Pakistan has claimed that missiles without warhead (gunpowder) have come from India in its airspace. The missile's description matches that of the BrahMos. However, sources said that none of the missiles were fired targeting Pakistan.
The Indian defense establishment is probing the Pakistani military's claim on Thursday night in which it accused India that the missile without a warhead that entered its airspace on Wednesday belonged to India. Pakistan has claimed that the missile came from near Sirsa in Haryana and was on its way to the Mahajan Field firing range in Rajasthan but turned west and entered Pakistan.
Multiple sources in the defense and security establishment told The Print that the matter is being investigated, however, they did not provide any information on the subject. He has indicated that a statement may be issued in this matter by evening.
The information given by Pakistan about the missile corresponds to the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. This missile is being used in India for many years and it is known for its excellent accuracy.
The range of this missile has now increased to 400 km. It is the longest-range cruise missile in the Indian military fleet. Sources said that they are investigating the Pakistani army's claim but the fact is that no such missile has been targeted towards Pakistan.
What is Pakistan's claim?
In a press conference late on Thursday night, Pakistan Army spokesman Major General Babar Iftikhar said, "At 6.43 pm on March 9, something blew up from Indian territory, it changed its target and entered Pakistani territory." And fell on Pakistani soil, due to which there was some damage to the civilian installation but there is no information about any loss of life due to this.
He said that on Wednesday night, this missile fell in Mian Channu of Khanewal district of Punjab (Pakistan).
Responding to a question, Iftikhar said it appeared to be a supersonic surface-to-surface missile with no weapons but investigations are on to ascertain its exact nature.
He also claimed that the missile was flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet and because of this the airplanes that were flying in Pakistan's airspace at that time were endangered. He said the missile had covered a distance of 207 km before falling.
Similar to BrahMos
According to sources, the details match that of the BrahMos supersonic missile and being without a warhead means that it was a test firing.
However, he did not comment on whether it was indeed Brahmos or not.
Both Indian Army and Air Force have BrahMos missile. The Indian Air Force also has a sky-launched BrahMos which is fired through Su 30 MKI. Apart from this, there is also a surface-to-surface missile.
Sources said that how BrahMos will fly depends on its target. For example, if it is launched on a ship, it will first go up and then it will take off over the ocean.
Sources said that in the ground-to-surface version, the missile first goes up several feet. It depends on how far away the target is. After that, it takes off at different altitudes.
It is worth noting that there is no base of Brahmos in Sirsa. The missile system is carried on special types of trucks and can be moved from one place to another. Such missiles are usually tested on the east coast of India and by the Andaman and Nicobar Command.