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WS21200 | |
---|---|
Type | 16x16 heavy strategic truck/transporter erector launcher |
Place of origin | China |
Service history | |
Used by | Pakistani Air Force Strategic Command |
Production history | |
Designer | Wanshan Special Vehicle |
Manufacturer | Wanshan Special Vehicle |
Specifications | |
Mass | 42 t (empty) |
Length | 20m [1] |
Width | 3.3m [1] |
Height | 3.3m [1] |
Crew | 1+4 [1] |
Engine | Cummins KTTA19-C700 turbocharged diesel engine [1] 700 hp (520 kW) [1] |
Payload capacity | 80 tons |
Suspension | 16x16 wheeled |
Operational range | 1,000 km (621 mi) loaded [1] |
Maximum speed | 60 km/h (37 mph) [1] |
The WS21200 is a large transporter erector launcher built and developed in the People's Republic of China. Like the WS51200, the WS21200 is not actually used by the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, instead, the primary customer is Pakistan. The WS21200 along with the WS51200, is one of the larger TELs developed by the Wanshan Special Vehicle.
The size of the WS21200 allows it to carry ICBMs, however, the technological limitations of Pakistan has forced the WS21200 to mount medium-range ballistic missiles such as the Shaheen-III. [2] [3]
The Wanshan WS21200 is a Chinese/Pakistani 16x16 road-mobile TEL with a payload capacity of 80 tons thanks to the Cummins KTTA19-C700 turbocharged diesel engine. The 700 horsepower engine allows the WS21200 to drive at respectable speeds with a maximum range of 1000 km. Moreover, it grants the WS21200 some cross-country capabilities, further bolstering its mobility and evasiveness. [1]
Similar to its North Korean sister counterpart, the WS51200, the WS21200 is used primarily by the Pakistani Air Force Strategic Command, which aims at improving Islamabad's nuclear first and second strike capabilities. [4] Although it could theoretically mount an ICBM, Pakistan's limited resources in nuclear and ballistic missile technology and capability, means that the full potential for the WS21200 is regulated in carrying the Shaheen-III and Shaheen-II MRBMs. [5] [6]
Pakistan
Pakistan is the sole and current operator of the WS21200.
China
While not an operator, China is the chief manufacturer of the WS21200 TEL.
A medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) is a type of ballistic missile with medium range, this last classification depending on the standards of certain organizations. Within the U.S. Department of Defense, a medium-range missile is defined by having a maximum range of between 1,000 and 3,000 kilometres. In modern terminology, MRBMs are part of the wider grouping of theatre ballistic missiles, which includes any ballistic missile with a range of less than 3,500 kilometres (2,200 mi).
A transporter erector launcher (TEL) is a missile vehicle with an integrated tractor unit that can carry, elevate to firing position and launch one or more missiles.
The People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, formerly the Second Artillery Corps, is the strategic and tactical missile force of the People's Republic of China. The PLARF is the 4th branch of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and controls China's arsenal of land-based ballistic missiles—both nuclear and conventional. The armed service branch was established on 1 July 1966 and made its first public appearance on 1 October 1984. The headquarters for operations is located at Qinghe, Beijing. The PLARF is under the direct command of the Chinese Communist Party's Central Military Commission (CMC).
The Shaheen-II is a Pakistani land-based supersonic surface-to-surface medium-range guided ballistic missile. The Shaheen-II is designed and developed by the NESCOM and the National Defence Complex (NDC) of Pakistan. The Shaheen missile series is named after a falcon that lives in the mountains of Pakistan.
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