Army Rocket Force Command
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Pakistan
Pakistan Army| Army Rocket Force Command | |
|---|---|
| Active | August 13, 2025 |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Branch | Pakistan Army |
| Type | Tactical and conventional missile force |
| Role | Strategic deterrence Conventional missile deployment |
| Size | ☓☓☓ Corps |
| Headquarters | General Headquarters (Pakistan Army) in Chaklala, Punjab, Pakistan |
| Equipment | Fatah-I Fatah-II Fatah-4 (cruise missile)[1] |
| Maneuver Corps of the Pakistan Army | ||||
|
The Army Rocket Force Command (ARFC) is a command of the Pakistan Army tasked with controlling and operating conventional rockets and missiles, including cruise, ballistic, and future hypersonic missiles, enhancing non-nuclear high-precision, deep-strike capabilities.[2][3] Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the ARFC's formation on 13 August 2025, three months after the 2025 India–Pakistan conflict in May.[4][5]
Formation
On 13 August 2025, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the formation of the Army Rocket Force Command during a ceremony at Jinnah Sports Stadium in Islamabad, held a day ahead of Pakistan's 78th Independence Day and three months after the 2025 India–Pakistan conflict.[6][7]
Missile tests
On 30 September 2025, the Pakistani military's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) media wing announced that it conducted a successful test of the Fatah 4 surface-to-surface cruise missile, which has a range of 750 km.[8] It was the first missile test carried out since the formation of the ARFC, and the ISPR said that the indigenously-developed Fatah 4 would operate "as part of Army Rocket Force Command."[4]
On 28 April 2026, the Army Rocket Force Command carried out a successful "training launch" of the Fatah-II multiple launch rocket system (MLRS).[9]
Overview
The ARFC has been tasked with controlling and operating conventional rockets and missiles, and will primarily control short-to-medium range conventional missiles. According to Prime Minister Sharif, the force will be equipped with modern technology and capable of targeting the enemy "from every direction." He described it as "another milestone" in strengthening Pakistan's conventional war capabilities.[6][7] The new formation is tasked to unify, modernise, and supercharge the Pakistani missile and rocket forces.[10] Analyst Naeem Salik said the ARFC will be overseen by the army’s General Headquarters (GHQ).[3]
Government statements described the new command as intended to supervise the handling and deployment of missiles during a conventional war.[6] Defence analyst Talat Masood said the move was part of a process to further strengthen Pakistan's military capability in the wake of the 2025 India–Pakistan conflict.[7]
Organization
The establishment of the Army Rocket Force Command consolidates conventional and rocket units from several formations and specialist detachments into a single operational command, mirroring the Army Strategic Forces Command.[10] The ARFC is expected to be led by a three-star general.[3] Saalik said the force currently includes the Fatah-1 and Fatah-2 rockets. The ARFC is tasked to give Pakistan Army deep-strike capabilities without relying on nuclear capable missiles under Army Strategic Forces Command.[11][12]