Beyond Nuclear: Pakistan’s Quiet Shift to Mass-Produced Conventional Strikes – Quwa

On 25 November 2025, the Pakistan Navy’s (PN) Director Basic Public Relations (DGPR) introduced the profitable test-firing of the SMASH (i.e., Supersonic Missile Anti-Ship), an anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM). 

The SMASH has a said vary of 300-350 km and will be deployed from the Zulfiquar-class (F-22P) frigate. Being an ASBM, the missile features a terminal-stage seeker – both active-radar homing (ARH) or (as with different Pakistani anti-ship munitions, just like the Taimur air-launched cruise missile) – imaging infrared (IIR) for partaking shifting targets.

The SMASH is one a part of the PN’s evolving munitions technique, which additionally consists of the Harbah NG subsonic anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM), the Zarb subsonic ASCM, and the CM-302 supersonic-cruising missile (SSCM). 

The Harbah NG is deployed from two Azmat-class quick assault crafts (FAC) (i.e., PNS Himmat and PNS Haibat), whereas the CM-302 was inducted by way of the 4 Tughril-class (Sort 054A/P) frigates. The Zarb, nonetheless, is the PN’s major coastal/land-based ASCM system. 

There are a number of main dialogue factors from this take a look at. First, and the obvious, is that the SMASH is an indication of the PN constructing an anti-access and area-denial (A2/AD) technique anchored to long-range munitions, submarines, particular mission plane, unmanned aerial techniques (UAS), unmanned floor vessels (USV), and unmanned underwater automobiles (UUV). 

A number of analyses by Quwa mentioned every of those features individually, and these will be discovered within the record of articles under: 

Whereas the Pakistan Air Pressure’s (PAF) fight plane and the Pakistan Military’s long-range guided rockets drew essentially the most consideration within the Could 2025 battle, the PN’s comparatively speedy quantitative and qualitative development right into a regionally impactful maritime energy has not drawn the extent of consideration it deserves. A future Quwa piece will tie these completely different features to construct the entire image of the place the PN is heading and, for actionable views, which reference factors it may very well be utilizing to develop its doctrine.

This text, nonetheless, will contend that Pakistan is looking for to scale its adoption of typical ballistic missiles by integrating with China’s provide chain within the close to time period and indigenizing over the long run.