H-2 SOW

The H-2 MUPSOW (MUlti-Purpose Stand-Off Weapon) is a precision-guided glide bomb manufactured by Pakistan and deployed by the Pakistan Air Force, capable of striking targets at stand-off range. It has a terminal guidance system based on an infra-red imaging seeker, which identifies the target during the final stage of flight. Designed to hit targets out to 60 km, the bomb may have the capability to evade radar.

The H-4 is believed to be a license-manufactured variant of the Denel Raptor-I MUPSOW (MUlti-Purpose Stand-Off Weapon, originally developed by Denel of South Africa. It has been claimed that the design of the original Raptor-I glide bomb was modified by the National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM) for manufacture by the Air Weapons Complex in Pakistan. Successful tests were conducted in 2003 which apparently led to field deployment on the Dassault Mirage III and Mirage V strike fighters of the Pakistan Air Force. It has also been stated that the H-2 will be integrated with the PAF's new multi-role combat aircraft, the JF-17, which will replace the ageing fleet of Mirage III and Mirage V strike aircraft from ~2010.

There has been much confusion regarding the actual identity of the H-2. Many Indian news sources seem to have speculated that the glide bomb is actually a beyond visual range air-to-air missile. However, Pakistani sources state that the H-2 is a "beyond visual range bomb", which may have caused the confusion as the term "beyond visual range" usually refers to air-to-air missiles. A more appropriate term for a ground-attack weapon such as H-2 would be "stand-off range".

See also

• Precision-guided munition (PGM)
• Glide bomb

Related developments

Denel Raptor-I

References

• The Dawn - a Pakistani newspaper article on H-2
• Times of India - an Indian newspaper article on H-2
• Tribune India - an Indian news article on H-2