scorecardresearch
Friday, March 29, 2024
Support Our Journalism
HomeDefencePakistan Navy’s nuke storage facility at Arabian Sea port of Ormara sees...

Pakistan Navy’s nuke storage facility at Arabian Sea port of Ormara sees massive expansion

Satellite images show that the Ormara facility west of Karachi, which possibly stores Babur missiles, has expanded from an initial 25-acre area to 1,000 acres.

Follow Us :
Text Size:

New Delhi: While Pakistan’s Army gets all the attention within and outside the country, its navy has its fair share of strategic assets too, and has been expanding with Chinese assistance in every field.

One of the biggest expansions has taken place at the Arabian Sea port of Ormara in Gwadar district of Balochistan province, about 350 km west of Karachi, which is supposed to be a storage facility for the nuclear capable Hatf-VII/Babur missile.

Satellite images suggest that the entire facility, once complete, will likely cater to a regiment of Babur coastal missile systems on tractor erector launchers (TELs).

ThePrint takes an exclusive look at the expansion.


Also read: Pakistan & China are building an SEZ in PoK’s Gilgit-Baltistan, satellite images show


Location and construction

The storage facility, mostly constructed overground, is located at the hammerhead-shaped peninsula in Ormara. Construction began in the first half of 2009, and has proceeded in different phases till date.

The slow pace is probably to avoid detection, which would be visible in the case of a fast-paced programme.

By 2018, the 25-acre area originally covered by the facility was expanded to 425 acres, boxed in by an external fence.

Latest satellite images now show that the external fence now occupies an area of almost 1,000 acres, covering almost the entire hammerhead of Ormara.

The open area is possibly being prepared for launch positions, but it has not yet been fenced completely.


Also read: The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has a weak link, satellite images show


Storage bunkers

There are two main storage bunkers, with an internal size of 10m x 25m. The bunkers, like most overground nuclear ammunition bunkers, have a sloped wall covering of compressed earth, at a 60-degree slant.

The top is also covered with compressed earth. It also has a small chimney-like opening for environmental conditioning.

The bunkers were constructed in 2009 and had their main entrances automated as late as 2017. The gates seem to be almost a metre thick.

Pakistan Navy's Ormara facility
Source: Col. Vinayak Bhat (retd) | ThePrint

The size of these two storage bunkers indicate that they could probably be holding about eight TELs of the Babur coastal missile system, with a range of approximately 750 km.


Also read: The China-Pakistan ‘nexus’ to exploit tons of gold from the mines of Balochistan


Recent expansions

Recent construction activities show a newly-built highbay garage, which has regularly been upgraded with an air conditioning plant, and an additional porch-type protruding shed.

Pakistan Navy's Ormara facility
Source: Col. Vinayak Bhat (retd) | ThePrint

Two more buildings can be observed, which could be motor transport garages. There is an additional hard standing created for temporary parking of vehicles.

The latest images from October 2019 show the hard standing covered by tin-roofed shed.

There are four large buildings to the west of the original storage facility. Two of these are very similar to storage buildings observed elsewhere in Pakistan’s nuclear storage facilities. The size of the two buildings suggests that they could possibly store about a regiment-sized missile force.

Pakistan Navy's Ormara facility
Source: Col. Vinayak Bhat (retd) | ThePrint

The other two buildings are probably for support vehicles and other facilities.

At four locations, some kind of underground work is in progress. It is, however, not possible to identify them with the images available, as they are covered with camouflage netting.

Pakistan Navy's Ormara facility
Source: Col. Vinayak Bhat (retd) | ThePrint

There could also be a cut-and-cover type of construction being planned.

Security 

The facility is surrounded by tall wire fences in at least five layers, interspersed with tall watch towers.

Pakistan Navy's Ormara facility
Source: Col. Vinayak Bhat (retd) | ThePrint

The two main bunkers have special guard posts around them, along with internal double fencing. As mentioned above, the entry at the bunkers is automated with at least a metre-thick gates.

All the buildings are connected with the central command post and with each other through underground cabling and electricity connections.

The road entry point has been beefed up with seven layers of obstacles, with watch towers at both ends. There are three vehicle entry barriers beyond the seven road barriers.


Also read: Image shows possible accident near Pakistani nuclear weapons facility after Balakot


 

Subscribe to our channels on YouTube, Telegram & WhatsApp

Support Our Journalism

India needs fair, non-hyphenated and questioning journalism, packed with on-ground reporting. ThePrint – with exceptional reporters, columnists and editors – is doing just that.

Sustaining this needs support from wonderful readers like you.

Whether you live in India or overseas, you can take a paid subscription by clicking here.

Support Our Journalism

3 COMMENTS

  1. Saudi was financing the Pak Military for future transfer of nukes, incase Iran intimidates them. Now since Trump has given the technology transfer to the Saudis the money spent on these constructions should be through its own weak economy. And Pakistan has the larger number of nukes than India, apart from the nukes the Pakis are no match for today’s New India.

  2. Tell me who is paying for that huge construction. Their $17 billion budget with $5 billion hidden in other government departments is totally insufficient to undertake major construction like this including 600,000 army. US has withdrawn all military related aid to Pakistan. China can provide money with interest and heavy strings attached to it, hence it must be a minor construction effort instead of $2-3 billion needed to build a facility like that with no return.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Most Popular