Pakistan test-fires Ghaznavi missile

Islamabad, Dec 9 (UNI) Pakistan today successfully conducted the test-fire of the short-range ballistic missile, HATF-III (Ghaznavi), which has a range of almost 300 km.

''The launch was carried out by the strategic missile group (SMG) of the Army Strategic Forces Command (ASFC),'' a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

It said the launch came at the culmination phase of the training exercise, which validated the operational readiness of the SMG.

The missile, which can carry both nuclear and conventional warheads, was handed over to the ASFC a few years ago.

This was Pakistan's third missile test in the past twenty-three days. On November 16, ASFC had conducted successful test flight of the intermediate ballistic range missile, HATF-5 (Ghauri) with a range of 1,300 km followed by another test-fire on November 29 of the nuclear-capable medium range ballistic missile, HATF-4 (Shaheen-I), which has a range of 700 km.

Pakistan's Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed and a large number of senior military officers, scientists and engineers of the strategic organisations witnessed today's test.

The Air Chief said that synergy must be created between all Strategic assets of Pakistan's Armed Forces through coordination of operational, deployment and employment concepts under the aegis of the National Command Authority and Strategic Plans Division to strengthen the deterrence value of the nation's nuclear capability.

Pakistan began test-firing the different versions of short and medium range delivery systems since April 1998, when it first conducted test of Ghauri-1 intermediate range missile, which can hit targets accurately up to 1,500 km and is capable of carrying nuclear and conventional warheads.

HATF-3 (Ghaznavi), HATF-5 (Ghauri), HATF-4 (Shaheen-1) have already been handed over to Pakistan Army's Strategic Force Command.

Pakistan's inventory of missiles also includes surface-to-surface long-range Shaheen-II (HATF-6) missiles, Ground-Launched Cruise Missile (GLCM)-Babar, which were first test-fired in March and August 2005 respectively.

Shaheen-II and GLCM Babar can carry any types of warheads accurately up to 2,000 and 550 km respectively.

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