(UDHAYAM, ISLAMABAD) – Pakistan has successfully tested its first submarine-launched cruise missile, the country’s military says.
The Babur-3 missile, which has a range of 450km (280 miles), could carry a nuclear warhead, foreign media reports.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said the test showed Pakistan’s technological progress and self-reliance.
However, analysts say the development could further heighten tensions with neighbouring India.
The two countries have been involved in three wars since independence from Britain in 1947, and have been developing missiles since they both demonstrated their nuclear capabilities in 1998.
India had already successfully test-fired a nuclear-capable, submarine-launched missile in 2008 and tested a submarine-launched cruise missile in 2013.
India is yet to make a statement about Pakistan’s successful test, which was undertaken at an undisclosed location in the Indian Ocean. (Courtesy – BBC)
