By Xinhua,
Islamabad : Pakistan Thursday successfully test fired the nuclear-capable Hatf-VIII air-launched cruise missile, an army statement said.
The test of the Hatf-VIII or Raad missile was part of a “continuing process of validating the design parameters of the weapon system”, the statement said without mentioning where the missile was tested.
The indigenously developed Raad missile with a range of 350 km has been developed exclusively for launch from aerial platforms. It has enabled Pakistan to achieve a greater strategic standoff capability on land and at sea.
“The state of the art Raad cruise missile has special stealth capabilities,” the statement said, adding that it was a “low altitude terrain following missile” with high manoeuvrability, and could deliver all types of warheads with great accuracy.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani have congratulated the scientists and engineers on their outstanding success.
The test of the Raad came a day after India successfully launched its ballistic missile Agni-III which has a range of 3,000 km.