Pakistan, India test-fire nuclear-capable missiles

The neighbours experiment their newly-developed military assets the same day.

KARACHI:

Pakistan successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable short range Surface to Surface (STS) ballistic missile Hataf-2 (Abdali) on Friday, the same day that India tested two short-range nuclear-capable missiles along its eastern coast.

Pakistan’s missile test was conducted as part of the process of validation and technical improvements in the Land Based Ballistic Missile Systems, a press statement issued by the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated. Hataf-2 (Abdali) with a range of 180 kilometers can carry nuclear as well as conventional warheads with high accuracy, the statement added.

Meanwhile, India fired one missile named Dhanush, which means “archer’s bow” in Sanskrit, Friday morning from a naval ship in the Bay of Bengal off eastern Orissa state. The second missile, the Prithvi II, or Earth, blasted off soon afterwards from a testing range at Chandipur-on-Sea, 200 kilometres northeast of Bhubaneswar, Orissa’s state capital.

“The test of both missiles was successful and met all mission objectives,” test range director SP Dash said. Both missiles, which can carry nuclear and conventional warheads, were developed domestically.

The 11-metre Dhanush with a range of 350 kilometres was a variant of the STS Prithvi missile developed for the Indian navy while the 8.5-metre Prithvi-II missile has a range of 150-350 kilometres and can carry a one-ton payload. The tests were part of training exercises for the Indian armed forces, Indian defence officials said.

These latest tests come days after India conducted successful launch of an interceptor missile. According to the ISPR’s statement, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Khalid Shameem Wynne reiterated that Pakistan’s test will go a long way in consolidating the country’s strategic deterrence capability and further strengthening national security. He said that in the hierarchy of military operations, the Abdalli weapons system now provides Pakistan with an operational level capability, additional to the strategic level capability, which Pakistan already possesses because of its medium range and long range Ballistic missile systems. He added that Pakistan’s resolve and commitment to continue its strategic progress will remain paramount.

The successful test has also been warmly appreciated by the president and prime minister who have congratulated the scientists and engineers on their successes, the ISPR’s statement added.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 12^th, 2011.