China has sold Pakistan a powerful optical tracking and measurement system that could speed up the development of multi-warhead missiles by Islamabad, according to a media report on Thursday. The statement, evidence that Beijing is supporting Islamabad’s rapidly developing missile programme, said China is the first country to export such sensitive equipment to Pakistan. Zheng Mengwei, a researcher with the CAS Institute of Optics and Electronics in Chengdu, Sichuan province, confirmed to the South China Morning Post that Pakistan had bought a “highly sophisticated, large-scale optical tracking and measurement system” from China. An optical system is a critical component in missile tests. High-quality optics are essential in missile development, especially MIRVs, said Rong Jili, deputy director at the Beijing Institute of Technology’s School of Aerospace Engineering.

Source: Hindustan Times March 22, 2018 11:46 UTC