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WDS 2026: Pakistan Reveals SMASH Hypersonic Missile for Maritime Strike and Land-Attack Missions.
Pakistan’s Global Industrial & Defence Solutions has introduced the SMASH hypersonic anti-ship ballistic missile at the World Defence Show 2026 in Riyadh, positioning it as a dual-role system for maritime strike and land attack missions. The unveiling reflects growing regional demand for long-range precision weapons capable of penetrating modern air and missile defenses.
At the World Defence Show 2026, Global Industrial & Defence Solutions is showcasing the SMASH system, described by the company as a hypersonic missile designed to conduct both maritime strike and land attack missions. The presentation highlights a weapon intended to combine high speed, guidance accuracy until impact and a near-vertical attack profile, characteristics put forward as contributing to survivability against defensive measures while enabling engagement of a wide spectrum of targets at sea or ashore. Displayed in Riyadh among a growing number of long-range precision strike solutions, the system is introduced to delegations that increasingly prioritize coastal defense, sea denial and the ability to hold critical infrastructure at risk from extended distances.
Pakistan’s Global Industrial & Defence Solutions revealed its SMASH hypersonic anti-ship ballistic missile at World Defence Show 2026 in Riyadh, signaling a push into long-range sea denial and precision strike capabilities (Picture Source: Army Recognition Group)
The anti-ship configuration is credited with a range of 290 kilometers. It carries a unitary blast and blast-fragmentation warhead weighing 384 kilograms. Guidance relies on what the manufacturer calls HDGNS-assisted inertial navigation in combination with an active radar seeker. Propulsion is provided by a single-stage, dual-thrust solid rocket motor. The circular error probable is indicated as 10 meters or less, while terminal speed is presented as greater than Mach 2. In operational terms, the pairing of inertial navigation with an organic seeker suggests an engagement sequence in which mid-course flight can be stabilized against external interference before terminal acquisition enables discrimination in dense maritime environments, including against maneuvering vessels or in the presence of shoreline clutter.
For operations against land objectives, GIDS outlines a parallel configuration retaining the same published range of 290 kilometers. In this version, the unitary blast and blast-fragmentation payload is increased to 444 kilograms. The guidance architecture remains based on HDGNS-assisted inertial navigation, without reference to the active radar seeker cited for the maritime role. The same single-stage dual-thrust solid rocket motor is used, with a stated CEP of 15 meters or less and a terminal velocity again exceeding Mach 2. The heavier payload may indicate optimization toward fixed or semi-hardened objectives, where blast effects rather than target pursuit dominate mission planning, while maintaining propulsion commonality simplifies training, storage and lifecycle management across units.
Through this unveiling, GIDS places emphasis on a dual-role approach in which one missile family is tailored for sea-to-sea and sea-to-land missions while maintaining common propulsion and overall architecture. Such an approach typically allows operators to diversify effects without multiplying logistical chains, an argument that resonates with armed forces seeking depth of fire under budgetary pressure. The reference to high terminal performance and steep attack geometry is also likely to be read in the context of layered air and missile defenses, where complicating interception solutions can be as decisive as raw velocity.
The company’s display in Riyadh underlines Pakistan’s intent to promote indigenous missile developments to an international audience and to position SMASH within the growing market interest for long-range precision strike systems capable of operating in contested environments. Across the Middle East and beyond, procurement discussions increasingly revolve around mobility, rapid deployment from dispersed launch points and the credibility of deterrence built on the capacity to threaten naval formations or high-value land assets. Within that conversation, SMASH is presented as a modular answer built around shared components, adaptable payloads and mission profiles aligned with contemporary expectations of reach and accuracy.