Pak test-fires longer range cruise missile

Islamabad: Pakistan on Thursday successfully test-fired a nuclear-capable cruise missile for the third time in about as many years. According to a statement by the Pakistani military establishment, the Hatf VII Babur missile has a range of 700 kilometres and can carry all kinds of warheads.

"The Babur is a terrain hugging, radar avoiding cruise missile, whose range has now been enhanced to 700 kilometres," said the statement. It also mentioned that the chairman of Pakistan's Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Ehsan-ul-Haq, along with senior military officials and scientists, witnessed the test.

The terrain-hugging Hatf VII Babur missile is apparently an upgrade of the 500 kilometres (310 miles) version tested last year. The first test of the Hatf VII had taken place in August 2005.