The ballistic missile test comes a day after Pakistan’s arch-rival India conducted a test of the supersonic Brahmos cruise missile.
The training launch was aimed at ensuring the operational readiness of Army Strategic Forces Command, responsible for Pakistan’s ballistic missile forces.
“Shaheen-II Missile is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads upto a range of 1,500 kilometers,” said DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor.
The military’s media wing added that the “Shaheen-II is a highly capable missile that meets Pakistan’s strategic needs towards the maintenance of desired deterrence stability in the region”.
Today’s training launch, having its impact point in the Arabian Sea, was witnessed by Director General Strategic Plans Division, Commander Army Strategic Forces Command, Chairman NESCOM, senior officers from the Army Strategic Forces Command and scientists and engineers from strategic organisations.
Chairman JCSC and the services chiefs congratulated the scientists and engineers on conducting the successful training launch.
The president and the prime minister have also conveyed their congratulations on the successful launch of the missile.
India claimed that the world’s fastest cruise missile passed another key test Wednesday when it successfully hit a land target after being fired from a fighter jet.
India is developing the supersonic BrahMos missile — which has a top speed of 3,450 kilometres per hour — with Russia, and according to media reports wants to soon start selling it abroad.
The missile is one-and-a-half times faster than the old Concorde supersonic jet.
The Indian defence ministry said a specially converted Su-30 MKI fighter jet successfully fired the 2.5-tonne missile, which has a range of about 300 kilometres.
“The launch from the aircraft was smooth and the missile followed the desired trajectory before directly hitting the land target,” a ministry statement said.
It did not say where the test was staged or give other details apart from saying “very complex” mechanical, electrical and software modifications were made to the Russian-origin fighter jet.
India said then it was the first country “to have successfully fired an air-launched 2.8 Mach surface attack missile of this category on a sea target”.
“The BrahMos missile provides Indian Air Force with a much-desired capability to strike from large stand-off ranges on any target at sea or on land with pinpoint accuracy by day or night and in all weather conditions,” the ministry said.
India has already ordered sea-launched versions of the missile for its navy, and specialist defence media reports have said the BrahMos could start being introduced to the air force from 2020.
BrahMos is a joint venture between India and Russia and officials from the enterprise have said at recent international air shows that discussions on sales are being held with a number of countries.
Media reports have said Southeast Asian countries have expressed particular interest, which could worry China.
India and Russia are reported to be preparing plans for a longer range version of the missile which could fly at up to Mach 5, or 6,125 kilometres per hour.
BrahMos is named for the Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers of India and Russia respectively.
