National Engineering and Scientific Commission
 | |
| Abbreviation | NESCOM |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | National Development Complex |
| Formation | 2001 |
| Headquarters | NESCOM HQ, Islamabad |
| Location |
|
Director | Dr. Nabeel Hayat Malik |
Parent organization | Strategic Plans Division (SPD), Ministry of Defence Production |
Budget | Classified |
Staff | 36,000 |
Formerly called |
National Development Complex NDC |
The National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM) is a civilian controlled scientific and engineering organization of the Pakistan, responsible for carrying out research and development in many areas including information technology, fluid dynamics, aerodynamics, aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and chemical engineering, with specialties in the design and production of communication systems and aerodynamic vehicles for the Pakistan Armed Forces. It is under the administrative control of the Strategic Plans Division of Pakistan's National Command Authority and is headquartered in Islamabad, Pakistan.
In 2007 it was reported that NESCOM had exported products worth approximately $40 million annually to various countries in the Middle East, South East Asia and Africa. According to then Chairman Samar Mubarakmand, NESCOM had developed various communication systems and electronic counter-measures systems for the Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Navy.[1]
History
National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM) was formed in 2001 by amalgamating the National Development Complex, Air Weapons Complex, Maritime Technologies Complex and the Project Management Organization.
In the early 2000s, NESCOM rapidly achieved several firsts. Among them, was the development of the Shaheen family of missiles, the Babur ground-launched cruise missile and the Ra'ad air-launched cruise missile.
Organization
In 2004, it was revealed by then-Director Samar Mubarakmand that NESCOM had a staff of around 36,000. It was revealed that NESCOM was organized into divisions, with each division being headed by a top scientist of international repute having around 600-1000 engineers and technicians under his supervision.
The following organizations are grouped together under NESCOM:
- National Development Complex - responsible for the development of Pakistan's ground-based, solid-fueled ballistic missiles and cruise missile systems
- Air Weapons Complex - responsible for the development of air-launched cruise missiles and other air-to-air and air-to-surface ammunition
- Maritime Technologies Complex - responsible for the development of maritime defense systems including radars, sonar equipment, weapon launch systems.
- Project Management Organization - responsible for the development of UAV and UCAV systems for use by the Pakistan Armed Forces
Projects
Unmanned Aerial vehicles
- Burraq - unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) armed with laser-guided missiles
- Barq - laser-guided air-to-surface missile carried on the Burraq UCAV.
Precision Munitions
Strategic Systems
Ballistic Missile Systems
- Shaheen-I - solid-fueled ballistic missile system with a reported range of 700 km. The Shaheen was Pakistan's first solid-fueled missile. The missile project began in 1995 and the development and design was carried out by NESCOM's predecessor, the National Development Complex (NDC).
- Shaheen-IA - an upgraded version of the Shaheen-I with a range of 900 km. The upgrade was supposedly carried out by NESCOM in the early 2000s and supposedly included a terminal guidance system, improved radar-avoidance capability and stealth features.
- Shaheen-II - solid-fueled medium-range ballistic missile system with a reported range of 2500 km.
- Shaheen-III - solid-fueled ballistic missile system with a reported range of 2750 km.
- Ababeel - solid-fueled MIRV-capable ballistic missile system with a reported range of 2200 km.
- Nasr - solid-fueled tactical ballistic missile system with a range of 60 km.
- Abdali - solid-fueled short-range ballistic missile system with a range of 180 km.
- Ghaznavi - short-range ballistic missile system with a range of 290 km.
Cruise Missile Systems
- Babur - ground-launched cruise missile system with a reported range of 750 km. A submarine-launched version, Babur-III was tested with a reported range of 450 km.
- Ra'ad - air-launched cruise missile system with an upgraded reported range of 550 km.
Naval Systems
- Azmat-class fast-attack craft - an indigenously designed version of Chinese-designed missile-armed fast attack crafts.
