Islamabad: Pakistan today(Mar 22 ,2007) successfully test-fired its 'nuclear capable' Hatf-VII cruise missile with an enhanced range of 700km.

"The Hatf-VII missile, which is also called the Babur, has a range of 700 km and the flight data collected validated the design parameters set for the flight test," a military statement here said.

Flaunted by Pakistan's military as the answer to the Indo-Russian joint venture Brahmos, the Babur was first tested in 2005 with a range of 500km.

The test at that time took the world by surprise and analysts later said that the prototype of Pakistan's terrain hugging radar avoiding cruise missile closely resembled the Chinese version of the same.

The military statement said the missile was indigenously developed and its range has been enhanced to 700km.

Pakistan military officials claim that the Babur missile named after the Mughal emperor of the same name has a longer range and nuclear capability compared to Brahmos, but at the same time it was not supersonic like the Indo-Russian missile, which has range of 300km.

Babur is a highly manoeuvrable with pin point accuracy. "It is capable of carrying a variety of warheads including nuclear," the statement claimed.