PAKISTAN IS CONSTRUCTING A VIRTUAL NAVY USING AI AND EDITING SOFTWARE

When Pakistan's military publicity arm released a short video in late November showing a missile rising from a grey warship into a pale sky, the clip appeared to signal a new phase in the country's naval ambitions.

- ASHISH SINGH

The accompanying statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) described a successful flight test of an indigenously developed anti-ship ballistic missile capable of striking “sea and land targets with high precision.” It was a routine announcement of the kind that militaries issue every year across the world.

Yet the reaction that followed was anything but routine. Within minutes of the video going online, Pakistan's defence-themed social-media channels began circulating strikingly different interpretations. These accounts—many of which have amplified ISPR messaging for years—described the test as a milestone in South Asia’s military balance. Some claimed that the missile was hypersonic. Others placed its range at nearly 800 kilometres. A few declared that Pakistan now possessed a system capable of neutralising India’s aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, at extended ranges. The brief clip was reshaped into a much larger story of strategic breakthrough.

Independent analysts saw a more familiar pattern. The official statement, though celebratory, offered almost no technical detail. It did not identify the warship that launched the missile. It did not mention range, speed, or seeker type. It did not provide telemetry or tracking information. The video itself showed only a single launch shot and a distant impact on what appeared to be a stationary floating target. In the highly scrutinised world of missile testing, the lack of supporting data was notable.