# Pakistani Missile **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 25, 2008, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-missile/434931 "2008-01-25T06:51:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kitemaker\_chuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a88e4f/32.png) [@kitemaker\_chuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitemaker_chuck)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2008, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-missile/434931/1 "2008-01-25T06:51:37Z")
Hi Everyone! Has anyone heard any news of Pakistan’s successful firing of a nuclear-capable medium-range missile? I sincerely hope that’s not true! If it is, should we add this to our list of worries??? ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2008, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-missile/434931/2 "2008-01-25T09:42:45Z")
You don’t need to be personally worried about this unless continental drift brings Washington within [700 km](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7208416.stm) of Pakistan. As the article notes, both India and Pakistan routinely carry out missile launches, and several of the missiles are nuclear-capable. This is just one more of those. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-missile/434931/3 "2008-01-27T02:42:42Z")
[QUOTE=kitemaker\_chuck] Hi Everyone! Has anyone heard any news of Pakistan’s successful firing of a nuclear-capable medium-range missile? I sincerely hope that’s not true! If it is, should we add this to our list of worries??? [/QUOTE] Pakistan has 60+ nuclear weapons, and has had delivery systems for them for years. Should you be worried? Hell yes. Pakistan is one of the biggest threats to world security there is. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-missile/434931/4 "2008-01-27T16:40:51Z")
Exactly what features distinguish a missile or other delivery system as “nuclear capable”? I’ve asked this before and no one could tell me. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-missile/434931/5 "2008-01-27T18:18:17Z")
It has to be large enough to carry the weapon, mainly. Most crude nuclear devices such as what Pakistan would have are large and heavy. I suppose there are other requirements we’re not privy to - some rockets vibrate like mad, and maybe that would screw up the delicate construction of a nuke. I don’t really know. But usually, ‘nuclear capable’ just means it’s big enough to carry a nuke and get it to its destination. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2008, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pakistani-missile/434931/6 "2008-01-27T18:18:48Z")
Deduct the mass of a nuclear warhead, given the country’s technology and abilities. Will the missile carry it? Perform the same calculation given the approximate size of said nuclear warhead. If both are true, the delivery system is nuclear capable.