Pakistan test-fires nuclear capable Hatf-VIII missile

ISLAMABAD, Thursday, 08 May: Pakistan on Thursday test-fired the air-launched cruise missile Hatf-VIII capable of carrying both nuclear and conventional warheads accurately to hit targets on land and at sea, a day after India successfully tested its long range Agni-III missile.

The test of the Hatf-VIII or Raad missile, which has a range of 350 kilometres, was part of a "continuing process of validating the design parameters of the weapon system", said a statement from the military. The statement did not say where the missile was tested.

India yesterday successfully tested its long range Agni-III ballistic missile with a range of 3,000 kilometres.

Describing the launch of Raad, which means "thunder" in Arabic, as successful, the statement said the indigenously developed missile had "special stealth capabilities".

It said the Raad was a low-altitude, terrain following missile with high manoeuvrability and could deliver all types of warheads "with great accuracy".

The Raad, exclusively developed for launch from aerial platforms, "has enabled Pakistan to achieve a greater strategic stand-off capability on land and at sea", the statement said, adding such complex cruise missile technology has been developed by "only a few countries of the world".

In a message, President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani congratulated scientists and engineers on their success in the test.

The Raad was tested for the first time in August last year. Officials earlier said that the missile had a very low probability of detection due to its stealth design and the materials used in its construction.

In April, Pakistan test-fired long-range surface-to- surface Shaheen-II or Hatf-VI. Pakistan has conducted a series of missile tests in the past few months.