Pakistan test-fires surface-to-surface ballistic missile Nasr

Pakistan today test-fired the short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile Nasr, the military announced today.

The missile is meant to enhance the operational efficiency of Army Strategic Forces Command, the military said in a statement, adding that it is a "high precision shoot-and-scoot weapons system which has the ability of in-flight manoeuvrability."

The weapon has augmented full spectrum deterrence capability, it said. The launch was witnessed by General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, chairman Joint chief of staff committee, senior officers from the Pakistan Army including scientists and engineers.

Nasr has a strike range of 70 kms, reports said.

"The 2nd phase of this exercise was aimed at testing the extreme inflight manoeuvrability, including the end flight manoeuvrability; capable of defeating, by assured penetration, any currently available BMD system in our neighbourhood or any other system under procurement/development," the Army said. 

In October last year, Pakistan had test-fired the Ghauri ballistic missile which is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads up to a distance of 1,300 kilometres. Earlier in 2018, Pakistan had successfully test-fired the indigenously-built Babur cruise missile which has a range of 700 kilometres.

The Babur weapon system is a low-flying missile with stealth features capable of carrying various types of warheads.