Pakistan claims successful test of nuclear-capable missile
Pakistan’s military claimed it successfully test-fired a nuclear-capable missile on June 5, 2012, with a striking range of 435 miles. It is Pakistan’s fifth missile test since April 25, 2012.
The Pakistani military said on Tuesday that it test-fired a nuclear-capable cruise missile successfully, according to The New York Times.
The Hatf – VII cruise missile has a range of about 435 miles, technically giving Pakistan seaborne nuclear strike capability, said The Times.
The missile test was the fifth such test since India tested a long-range missile capable of striking China on April 20, according to Agence France Presse.
The military said the missile could carry conventional warheads and had stealth capability as well as "pinpoint accuracy" and "radar avoidance features."
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The statement said, "It also incorporates the most modern cruise missile technology of Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM) and Digital Scene Matching and Area Co-relation (DSMAC), which enhances its precision and effectiveness manifolds," according to The Times of India.
On May 31, Pakistan test-fired a Hatf – VIII cruise missile with a range of more than 217 miles, and on May 29, it tested a Hatf – IX with a range of 37 miles. On April 25, just six days after India's successful test of the Agni-V missile with a range of 3,100 miles, Pakistan tested the Hatf – IV, with a range of 620 miles, said The Times of India.
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Rivals India and Pakistan have fought three wars since independence in 1947, and both have nuclear weapons capability as of 1998, according to AFP.
The Times noted that the government's annual budget included a 10.2 percent increase in military spending despite the relative calm in relations with India.
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