Harrison Kass
The massacre of Indian tourists in the disputed Kashmir region has ratcheted up tensions between long-time rivals India and Pakistan, raising the prospects for open conflict between South Asia’s two nuclear powers. Let’s continue our examination of the respective military prowesses of both India and Pakistan—focusing specifically on missile technology, which is likely to play a major role in any future conflict.
India’s Long History of Missile Capabilities
India has a rich history of deploying missile technology. During the 18th century, the Kingdom of Mysore—located in southern India—was the first nation to ever deploy iron-cased rockets in warfare. These rockets were highly effective against the British, and the British soon copied them and put them to use in their own army—most notably during the attack on Fort McHenry in Baltimore. The rocket with the “red glare” in “The Star-Spangled Banner” is a British-adapted Mysore rocket.
India’s pursuit of modern military technology began immediately following their independence from the United Kingdom. Despite several technological and diplomatic hurdles—namely, the denial of missile-facilitating technology from more scientifically advanced nations like the U.S., Germany, and France—India has developed a breadth of missile technology, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), making her one of just seven nations on Earth with ICBM technology.
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