Pakistan tests Shaheen-1 short-range ballistic missile

Shaheen-1 is suspected to be a derivative of the Chinese M-11 ballistic missile

Shaheen-1 file ispr (File) A Shaheen-1 test | ISPR

The Pakistan Army announced on Monday that it had successfully conducted a "training launch" of its Shaheen-1 surface-to-surface ballistic missile (SSBM).

In a tweet, the Inter-Services Public Relations wing of the Pakistan military said the Shaheen-1 is "capable of delivering all types of warheads up to range of 650km". It added the "launch was aimed at testing operational readiness of Army Strategic Forces Command (ASFC) ensuring Pakistan’s credible minimum deterrence".

US researchers have suspected that the Shaheen-1 missile is a derivative of the Chinese M-11 ballistic missile, with Beijing providing assistance to Pakistan. According to the Missile Defence Project of the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) think tank, development of the Shaheen-1, also called the Haft-4, began in the late 1990s. The missile underwent at last seven development launches before being inducted into the Pakistan Army in 2008.

The test of the Shaheen-1 comes two days after India conducted a night-time launch of the Agni-2 ballistic missile.

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