval platform in November 2024. On November 25, 2025, the Pakistan Navy carried out a second flight test flight of this missile.
According to the analysts, the missile was developed by the local defence industry GIDS. The missile’s external features and characteristics indicate a degree of commonality with the
Fatah-II ballistic missile.
Although the Pakistani authorities called it a hypersonic missile, Western observers declined to adopt that term and insists that it is an ASBM. The missile is 9 metres long and has a diameter of 0.8 m. The missile’s trajectory is ballistic with complex manoeuvres at the endgame.
Guidance is achieved by a combined IMU and GNSS receiver. At the endgame the missile opens its “RF seeker, assessed to operate at X band.
According to the analysts, the SMASH system with a range of 350 km is a core part of Pakistan’s strategy to enhance its anti-ship capability upgrade. The systems developed by Pakistan interest Israel as Turkey has adopted an anti-Israeli approach and at the same time is trying to get a foothold in Syria.
Pakistan and Turkey maintain a robust military partnership characterised by joint exercises, defence agreements, technology transfers, and equipment deals, driven by shared geopolitical interests including support for Kashmir and counterterrorism.
In February 2025, the two nations signed 24 cooperation agreements, including protocols on military personnel exchange, Air Force, electronic warfare, and military health training. Major procurements encompass Pakistan’s orders for 30 T129 ATAK helicopters, four MILGEM corvettes under a $1.5 billion deal, and deliveries of Bayraktar TB2, Akinci, and TB3 drones. Pakistan may also be involved in Turkey’s Kaan fifth-generation stealth fighter project.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
