Long-range precision strike weapons are increasingly transforming the way wars are fought, shifting the focus from traditional battlefield engagements towards stand-off attacks conducted hundreds of kilometres from the front line.

Advances in satellites, unmanned aerial systems and multi-spectrum sensors now allow military commanders to identify and track targets across vast distances. At the same time, modern missiles and guided rockets enable those targets to be struck with increasing accuracy, reducing reliance on manned aircraft operating in hostile airspace.

The growing importance of these weapons was highlighted during the recent conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel. Tehran relied heavily on its missile arsenal to project military power and sustain military operations after its ageing air force suffered severe attrition. Despite decades of sanctions limiting its access to advanced military technology, Iran’s extensive missile inventory allowed it to retain strategic relevance and strike targets far beyond its borders.

The United States likewise demonstrated the growing role of land-based precision fires through the deployment of the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), a next-generation weapon with a range of approximately 500 km. The missile forms part of Washington’s broader doctrine of using long-range stand-off capabilities to destroy critical targets before committing other forces. The PrSM is intended to replace ATACMS and provides greater launcher capacity and deeper strike options.

American forces have employed similar concepts since the First Gulf War in 1991. Long-range cruise missiles have frequently been used to open military campaigns in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Iran, allowing operations to begin without immediately exposing pilots and aircraft to sophisticated enemy air-defence systems.

China and Russia have also invested heavily in large rocket and missile forces capable of launching conventional and strategic strikes deep into an adversary’s territory, illustrating the global importance of long-range firepower.

The trend was clearly visible in South Asia during Operation Sindoor in May 2025. India employed long-range missiles to strike terrorist infrastructure in Muridke and Bahawalpur before expanding attacks against major Pakistani airbases, including Bholari, Sargodha and Nur Khan.

These strikes significantly disrupted Pakistani air operations and demonstrated the ability of precision stand-off weapons to produce strategic effects without large-scale ground offensives. Pakistan responded by launching missiles, rockets and drones against military installations across Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Indian air-defence networks intercepted or neutralised the overwhelming majority of these attacks.

One of the most notable incidents involved a Fatah-II missile reportedly directed towards the National Capital Region. The missile was intercepted over Sirsa in Haryana on May 10, with debris later recovered from the area.

The experience exposed a major capability gap within Pakistan’s military structure. Islamabad concluded that it lacked sufficient conventional long-range options capable of penetrating India’s increasingly dense missile-defence architecture. In response, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the establishment of the Army Rocket Force Command on August 13, 2025.

Led by a three-star general, the new command consolidates conventional missile and rocket formations previously dispersed across different services and commands. The objective is to provide faster decision-making, centralised control and concentrated long-range firepower.

Pakistan's military planners concluded that a large operational gap existed between conventional military operations and the nuclear threshold. India successfully exploited this space during Operation Sindoor through extensive use of conventional precision missiles, particularly BrahMos, against Pakistani military infrastructure.

The Army Rocket Force Command has therefore been created to provide Islamabad with additional conventional response options while avoiding immediate nuclear escalation. The command is expected to revolve around the Fatah family of missile systems. The Fatah-I serves as a guided multiple rocket launcher capable of engaging tactical targets at ranges between 70 km and 140 km.

The Fatah-II extends engagement distances to roughly 400 km and combines inertial navigation with satellite guidance. The missile saw operational use during the 2025 conflict. Pakistan subsequently tested the Fatah-2 Extended Range missile in October 2026. Although Islamabad has described the system as hypersonic, no publicly available flight data has yet confirmed that claim.

Additional capabilities include the supersonic Fatah-III and the Fatah-IV (all reportedly Chinese sourced) ground-launched cruise missile, which reportedly possesses a range of up to 750 km. Pakistan also operates Chinese-origin A-100 multiple rocket launchers derived from Russia’s Smerch design, a system that is also fielded by India.

Reports continue to circulate regarding a possible Fatah-V missile with a range approaching 1,000 km, although its existence remains unconfirmed.

