Pakistan Navy said on Thursday it conducted a successful test of a new land-based anti-ship missile, bolstering its operational reach to launch long- range, anti-ship missiles from land.
The trial of the missile was conducted from the coastal region and the missile secured a hit on a target placed at sea, a press release from the Navy said.
The missile is equipped with advanced technology and avionics, which enable engagement of targets at sea with a high degree of accuracy.
However, the navy did not give more details, including the name of the new missile.
The test-launch was witnessed by vice chief of naval staff Admiral Khan Hasham Bin Saddique and senior officers of Pakistan Navy.
Admiral Saddique commended the accomplishment of the objectives of the trial, the release said.
Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah in his message said that the weapon system has added a new dimension to the operational reach of Pakistan Navy, allowing it to bolster seaward defenses by giving the Navy the capability to launch long-range, anti-ship missiles from land.
Pakistan on Tuesday conducted a successful test flight of the Ababeel surface-to-surface ballistic missile (SSM), the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
Pak successfully conducted first flight test of SSM #ABABEEL,Range 2200 Km.#COAScongrats team and Pak Armed Forces for landmk achievement.
Ababeel has a maximum range of 2,200 kilometers and is capable of delivering multiple warheads using Multiple Independent Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology, an ISPR press release added.
“The test flight was aimed at validating the various design and technical parameters of the weapon system,” it said.
Ababeel is capable of carrying nuclear warheads and has the capability to engage multiple targets with high precision, defeating hostile radars, the ISPR elaborated.
“The development of the Ababeel weapon system was aimed at ensuring survivability of Pakistan’s ballistic missiles in the growing regional Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) environment,” read the press release.
The Ababeel test came on the heels of a successful test of submarine-launched cruise missile Babur-III earlier this month.
“The successful attainment of a second strike capability by Pakistan represents a major scientific milestone; it is a manifestation of the strategy of measured response to nuclear strategies and postures being adopted in Pakistan’s neighborhood,” the military had said after the Babur-III test.
The missile, launched from an undisclosed location in the Indian Ocean from an underwater, mobile platform, had hit its target with precise accuracy, the Army had said.
Babur-III is a sea-based variant of ground-launched cruise missile Babur-II, which was successfully tested in December last year.
On January 24, Pakistan had test-fired 2,200-km range indigenously-developed surface to surface nuclear-capable missile Ababeel. The missile is capable of delivering multiple warheads, using Multiple Independent Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV)technologies.
The Ababeel test flight was aimed at validating the various design and technical parameters of the weapon system.
During the same month, submarine-launched cruise missile Babur-III was successfully test-fired. Babur weapons system incorporates advanced aerodynamics and avionics that can strike targets both at land and sea with high accuracy at a range of 700km.
Babur-III is a low flying, terrain hugging missile, which carries certain stealth features and is capable of carrying various types of warheads
