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The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has conducted a flight test of the indigenously developed Taimoor air-launched cruise missile, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced, calling it a “significant milestone” in the country’s aerospace and defence capabilities.
According to ISPR, the test was carried out on January 3, 2026, with senior PAF officers, engineers and scientists in attendance. The missile was launched from a Mirage combat aircraft and is designed to engage both land and sea targets at ranges of up to 600 km while carrying a conventional warhead.
ISPR calls it a conventional deterrence system, and that wording is deliberate. “Designed to fly at very low altitudes… enabling it to effectively evade hostile air and missile defence systems,” says ISPR in a statement.
The Taimoor missile reportedly features advanced navigation and guidance systems and is capable of low-altitude, terrain-hugging flight to evade air and missile defence networks. ISPR said the system enhances the PAF’s conventional deterrence and operational flexibility, underscoring progress in indigenous defence production.
The successful trial comes shortly after a series of major Indian missile tests, including user-evaluation trials of the next-generation Akash air defence system, the nuclear-capable K-4 submarine-launched ballistic missile, a long-range guided Pinaka rocket, and two back-to-back tests of the Pralay quasi-ballistic missile.
Pakistan’s leadership welcomed the development. Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari said the test has “further strengthened national defence and bolstered Pakistan’s responsible defence policy for ensuring stability in the region.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu also congratulated the teams involved, noting continuity with earlier air-launched cruise missile programmes such as the Ra’ad series.
While, Pakistani defence industry officials describe the Taimoor missile as a subsonic air-launched cruise missile developed by Global Industrial and Defence Solutions (GIDS), comparable in class to systems like the SCALP and KEPD-350. The programme is seen as a key step in strengthening Pakistan’s long-range precision-strike capability and advancing self-reliance in defence technology.
Team BharatShakti
