Pakistan says S-400 deal has provoked it to develop missiles that can beat India's BMD system

Islamabad, Oct 20: Pakistan has said that India's puchase on S-400 Triumf air defence missiles from Russia has forced Pakistan to work towards "capabilities" to penetrate India's Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) System. Paksitan Foreign office statement said Pakistan had proposed a Strategic Restraint Regime in the region, advocating against the acquisition of BMD systems due to their destabilizing effect.

"Pakistan had proposed a Strategic Restraint Regime in the region, advocating against the acquisition of BMD systems due to their destabilizing effect," FO statement said.

"This (S-400 deal) will further destabilise strategic stability in South Asia, besides leading to a renewed arms race," it added.

A Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) is a system that is designed to intercept and destroy an incoming ballistic missile on its trajectory much before it approaches the target. India's ballistic missile defence system provides a two-layered shield - 'exo' and 'endo'. What this effectively means is that the system provides protection both against ballistic missiles that are outside (exo) as well as inside (endo) the earth's atmosphere.

Pakistan said Indian purchase was part of its efforts to acquire a Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) System through multiple sources, as per a PTI report.

India, ijn September, signed a deal woth Russia to acquire S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems. S-400 Triumf is one of the world's most advanced air defence systems that can simultaneously track numerous incoming objects - all kinds of aircraft, missiles and UAVs - in a radius of a few hundred kilometres and launch appropriate missiles to neutralise them.

The S-400 Triumph air defence system integrates a multifunction radar, autonomous detection and targeting systems, anti-aircraft missile systems, launchers, and command and control centre.