Munitions

Ghauri / Hatf-5

Also known as
  • Ghauri
  • Hatf-5
  • Hatf 5
  • Hatf V
  • Hatf-5A
  • Hatf V-A
  • Ghauri-I
  • Ghauri-1
  • Ghauri-II
  • Ghauri-2

Ghauri, also designated Hatf-5, is a Pakistani road-mobile, single-stage, liquid-fueled medium-range ballistic missile associated with Kahuta Research Laboratories' strategic missile work and with North Korean Nodong design lineage in Western open-source assessments. CSIS Missile Threat lists the baseline system as operational with 1,250 to 1,500 km range, while Pakistani training-launch reporting commonly cites a 1,300 km conventional or nuclear-capable missile.

Ghauri / Hatf-5, Road-mobile medium-range ballistic missile, Munitions
Image source: Ghauri missile mockup
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Pakistan
Type
Road-mobile medium-range ballistic missile
Service note
Entered Pakistani service in 2003; CSIS listed the system as operational in its 2024 update
Designer
Khan Research Laboratories / Kahuta Research Laboratories
Designed
Public sources describe the first Ghauri/Hatf-5 flight test in 1998
Produced
In service from 2003 according to CSIS Missile Threat
Developed from
North Korean Hwasong-7 / Nodong 1 design lineage reported by CSIS Missile Threat and NTI

Specifications

Class
Medium-range ballistic missile
Basing
Road-mobile
Propulsion
Single-stage liquid propellant
Range
1,250 to 1,500 km according to CSIS Missile Threat; Pakistani 2018 launch reporting cited up to 1,300 km
Payload
Single warhead; CSIS lists 700+ kg payload class and a separating warhead weighing up to 1,200 kg
Warhead options
CSIS lists nuclear, high-explosive, submunition, and chemical warhead options; Pakistani test reporting describes conventional and nuclear warhead capability
Dimensions
15.9 m length and 1.35 m diameter according to CSIS Missile Threat
Launch weight
15,850 kg according to CSIS Missile Threat
Guidance and accuracy
CSIS reports 2,500 m CEP and notes that guidance improvements could make the system more accurate than that public estimate
Launch platform
Transporter-erector-launcher; CSIS describes modified Scud-B TEL vehicles and The Diplomat reported 2018 launch footage from a TEL
Operational limitation
Liquid propellant can increase launch-preparation time and complicate storage and transportation compared with solid-fuel systems
Variants

Public sources use Ghauri and Hatf-5 for a Pakistani liquid-fueled MRBM line: Ghauri-1/Hatf-5 is the baseline operational missile represented by this page, Hatf-5A/Ghauri-2 is the longer-range variant, and Ghauri-3 appears in open sources as a reported development program rather than an established operational missile.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Hatf-5A / Ghauri-2Longer-range liquid-fueled variant

CSIS describes Ghauri-2 as a longer-range Hatf-5 variant using lighter construction and improved propellants, with an expected range of at least 1,800 km; Arms Control Association lists Ghauri-2/Hatf-5a as tested or in development at 1,800 km.

Sources: Ghauri (Hatf 5), Worldwide Ballistic Missile Inventories

Ghauri-3Reported development program

Arms Control Association lists Ghauri-3 as a 3,000 km liquid-fueled development item, while NTI says KRL had repeatedly indicated that Ghauri-3 was ready for testing; this record does not treat it as an operational variant.

Sources: Worldwide Ballistic Missile Inventories, Khan Research Laboratories (KRL)

Design Lineage And Adjacent Systems

Open-source missile references connect Ghauri to the North Korean Nodong/Hwasong-7 design line rather than to a documented combat-use record. CSIS describes Hwasong-7/Nodong 1 as the design basis for Pakistan's Ghauri and Iran's Shahab-3, and NTI ties KRL's Ghauri work to liquid-fueled medium-range missiles built with North Korean assistance.

Parent lineage

CSIS identifies the Hwasong-7/Nodong 1 as the design basis for Ghauri; no separate public catalog page for Nodong/Hwasong-7 was found during this enrichment.

Adjacent branch

Shahab series ballistic missiles cover Iran's related Shahab branch, including Shahab-3, which CSIS also connects to the Nodong design family.

