Pakistan Unveils Fatah-4 Missile After Akash Air Defense Neutralizes Earlier Versions

Pakistan has introduced its latest missile, the Fatah-4, a ground-launched cruise missile designed to overcome the shortcomings of its earlier systems that were neutralized by India’s Akash air defense system during Operation Sindoor.

The Fatah-1 and Fatah-2 missiles, both short-range artillery rockets, had been intercepted with high success rates by India’s air defense network in recent engagements. In response, Pakistan developed the Fatah-4 to fly at low altitudes, making it harder for radar systems to detect, and to strike targets at distances of over 750 kilometers.

Specifications of the Fatah-4

• Type: Ground-launched cruise missile

• Range: 750+ kilometers

• Warhead: 330 kg high-explosive fragmentation

• Guidance: Advanced AI-based navigation with satellite and terrain-following capabilities

• Accuracy: Less than 5 meters CEP (Circular Error Probable)

• Speed: Approximately 0.7 Mach (~860 km/h)

• Flight Profile: Low-altitude, terrain-hugging

• Launch Platform: Mobile transporter-erector-launcher (TEL)

The missile’s AI guidance system is designed to track moving and stationary targets with exceptional precision, even in environments with electronic warfare interference. Its terrain-hugging flight path is meant to minimize detection time for defensive radars.

However, the Fatah-4 has a critical vulnerability—its subsonic speed of 0.7 Mach. While this makes it efficient for long-range, low-level flight, it also allows India’s air defense systems and fighter jets to detect, track, and intercept it with relative ease. Systems like Akash, Spyder, and Barak-8, combined with Su-30MKI and Rafale fighter jets due to it's low speed, can engage such slow-moving cruise missiles before they reach critical targets.

Analysts say this speed limitation reduces the missile’s ability to penetrate India’s layered defense network, which integrates long-range surveillance radars, quick-reaction interceptors, and advanced fighter aircraft.

While the Fatah-4 represents a technical leap in Pakistan’s missile development with its AI-based precision and extended range, its low speed means it is more suited for surprise attacks on lightly defended or static targets, rather than heavily guarded strategic installations in India.