The Pakistan Navy has successfully performed another round of live-firing trials for its Zarb land-based anti-ship cruise missile system, which is also referred to as the Zarb Weapon System, during Exercise Sealion III earlier in the year.
One of the first images of the Zarb missile system was released by the Navy, showing an anti-ship cruise missile being launched from an eight-wheeled transport-erector-launcher (TEL) vehicle at the Jinnah Naval Base in Ormara, Balochistan Province.
The Navy said that the missile, which is operated the Naval Missile Regiment belonging to the Naval Strategic Force Command, successfully hit its intended target. It did not disclose the capabilities of its latest weapon, but the missile shown in the images appears to strongly resemble the Chinese C-602, which is the export variant of the domestic YJ-62 in use by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
The C-602 is a medium-range anti-ship and land-attack missile, which is actively marketed by China National Precision Manufacturing Import & Export Corporation internationally has a maximum range of 280km. It carries a 300kg high-explosive semi-armour-piercing warhead to ensure that the payload detonates within its target for maximum potential damage.
The TEL vehicle that was seen firing the Zarb anti-ship missile carries three container launch units and is also visually identical to the PLA’s YJ-62 mobile coastal defence system. The vehicle has a front cab, a separate rear command cab, a power-generation system, and an elevating launch platform holding the three missile launch units.
The same missiles can also be found on the PLA Navy’s Type-052C Luyang II destroyers, indicating a potential for future integration aboard the Pakistan Navy’s vessels.
Pakistan is also actively pursuing locally developed anti-ship missiles, and test fired its new ‘Harba’ cruise missile from PNS Himmat, one of the Navy’s latest Azmat-class fast attack crafts.
