Pakistan has test-fired its first submarine-launched cruise missile, capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and giving the country a credible second strike capability, the Pakistani military says.
The military said in a statement on January 9 that the missile was fired from the Indian Ocean and hit its target.
The Babur Cruise-3 missile has a range of 450 kilometers and can fly low to evade radar and air defenses, the statement said.
An army spokesman confirmed to news agencies that the missile was equipped to carry nuclear warheads.
Pakistan and its neighbor and archrival India have been developing missiles of varying ranges since they conducted nuclear tests in May 1998. They have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947.
Last year, Islamabad expressed "serious concern" over India's test of antiballistic missiles that media reports said could intercept incoming nuclear weapons.
Media reports said that on May 15 India tested an antiballistic missile system, which could in theory intercept a ballistic missile.