ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Navy reaffirmed its resolve to defend the country’s territorial waters on Monday after conducting a live firing test of a surface-to-air missile in the northern Arabian Sea, according to a military statement.
The missile test involved the FM-90(N) ER, a medium-range naval air-defense system designed to intercept aerial threats, and comes months after a brief but intense military conflict between Pakistan and India in which the nuclear-armed neighbors exchanged missile and artillery fire and deployed drones and fighter jets.
While the four-day confrontation did not escalate into a naval clash, the Pakistan Navy remained on high alert until a US-brokered ceasefire brought the fighting to an end.
“Pakistan Navy successfully conducted a Live Weapon Firing (LWF) of the FM-90(N) ER Surface-to-Air Missile in the North Arabian Sea,” the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement.
“During the firepower demonstration, a Pakistan Navy ship effectively engaged highly manoeuvrable aerial targets, reaffirming the Navy’s war-fighting capability and combat readiness,” it added. “Commander Pakistan Fleet witnessed the live firing at sea onboard a Pakistan Navy Fleet unit.”
