May 2, 2012: On April 25th Pakistan successfully tested a new
version of its Shaheen 1 (Hatf IV) missile. The new one is being
called Shaheen 1A and it has a range of 1,500 kilometers. The
Shaheen 1 weighs 9.5 tons and carries a one ton warhead, to a
maximum range of 700 kilometers. The 10 ton Shaheen 1A carries a
smaller warhead and has more rocket fuel. The Shaheen 1A could
cover most of northern India. The Shaheen 1A technology is
considered more reliable than that used in the longer ranged
Shaheen 2. The Shaheen 1 entered service in 2003, and is
apparently a variant of the Chinese DF-9 missile. Pakistan is
believed to have received the solid fuel DF-9 in the 1990s, and
since then modified it somewhat. Pakistan began producing the
Hatf IV in the late 1990s, although it was not tested until
1999. The design appears to be well thought out, for the Hatf IV
has had several successful tests. It's not known if Pakistan has
a nuclear warhead of equal reliability. Such warheads are
difficult to design, manufacture