The test of the Hatf-VIII or Raad missile, which has a range of 350 kilometres, was part of a “continuing process of validating the design parameters of the weapon system”, said a statement from the military. The statement did not say where the missile was tested.

Describing the launch of Raad, which means “thunder” in Arabic, as successful, the statement said the indigenously developed missile had “special stealth capabilities”.

It said the Raad was a low-altitude, terrain following missile with high manoeuvrability and could deliver all types of warheads “with great accuracy”. The Raad, exclusively developed for launch from aerial platforms, “has enabled Pakistan to achieve a greater strategic stand-off capability on land and at sea”.

In a message, President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani congratulated scientists and engineers on their success.

The Raad was tested for the first time in August last year.