On August 12th, 2005, Pakistan publicly announced that it had successfully test fired a nuclear-capable Babur cruise missile. The missile was launched from a land based transporter erector launcher (TEL). With this test, Pakistan became one of twelve countries that possess cruise missile technology. Babur is part of Pakistan's Hatf missile series. The unannounced initial launch on 11 August 2005 caught much of the international community by surprise due to the technically advance nature of the missile, as well as the fact that Pakistan did not notify India of its test-firing in accordance with the existing notification agreement, as it is limited to ballistic missile testing only.
Currently, Pakistan is looking into modification that will enable the missile to be launched from its F-16, Mirage and A-5 air platforms and naval platforms such as the Agosta 90B attack submarines and its Tariq class frigates. In a statement issued by ISPR, the spokesman said that Pakistan is modifying the missile for air and sea launch configurations. He added that Pakistan is also working on a more advanced version of Babur (possibly named Babur-2) with a range of 1,000km and increased payload.
After many debates, it has now been confirmed that the second version of the Babur cruise missile has been developed after some modifications. It is capable of being fired from submarines, in this case Pakistan's Agosta-90B, or fighter aircraft, such as Pakistan's JF-17, F-16, or A-5 Fantan. [2]
On March 22nd, 2007, Pakistan test-fired the second version of the nuclear-capable Babur/Hatf VII nuclear-capable cruise missile with the capability to avoid radar detection and an extended range of 700km.[1]