ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday successfully tested an enhanced version of nuclear-capable Babur cruise missile that has been equipped with advanced aerodynamics and avionics, the military said.

“A successful test of an enhanced range version of the indigenously developed Babur Cruise Missile was conducted,” Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced in a statement on Twitter.

Giving technical specifications of the missile, the ISPR said Babur Weapon System-1 (B) incorporated advanced aerodynamics and avionics that could strike targets both at land and sea with high accuracy, at a range of 700 kilometres.

“It is a low flying, terrain hugging missile, which also carries certain stealth features and is capable of carrying various types of warheads,” it added.

The missile, stated ISPR, was equipped with state-of-the-art navigational technologies of terrain contour matching and digital scene matching and area co-relation which enabled it to engage various types of targets with pinpoint accuracy even in the absence of GPS navigation, making it an important force multiplier for Pakistan’s strategic deterrence.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2018