Pakistan’s ASBM Claim Raises More Questions Than Answers: What The SMASH Test Really Means For INS Vikrant | India News

Pakistan’s announcement this week that it has successfully tested a “ship-launched anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM)” has sparked a wave of excitement in the local defense ecosystem. Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed the launch, stating that an “indigenously developed” missile successfully hit sea and land targets with “high precision” in a test witnessed by the Chief of Naval Staff, senior officials, engineers and scientists. Few details were given beyond that.

But within hours, the relatively sparse official statement was overshadowed by an aggressive online narrative. Pro-Pakistani portals and social media accounts started promoting the missile as a Mach-8 hypersonic carrier killer capable of reaching 700-850 km and threatening India’s aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.

Numerous doctored videos were also posted on social media, with captions attempting to support exaggerated claims about the missile’s ability to fire.

Remarkably, none of these claims appear in the ISPR release. Instead, they emerge from blogs and comment sites that have a history of strengthening Pakistan’s missile program far beyond what official sources confirm.

To understand this better, it is useful to look at the documented history of the SMASH system. In November 2024, Pakistan revealed for the first time the ship-launched ballistic missile, designated P282 SMASH, which was tested from a Zulfiqar-class (F-22P) frigate. Open sources indicate that its range is approximately 350 kilometers, in line with the characteristics of the Chinese CM-401, a short-range anti-ship ballistic missile marketed for export. This system has been clearly framed as a coastal anti-access/area denial weapon useful in defending Pakistan’s coastal zone, but it is nowhere near the long-range hypersonic images currently circulating on the internet.

In contrast, the latest test was not accompanied by specifications, range data, speed classification, seeker details or even a designated launch platform. ISPR released a short video showing the missile launch and target engagement at sea, but did not include telemetry or technical parameters. A Malaysian defense portal claimed that the missile was fired from the Chinese-made Type 054A/P frigate (PNS Tippu Sultan) and has hypersonic capability and extended range. However, these claims do not come from the Pakistan Navy or government sources and have not been verified by independent defense analysts.

The real issue is not whether Pakistan has tested a missile (it clearly has), but whether the system advertised online matches any known, verifiable capability. There is currently no official data to support claims of hypersonic speed, 700+ km range, or carrier-kill accuracy. The only publicly documented SMASH variant remains the short-range (about 350 km) ballistic missile tested last year.

Even as Pakistan seeks to develop this system, the critical component of any ASBM is not the missile itself but the sensor-to-shooter chain that enables it to hit a moving maritime target. Anti-ship ballistic missiles require a complex surveillance architecture including satellites, long-range radars, maritime patrol aircraft and real-time data links. This is very important because the carrier group can significantly change the missile’s course and speed throughout the duration of its flight. Without constant tracking, the missile will arrive at where the target used to be, not where it is.

China, the world’s primary ASBM operator, has invested heavily in just this type of wide-area ocean surveillance network. In contrast, Pakistan does not operate an independent maritime ISR constellation. Its maritime awareness relies primarily on coastal radars and limited air assets, supplemented by Chinese intelligence support where possible. There is no open-source evidence to suggest that Pakistan has the continuous, real-time monitoring capability required to engage a carrier group hundreds of kilometers offshore.

It is also important to consider the operational background. In 2025, during Operation Sindhoor, the Indian Navy deployed an expanded presence of 36 ships, including the aircraft carrier battle group led by INS Vikrant, in the Arabian Sea following the Pahalgam attack. Senior Indian officials stated that the Pakistan Navy was effectively confined to the port and coastline during this period.

This was a significant loss of reputation for a service already struggling with maintenance issues, propulsion failures and declining sea readiness on various platforms. Against this reality, a dramatic talent announcement, especially one with vague technical details, serves as an obvious signal.

For India, the picture remains stable. INS Vikrant operates in a layered carrier battle group equipped with Barak-8 long-range surface-to-air missiles, MF-STAR AESA radar, advanced electronic warfare suites, chaff and decoy dispensers and CIWS. It sails alongside Kolkata-class destroyers and Talwar-class frigates, which add their own layers of air defense and attack, as well as submarine support. In addition, DRDO is developing a new long-range maritime interceptor capable of combating high-speed ballistic threats; the exact missile class that Pakistan currently claims to be testing.