Ahead of the new year, a disturbance arose within an Indian military consortium in response to Pakistan’s successful test of the Fatah-II MLRS. The consortium had been boasting about a non-existent Pinaka and discussing DRDO’s plans. However, a reminder that Delhi is now within our range led to retired high-ranking officials hurling insults at me. Indians so shocked, also asserted that our test had failed, stating that the Fatah-II rocket had landed in a civilian area.
Considering the scenario in the Ukrainian War, the deployment of Fatah-II could hold significant importance. The Ukrainian conflict has demonstrated the effectiveness of long-range precision weapons, with Ukrainians successfully holding off Russians by targeting high-value assets like S-300 and S-400 air defense systems, naval ships, and ammunition depots using the US-supplied HI-MAR system. This system, equipped with an advanced guidance system, is a guided artillery rocket system.
The deployment of Fatah-II is expected to follow a similar pattern when targeting Indian assets such as air defense systems, airfields, and oil depots. Its Shoot & Scoot capability will complement other weapons on the battlefield, providing additional firepower when and where needed. This deployment is anticipated to reduce the workload for the PAF in Close Air Support and Ground Attack missions.