ISLAMABAD: At the 2024 International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS 2024), Global Industrial Defence Solutions (GIDS) introduced the Rasoob 250 Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM).
Following the Raad-I/II and Timur ALCMs, which were constructed by the Air Weapons Complex (AWC), a division of NESCOM, the Rasoob 250 is Pakistan’s third ALCM development. Using the same technology as their earlier missiles, the AWC probably also produced the Rasoob 250.
The missile’s smaller size and more angular airframe contribute to its goal of low observability. These upgrades make it more covert than its predecessor by lowering its radar cross section (RCS).
Though its precise measurements are a mystery, the Rasoob 250 can travel 350 kilometers on a single tank of fuel and weighs 285 kg (with the booster). Its size and weight are comparable to that of the 275 kg Roketsan Çakır from Turkey.
In contrast to the Ra’ad and Timur missiles, which are fired from high-speed jets, the Rasul 250 can be launched from slow, light aircraft like the Shahpar-III UAV, Sea King helicopters, and RAS-72 Sea Eagle coastal surveillance aircraft.
With an accuracy of less than 5 meters, the missile carries a 75 kg semi-armor-piercing load. It lessens the need for massive warheads by placing an emphasis on precision rather than explosive yield. There has been a general tendency in Pakistani missile development towards smaller, more accurate missiles, and this change towards accuracy is just one piece of that puzzle.
