KEY POINTS
- Pakistan military confirms successful training launch of newly inducted Fatah-4
- Ground-launched cruise missile has terrain-hugging, precision-strike capability
- Senior Army leadership, scientists and engineers witnessed the trial
- Top civil and military leaders hail achievement of Rocket Force Command
RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s military said on Tuesday it had successfully test-fired the Fatah-4, an indigenously developed ground-launched cruise missile with a range of 750 kilometres, in a major boost to the country’s conventional strike capabilities.
According to the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the missile has a range of 750 kilometres. It is equipped with advanced avionics and navigational systems that allow it to evade enemy missile defences through terrain-hugging flight paths while engaging targets with high precision.
The Fatah-4 is part of the Army Rocket Force Command and is designed to enhance the reach, lethality and survivability of Pakistan’s conventional missile systems, the ISPR added.
The Chief of General Staff, senior officers from the Pakistan Armed Forces, and dedicated scientists and engineers involved in the development witnessed today’s launch, ISPR stated.
Cruise missiles like the Fatah-4 are powered throughout their flight, unlike ballistic missiles, which follow a fixed arc, allowing them to maneuver in the air and fly under radar coverage.
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, and the Services’ Chiefs congratulated the participating troops, scientists and engineers on the successful conduct of the training fire.
