A Navy official said that the missile hit its target accurately, which was witnessed by Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi. “Naval Chief appreciated the efforts of relevant units, scientists and engineers to make this missile testing a success”.
Pakistan did not reveal the missile type tested on Tuesday, but it could be a naval version of the Babur, which is based on the Babur 1B (also designated as Hatf VII). The missile was last test-fired in April 2019.
The test was conducted a day after Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa expressed firm resolve to defend the country from a full-spectrum threat.
Indian defence scientists have also planned a series of tests of its nuclear-capable missiles, such as the K4 submarine-launched missile, as well as the Agni 2, Prithvi, and Brahmos supersonic cruise missile in the coming days.
As per the Indian media report: “Preparations are on in full swing for the tests…The focus will be on the performance of K-4 and Agni-II as both the missiles will be put to tests with new advanced systems”.
The long-range (3,500 km) K-4 missiles have so far been tested four times successfully from underwater pontoons. On 30 September, the Indo-Russian joint venture BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was test-fired successfully with an Indian propulsion system, airframe, and power supply.
These tests came against the backdrop of persistent firing at the border for the last three months after New Delhi abrogated the special status granted to the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir on 5 August.
Despite firing from heavy artillery, the two nuclear-armed nations are doing little to deescalate their border conflict, and the situation on the ground appears to be worsening with each passing week.