The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) announced on Wednesday that China has sold Pakistan an advanced optical tracking system that could potentially be used to track missile tests and boost development of advanced weapons that could render India's proposed ballistic missile shield impotent.

The CAS claimed China was the first country to sell this advanced technology to Pakistan, a Hong Kong-based newspaper reported. A CAS official downplayed the sale as just providing Pakistan a “pair of eyes.”

The tracking system is believed to consist of advanced telescopes, cameras and laser-range finders in addition to other equipment that can precisely monitor a missile's trajectory from launch.

The announcement is significant as it comes two months after the US Defense Intelligence Agency revealed that Pakistan was working on multiple independently-targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs). MIRVs are ballistic missile systems that carry multiple nuclear warheads, which on re-entry into the atmosphere, are programmed to hit different targets, making interception by defence systems very difficult.

In simple words, a missile with 10 MIRVs could hit 10 different targets, say at a distance of a few 100km each.

The major military powers such as US, Russia and China have long had MIRVs, though Pakistan is regarded as the first nation in South Asia to openly aim at developing the capability on its 'Ababeel' missile.

The Ababeel missile | Twitter account of Inter-Services Public Relations, Pakistan

The Ababeel, which was first tested in January last year, has a range of over 2,000km. A MIRV capability on the missile would give Pakistan the ability to not only hit nearly all major targets in India, but give it a much higher chance of defeating India's planned ballistic missile defence system.

However, the Ababeel and its MIRV technology would still need more tests to validate and improve its accuracy, which is where the Chinese tracking system comes in handy. The multiple sensors on the tracking system allow engineers to monitor the missile's trajectory and engine performance at various altitudes and prepare corrective measures to improve accuracy.

The sale underscores Beijing's deep strategic investment in Pakistan. From being Islamabad's oldest strategic ally that helped develop its nuclear missile programme, China is effectively involved in virtually all major Pakistani defence programmes: the JF-17 fighter project, which is the Pakistan Air Force's main fighter; eight diesel-electric submarines that can carry cruise missiles and the Al-Khalid tank, which is a derivative of a Chinese tank.

(With agency inputs)