The Baktar-Shikan, which translates to “Armour Breaker” in Urdu, is Pakistan’s indigenous anti-tank guided missile (ATGM). It is a license-produced and improved version of the Chinese HJ-8 (Hongjian-8) series. The Baktar-Shikan is a man-portable, wire-guided system, making it a critical weapon for infantry units to engage enemy armored vehicles from a safe distance. The missile has an effective range of up to 4 kilometers. Its guidance system operates on the SACLOS (Semi-Automatic Command to Line of Sight) principle, where the gunner keeps the crosshairs on the target, and a system automatically sends commands via a wire to steer the missile. The missile’s warhead is a tandem-charge HEAT (High-Explosive Anti-Tank) warhead, which is highly effective against tanks equipped with Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA). The Baktar-Shikan system is robust, easy to operate, and can be used in both day and night conditions with the addition of a thermal imaging sight. Its development and mass production by the Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) ensure a steady supply of anti-armor weapons for the Pakistan Army, reducing its reliance on foreign suppliers.
- Type: Man-portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM)
- Guidance: Semi-Automatic Command to Line of Sight (SACLOS)
- Range: Up to 4 km
- Warhead: Tandem-charge HEAT (High-Explosive Anti-Tank)
- Key Feature: Wire-guided, capable of defeating Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA)
