Pakistan tests air-launched cruise missile

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- Pakistan's military on Tuesday announced a successful flight test of its Ra'ad air-launched cruise missile, an indigenously developed weapon.

The Ra'ad, aka Hatf VIII, was first test launched in 2007. It has a range of about 217 miles and can carry conventional explosives or a nuclear warhead.

The military services' media unit, Inter-Services Public Relations, said the flight test was the seventh for the missile but disclosed no other details. reported the Dawn,Com news site .

Ra'ad "enables Pakistan to achieve air delivered strategic standoff capability on land and at sea," it said, and "terrain-hugging, low-level flight maneuvers enable it to avoid detection and engagement by contemporary air defense systems."

The report quoted the military's Director General Strategic Plans Division Lt. Gen. Mazhar Jamil as saying the test success was a major step towards complementing Pakistan's deterrence capability.

"This milestone will surely enhance strategic stability and contribute to peace in the region," he said.

Pakistan and its regional rival, India, both possess nuclear weapons capabilities.