Questions also remain over whether longer-range systems such as Shaheen, Ghauri and Babur missiles will ultimately fall under the Army Rocket Force Command structure. The new formation is distinct from Pakistan’s Strategic Plans Division, which oversees the country’s nuclear arsenal and associated command-and-control arrangements.

While the Strategic Plans Division retains responsibility for nuclear-capable systems, the Army Rocket Force Command focuses primarily on conventional rockets and missiles intended to provide non-nuclear retaliation options.

However, the parallel existence of both organisations introduces coordination challenges. Pakistan must now maintain additional command networks, communications systems, infrastructure and specialised personnel while ensuring smooth cooperation during crises.

Another concern centres on production capacity. Pakistan’s defence-industrial base has historically prioritised low-volume strategic systems rather than the larger manufacturing output required to sustain a major rocket force.

India, meanwhile, has steadily expanded its own long-range conventional strike capabilities. The Indian Army now fields a diverse mix of systems including Pinaka, Smerch, BrahMos and Pralay.

Pralay is a solid-fuel, quasi-ballistic missile with a reported engagement range of 150 km to 500 km. Equipped with a manoeuvrable re-entry vehicle and conventional warhead, the missile is designed for precision strikes against high-value targets. India approved procurement of approximately 120 Pralay missiles in 2022, while successful user trials continued during 2025.

The latest BrahMos developments are expected to extend the missile’s range towards 800 km, significantly expanding India's ability to conduct conventional deep-strike operations. At the same time, engineers are developing a long-range guided version of the Pinaka rocket system capable of reaching targets up to 120 km away.

India is also pursuing subsonic land-attack cruise missiles, including the Long-Range Land Attack Cruise Missile, which is expected to be produced in larger numbers and at lower cost than BrahMos. The strategic rationale is increasingly clear. Deep-strike missions were traditionally assigned to the Indian Air Force, but modern air-defence networks can threaten aircraft at tremendous distances.

Operation Sindoor demonstrated this reality when the S-400 reportedly engaged a Pakistani aircraft from more than 300 km away. As a result, missiles now offer an increasingly attractive method of attacking command centres, logistics hubs, airfields, ammunition depots and transportation nodes while preserving valuable combat aircraft for other missions.

Alongside offensive capabilities, India has invested heavily in a layered defensive shield. The Integrated Air Command and Control System connects sensors, radars and missile batteries into a unified network capable of responding rapidly to incoming threats.

During Operation Sindoor, this network played a critical role in protecting military infrastructure against Pakistani missiles, rockets and drones. Systems such as the S-400, MR-SAM, Akash and specialised counter-drone defences provided multiple layers of protection. India ordered five S-400 squadrons under a ₹35,000-crore agreement signed in 2018, with three squadrons operational during the conflict.

Although New Delhi has not officially disclosed which interceptor destroyed the Fatah-II missile, defence sources indicated that the S-400, Akash-NG and MR-SAM all possessed the necessary capability. The country is now seeking to build an even more ambitious air and missile-defence architecture through Mission Sudarshan Chakra, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August 2025.

A central pillar of this initiative is Project Kusha, an indigenous long-range air-defence system intended to bridge the capability gap between MR-SAM and the S-400. Project Kusha is planned to field interceptor variants with engagement ranges of approximately 150 km, 250 km and 350-400 km, creating an additional defensive layer within India’s integrated air-defence network.

The project is being accelerated by the Indian Air Force and DRDO following lessons learned during Operation Sindoor, while initial testing has reportedly demonstrated encouraging results. Additional programmes under development include Akash-NG, VSHORADS and the country’s two-tier ballistic missile-defence architecture.

Taken together, these developments underline a fundamental shift in modern warfare.

The competition between India and Pakistan is no longer solely determined by control of the air. Instead, it is increasingly defined by which side can strike farther, penetrate layered defences, protect critical assets and sustain precision attacks over extended periods.

Long-range missiles, rockets, cruise missiles and integrated air-defence networks are rapidly becoming the decisive instruments shaping the future battlefield.

Agencies