Pakistan test-launches homegrown cruise missile: military

Pakistan test-launches homegrown cruise missile: military
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Summary Tuesday's test is the latest in a series carried out by Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Pakistan conducted a successful flight test Tuesday of a locally developed cruise missile named "Ra ad" with a range of 350 kilometres (around 218 miles), the military said.

"The state of the art Ra ad ALCM (air-launched cruise missile) is equipped with highly advanced guidance and navigation system that ensures engagement of targets with pin point accuracy," the military said in a statement.

Tuesday s test is the latest in a series carried out by Pakistan and its arch-rival India since both demonstrated nuclear weapons capability in 1998.

Relations between Pakistan and India have always been fraught, but soured further last August amid a rise in clashes along their borders and a row over a Pakistani diplomat meeting Kashmiri separatists.

Pakistan test-fired a ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead on December 15 last year.

Last week, India s Foreign Minister held talks with her Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz in Islamabad on the sidelines of a regional summit on Afghanistan, where they jointly announced they would resume high-level peace talks.