What missiles does India have? How do they compare with Pakistan's arsenal?

India and Pakistan are right on the precipice of a full-blown war — the two neighbouring nations have been involved in a standoff for the past four days, since May 7, when New Delhi launched Operation Sindoor, a series of precise strikes aimed at terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

In the wee hours of Saturday, as part of the ongoing standoff, Islamabad launched a Fatah-II missile, which India intercepted over Haryana’s Sirsa. The ballistic missile was fired by Pakistan while it continued unprovoked attacks on several Indian cities through the night on Friday-Saturday. Sources say the missile was aimed at Delhi.

This action by Pakistan has put the spotlight back on the neighbouring nation’s missiles arsenal and how it compares to India. Notably, both have sophisticated missile systems developed in response to the perceived threat of the other.

Here’s a head to (war)-head comparison between the two nations’ missile capabilities.

INDIA

India has a rich history of missile technology. Before Independence, several kingdoms in India were using rockets as part of their warfare. Mysore ruler Hyder Ali started inducting iron-cased rockets in his army in the mid-18th century. By the time Hyder’s son Tipu Sultan died, a company of rocketeers was attached to each brigade of his army, which has been estimated at around 5,000 rocket-carrying troops.

Following Independence, India began its pursuit of missiles and over the years developed a breadth of missile technology, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), making her one of just seven nations on Earth with this technology.

Today, it has a wide range of missiles — from anti-tank guided missiles, such as the Nag, to ballistic missiles, such as the Prithvi series, and the supersonic cruise missiles, such as the BrahMos.

Let’s take a closer look at each one of these missiles and others that India has in its arsenal.

BrahMos: A supersonic cruise missile, the BrahMos is the cornerstone of India’s conventional missile arsenal. They have been built by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya. It has a range of between 300-500 km depending on which variant and launch platform is used. The missile carries a conventional warhead weighing 200-300 kg. The BrahMos missiles can be launched from land, air, sea, or sub-sea platforms.

Agni V: In 2024, India successfully tested its Agni V missile , which is the country’s contender for an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). With the capability of a 1,100 kg nuclear payload, the missile is capable of travelling over 5,000 km. Former DRDO head Vijay K Saraswat has claimed that the Agni-V possesses a minimum range of 3,000 km and a maximum range “in the order of” 5,500 – 5,800 km.

The Agni-V uses similar solid-propellant motors to the Agni-III with the addition of a conical, composite-cased third-stage motor. It uses a ring laser gyro-based inertial guidance system and is capable of loading nuclear and conventional payloads.

Prithvi: One of India’s most important missiles, the Prithvi missile is a short-range ballistic missile with a range of 350 km.

Nirbhay: A long-range cruise missile, the Nirbhay is India’s first indigenously-produced cruise missile. It is similar in appearance to the US Tomahawk and the Russian Club SS-N-27 with its cylindrical fuselage. It is reported to be capable of flying at an altitude that ranges from less than 50 to 4,000 metres with an operational range of about 1,000 km. Weighing about 1,500 kg, Nirbhay can be loaded with a 450 kg conventional or a 12 kilo-tonne nuclear warhead.

Pralay: Pralay is India’s newest short-range ballistic missile. It can hit targets up to 500 km away and is designed for quick strikes on enemy bases. Pralay is fast, accurate, and hard to stop.

Scalp: Used in Operation Sindoor to target terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the Scalp missiles are air-launched cruise missiles with stealth features, designed for long-range deep strikes. Known as Storm Shadow in Britain, these missiles can be operated at night and in all weather conditions.

The missile, manufactured by the European multinational MBDA, has a range of 450 km, and is difficult to detect due to its low-flying capability when fired from an aircraft. Its advanced and highly accurate navigation system, which uses Inertial Navigation System (INS), Global Positioning System (GPS) and terrain referencing, can penetrate bunkers and ammunition stores.

Astra: Carried by the Su-30MKI, the Astra is India’s first homegrown beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (AAM). According to the DRDO, the Astra is capable of engaging highly maneuvering and supersonic targets at a range of up to 61 miles and flies at a speed of Mach 4.5. The missile features inertial guidance, midcourse updates via datalink, and an active radar seeker for the terminal phase (the active seeker is activated around eight miles from the target).

Meteor: Also used in Operation Sindoor, the Meteor is a new-generation Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) system, which is effective in dense electronic-warfare environments. This missile’s ‘no-escape zone’ is much larger than other weapons. This means the enemy’s chance of evading the missile is considerably reduced.

PAKISTAN

Like India, Pakistan has a diverse missile arsenal with both conventional and nuclear options. Many of its missiles, however, have been provided by its friend and neighbour — China. In the past, experts have noted that Pakistan’s missiles, both offensive and defensive, lag well behind India —giving New Delhi a distinct edge on paper.

PL-15: Among AAMs, this is Pakistan’s deadliest missile. Made in China, this new missile employs a dual-pulse rocket motor that enables it to have an operational range of 200-300 kilometres and can travel at speeds of Mach 5. In the current standoff, Pakistan has been using these missiles, which have been mounted on its J-10C aircraft.

Fatah-II: A hypersonic ballistic missile, the Fatah-II has a range of 400 km. It can hit targets with pointpoint accuracy – including the Russian-made S-400 Triumf missile systems owned by India. The Fatah-II rocket can hold a 365-kilo warhead. It has a navigation system, unique trajectory, and is maneuverable – all of which allow it to hit targets with high precision and sidestep missile defence systems.

Shaheen-III: This is the longest range missile in Pakistan’s strategic arsenal. It is a two-stage, solid-fuelled medium-range ballistic missile capable of carrying both nuclear and conventional payloads to a range of 2,750 km.

Ghauri: This is a Pakistani medium-range, road-mobile, liquid-fuelled ballistic missile. It can carry a 700 kg warhead up to 1,500 km. Notably, it is nearly identical in appearance to North Korea’s Nodong 1 MRBM.

Babur: A ground-launched cruise missile, it is capable of carrying a 450 kg payload 350 – 700 km. The missile is vertically launched with a solid-propellant rocket booster and employs a turbofan engine for its subsonic cruising flight. The Babur missile comes in several disclosed variants.

Ghaznavi: A short-range missile, the Ghaznavi is directly derived from China’s DF-11 short-range ballistic missile. It can carry a single warhead of up to 700 kg to a range of 290 – 300 km.

Nasr: The Nasr missile is a tactical ballistic missile with a range of approximately 70 km. It can carry low-yield nuclear warheads for battlefield use.

With inputs from agencies