By Admin 
Pakistan is going to publicly display its Taimur air-launched cruise missile for the first time at the World Defense Show 2026. Pakistani Army has recently claimed successful testing of this missile. After this, many defense experts of Pakistan have started comparing Taimur with India’s BrahMos supersonic missile. Pakistan is calling it an important weapon to increase the strength of its Air Force. Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has described the Taimur missile as a symbol of the country’s strategic maturity and technological innovation. He says that this missile gives new strength to Pakistan’s conventional military capability.
Pakistan Air Force had announced the successful test of Taimur air launched cruise missile on 3 January 2026. At that time, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu had said that this achievement enhances Pakistan’s conventional deterrence capability and operational flexibility, thereby strengthening the overall defense posture of the country. According to ISPR, the media wing of Pakistan Army, this missile was launched from Dassault Mirage IIIE fighter aircraft. During the test, the missile successfully completed its entire operational profile and a strike capability of up to 600 km was claimed.
Range and technical claims of Taimur cruise missile
Pakistan says that the maximum range of Taimur missile is up to 600 kilometers. However, under the Missile Technology Control Regime i.e. MTCR, the range of its export version has been limited to 280 kilometers. Pakistan is presenting it as a long-range conventional standoff strike missile. Without naming India, Pakistan has also said that this missile will help in strengthening deterrence without crossing the limits of nuclear tension in South Asia. Pakistan is also trying to increase its defense exports by showcasing it in the World Defense Show 2026.
BrahMos vs Taimur: Difference in speed and engine
Talking about technology and capability, Taimur missile seems far behind India’s BrahMos. BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile, whose speed ranges between 2.8 to 3 Mach. Whereas Taimur is a subsonic cruise missile, whose speed is said to be 0.8 to 0.9 Mach. There is a big difference in terms of engine also. Russia’s advanced ramjet technology has been used in BrahMos, which makes it extremely fast and deadly. In contrast, Taimur has been fitted with a turbojet or turbofan engine, which is technically considered less powerful.
Who is ahead in firepower and interception?
The firepower of BrahMos is considered very high. Due to its high speed and heavy weight, it can cause huge destruction if it hits the target even without a warhead. At present, no air defense system in the world is considered capable of completely intercepting it. Taimur cruise missile flies very close to the ground, which makes it not easy to catch. However, advanced radar systems can track it and once tracked it is considered relatively easy to shoot down. Its explosive capability is said to be of normal category.
Question on Pakistan’s claim regarding range
Even though the Pakistani Army is saying that the range of Taimur is 600 kilometers, but according to defense experts, maintaining a constant speed for such a distance and hitting the target accurately at the same speed is technically quite challenging. The missile can reach that distance, but questions remain about its effectiveness. In comparison, the current range of BrahMos is more than 290 kilometers, while the range of BrahMos 2.0 is said to be around 800 kilometers.
How much danger does Taimur missile pose to India?
Taimur missile is definitely an important achievement for Pakistan and its limited impact can be seen in the event of war. Being a low-flying cruise missile, it is not easy to intercept, but its subsonic speed gives India enough time to react. Pakistan has specially prepared Taimur for the anti-ship role. Its purpose is said to be to target Indian warships, aircraft carriers and air defense systems like S-400. This missile is light, so it can be launched from light fighter planes like JF-17.
BrahMos NG and India’s growing lead
India is currently working on BrahMos NG i.e. Next Generation, which will be lighter and can be launched from more aircraft. Currently the Indian Air Force uses BrahMos from Su-30MKI, because it is a heavy missile. Apart from this, all three Indian Army, Navy and Air Force have included BrahMos in their arsenal. Overall, BrahMos is far ahead of Taimur in terms of technology, speed and destructive capability. Nevertheless, in a war situation, India will not have to take Taimur missile lightly and will have to constantly assess the capability of its air defense network according to this threat.