Pakistan’s GIDS Unveils “Burq” Family of Air-to-Ground Missiles

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) – The “Burq” family of air-to-ground missiles was introduced to the public by its developer, Global Industrial and Defence Solutions (GIDS), in May this year.

These missiles are utilized by GIDS-produced drones such as the Shahpar-2 and Shahpar-3.

Although publicly unveiled in May, the “Burq” missile series was initially revealed by Pakistan in 2015 as part of the arsenal for its first indigenous drone, the Burraq.

The development, design, and marketing of these missiles fall under the responsibility of NESCOM (National Engineering and Scientific Commission), a state-owned defense contractor in Pakistan.

Since 2015, the air-to-ground missile has undergone modernization and upgrades, resulting in several models and variants, including:

Burq-45: The first variant of the series, weighing 45 kg with a 10 kg warhead.

BRIEF:

Global Industrial and Defence Solutions (GIDS) has unveiled the “Burq” family of air-to-ground missiles, which are deployed on drones such as the Shahpar-2 and Shahpar-3. Initially revealed in 2015 as part of the Burraq drone arsenal, the Burq series has undergone modernization, resulting in advanced variants like the Burq-45, Burq-50P, and the lightweight Burq-25G.

Key features include:

• Burq-45: A 45 kg missile with a 10 kg warhead, capable of striking targets within 12 km with a CEP of 1.5 meters.
• Burq-50P: A heavier 50 kg variant with a 20 kg warhead, a 15 km range, and advanced targeting capabilities.
• Burq-25G: A lightweight, 25 kg missile designed for soft targets, with a 14 km range and SALH guidance.

The Burq series reflects Pakistan’s efforts to develop indigenous, short-range, guided air-to-ground missiles comparable to leading ATGMs like the Hellfire-II. The design also suggests potential for deployment on attack helicopters, ground vehicles, and fast-attack craft at sea.

Its capabilities are comparable to other anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) such as the AGM-114 Hellfire (USA) and UMTAS (Turkey).

It can strike targets up to 12 km away with a circular error probable (CEP) of 1.5 meters, utilizing a Semi-Active Laser Homing (SALH) guidance system, along with Lock On Before Launch (LOBL) and Lock On After Launch (LOAL) capabilities.

Burq-50P: A heavier variant, weighing 50 kg with a 20 kg warhead, designed for extended-range engagements of up to 15 km.

It features advanced guidance systems combining INS/GPS with satellite support and SALH.

Its multiple configurations—Blast Fragmentation, Anti-Armour, and Thermobaric—enable it to autonomously engage static and moving targets, including tanks.

Burq-25G: Currently under development, this lightweight variant weighs only 25 kg.

It is tailored for lighter drones and targets “soft” objectives such as radar installations and missile launchers.

With a range of 14 km, it employs an SALH guidance system.

Overall, the Burq missile family reflects Pakistan’s initiative to develop its own short-range guided air-to-ground missiles (AGMs).

The specifications of the Burq-45 and Burq-50P align closely with those of ATGMs such as the Hellfire-II.

Additionally, the design approach suggests Pakistan may extend the use of the Burq series to other platforms, including attack helicopters, ground vehicles, or fast-attack craft (FAC) at sea.— DSA