Launcher context

CSIS describes Hatf-5 as designed for launch from modified Scud-B transporter-erector-launcher vehicles; the catalog keeps that as context rather than a precise named launcher link.

Timeline

Ghauri / Hatf-5 Key Events

  1. First Ghauri test noted in public reporting

    Dawn reported that the Ghauri missile was first test-fired on April 6, 1998; NTI ties the April 1998 Ghauri-1/Hatf-5 test to KRL's liquid-fueled missile-development effort.

    Sources: Pakistan succesfully test-fires Hatf-V Ghauri missile: ISPR, Khan Research Laboratories (KRL)

  2. Ghauri-2 flight-test context enters public references

    NTI describes KRL's Ghauri-2/Hatf-5A test activity after the 1998 Ghauri-1 flight, while CSIS describes Ghauri-2 as the longer-range Hatf-5 variant.

    Sources: Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), Ghauri (Hatf 5)

  3. CSIS lists Ghauri in service

    CSIS Missile Threat lists Hatf-5/Ghauri as entering service in 2003 and remaining operational in its April 2024 update.

    Sources: Ghauri (Hatf 5)

  4. Dawn reports Hatf-V test

    Dawn reported an ISPR-announced test of the Hatf-V Ghauri missile and described it as a liquid-fueled missile with a 1,300 km range.

    Sources: Pakistan succesfully test-fires Hatf-V Ghauri missile: ISPR

  5. Army Strategic Forces Command training launch

    Dawn and The Diplomat reported an October 2018 Ghauri training launch by Pakistan's Army Strategic Forces Command, with Pakistani reporting citing a 1,300 km missile able to carry conventional or nuclear warheads.

    Sources: Pakistan conducts training launch of nuclear-capable Ghauri Missile System, Pakistan Conducts Test of Ghauri Medium-Range Ballistic Missile

Media

Ghauri / Hatf-5 Videos

Ghauri / Hatf-5 Images

Ghauri / Hatf-5, Road-mobile medium-range ballistic missile, Munitions - view 1
Source: IRBM of Pakistan at IDEAS 2008
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Sources

Khan Research Laboratories (KRL)Publisher: Nuclear Threat Initiative | Note: Supports KRL's role in Pakistan's liquid-fueled medium-range missile development, continuing contribution to the Ghauri missile program, Ghauri-2/Ghauri-3 context, and North Korean-assistance background. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Ghauri (Hatf 5)Publisher: CSIS Missile Threat | Note: Supports Ghauri/Hatf-5 type, origin and Nodong lineage context, basing, range, payload, dimensions, propulsion, TEL context, operational status, in-service date, warhead options, accuracy caveat, and Ghauri-2 variant details. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Hwasong-7 (Nodong 1)Publisher: CSIS Missile Threat | Note: Supports Hwasong-7/Nodong 1 as the design basis for Pakistan's Ghauri and Iran's Shahab-3 and supports related Nodong export and derivative context. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Pakistan succesfully test-fires Hatf-V Ghauri missile: ISPRPublisher: Dawn | Note: Supports Pakistani public reporting on Hatf-V/Ghauri as a liquid-fueled ballistic missile and notes the 1998 first test-fire date. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Pakistan conducts training launch of nuclear-capable Ghauri Missile SystemPublisher: Dawn | Note: Supports the October 8, 2018 Ghauri training launch by Army Strategic Forces Command, the 1,300 km public range statement, and conventional/nuclear warhead capability in Pakistani public reporting. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Pakistan Conducts Test of Ghauri Medium-Range Ballistic MissilePublisher: The Diplomat | Note: Supports the 2018 training launch, TEL launch-footage context, Nodong-derived background, and liquid-fuel operational limitations. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Worldwide Ballistic Missile InventoriesPublisher: Arms Control Association | Note: Supports public inventory context for Pakistan's Ghauri-1/Hatf-5, Ghauri-2/Hatf-5a, and reported Ghauri-3 range/status entries. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Ghauri missile mockupPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and reusable CC BY-SA/GFDL licensing for the Ghauri mockup at Lahore Railway Station. | Accessed: 2026-07-13IRBM of Pakistan at IDEAS 2008Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports reusable gallery image provenance and licensing for a Ghauri-I display at IDEAS 2008 mounted on a TEL launch mechanism. | Accessed: 2026-07-13