Zeenews Bureau
Islamabad: A nuke-capable cruise missile with a range of 700 km, that could reach deep nooks in India, was successfully test-fired by Pakistan on Monday.
The Hatf-VII (Babur) missile is a multi-tube, indigenously developed cruise missile and can carry both nuclear and conventional warheads and has stealth capabilities, a military statement said.
The launch has consolidated and strengthened the country's deterrence, said Pakistani military in a statement.
The "fully automated Strategic Command and Control Support System" of the National Command Authority, which controls Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, was deployed during the test which was conducted at an unspecified location, said a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations.
The missile was launched from a multi-tube missile launch vehicle that "significantly enhances the targeting and deployment options" of the Babur system.
Babur Cruise Missile is a low flying, terrain hugging missile with high maneuverability, pinpoint accuracy and radar avoidance features, a statement from the army's Inter-Services Public Relations said earlier.
The system has the added capability of real time remote monitoring of a missile's flight path.
The test was witnessed by Strategic Plans Division Director General Khalid Ahmed Kidwai, National Engineering and Scientific Commission Chairman Muhammad Irfan Burney and officers of the armed forces and strategic organisations.
The test was appreciated by the President, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, who congratulated the scientists and engineers.
The missile, which is the latest in a series of nuke-capable missiles launched by Pakistan this year, is named after the first Mughal Emperor Zahir ud-Din Babur.
With PTI Inputs
First Published: Monday, September 17, 2012, 12:28