By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has test-launched an extended version of its home-built Fatah-4 ground-launched cruise missile, the military said on Tuesday, the latest in a series of weapons tests this year.
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army’s media wing, said the weapon was “equipped with advanced avionics and state-of-the-art navigational aids” and was “capable of engaging targets at extended ranges with high precision and lethality”.
The test also validated “additional technical parameters of various sub-systems incorporated for improved accuracy and enhanced survivability”, the ISPR said. The launch was witnessed by senior army officers, along with scientists and engineers from the agency that developed the missile.
The statement did not give the missile’s exact range or other technical specifications. The previously disclosed version had a reported range of 750km, but Pakistan has not said how much further the new variant can fly.
President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, who is both army chief and Chief of Defence Forces, and the heads of the other services commended the test. They “appreciated the technical prowess, dedication and commitment of all those who contributed towards achieving this milestone”, the ISPR said.
The Fatah-4 belongs to the army’s Rocket Force Command and is designed to fly low along the contours of the terrain, a technique known as “terrain hugging”, to help it evade air defences and missile interceptors. The ISPR announced a training launch of the missile at a range of 750km in September 2025.
The Rocket Force Command was announced in August 2025 to improve operational readiness and coordination in conventional missile warfare. Nuclear-capable systems remain under the separate National Strategic Command. Many analysts see the new command as part of Islamabad’s effort to strengthen conventional deterrence in a tense region, particularly after the brief but bruising war with India in May 2025.
Tuesday’s launch follows several others this year. The Rocket Force Command carried out a training launch of the Fatah-II missile system on 28 April. The Pakistan Navy also fired a locally developed anti-ship ballistic missile at an extended range that month. On 14 May, the command test-fired the Fatah-IV, which the ISPR said was intended to enhance operational efficiency and validate improvements to accuracy and survivability.
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