Babur ( cruise missile ) Babur ( Urdu : بابر ) ( named after the first Mughal Emperor Zahir ud - Din Babur ) , also designated Hatf VII , is the first land attack cruise missile to be developed by Pakistan . Launched from ground - based transporter erector launcher s , warship s and submarine s , the Babur can be armed with a conventional or nuclear warhead and has a reported range of . The missile is designed to avoid radar detection and penetrate enemy air defences . Serial production of the Babur started in October 2005 . Origins . It has been speculated that Babur is based on the BGM - 109 Tomahawk cruise missile , after six Tomahawks crash - landed on Pakistani territory in 2001 during US airstrikes on targets in Afghanistan , and its design seems to show this influence . The propulsion system appears to approximate that of BGM - 109 Tomahawk according to videos of its launch . However , there is no confirmation of this and the Pakistani missile development organisation NESCOM has rejected this theory . Babur is believed to have been developed in response to reports that India was planning to acquire Patriot missiles from the US , in order to set up a ballistic missile defense system to counter Pakistan ' s arsenal of ballistic missiles . Design . The Babur ' s airframe is made up of a tubular fuselage , with a pair of folded wings attached to the middle section and the empennage at the rear along with the propulsion system . Propelled by a jet engine ( either turbofan or turbojet ) , the Babur has a maximum speed of approximately 550 mph . On launch , a booster rocket provides additional thrust to accelerate the missile away from the launch vehicle . After the launch the wings unfold , the booster rocket is jettisoned and the jet engine started . Guidance . The Babur ' s guidance system uses a combination of inertial navigation system s , terrain contour matching ( TERCOM ) and GPS satellite guidance . The guidance system reportedly gives the missile pinpoint accuracy . GPS access is not guaranteed under hostile conditions so the latest production models have also reportedly incorporated the Russian GLONASS . Future software and hardware updates could include the European Union ' s GALILEO and China ' s Beidou navigation system . Features . The missile is stated to have a high degree of maneuverability , allowing it to " hug " the terrain , and " near - stealth " capabilities . Terrain hugging ability helps the missile avoid enemy radar detection by utilizing " terrain masking " , giving Babur the capability to penetrate enemy air defence systems undetected and survive until reaching the target . The missile ' s design features can be compared with the American BGM - 109 Tomahawk cruise missile . More advanced versions of the Babur are under development . Later versions are planned to have a range of 1000 km and be capable of being launched from Pakistan Navy submarines such as the Agosta 90B " Khalid " class . Operational history . On August 12 , 2005 , Pakistan publicly announced that it had successfully test fired a nuclear - capable cruise missile with a range of 500 km . The missile was launched from a land based transporter erector launcher ( TEL ) . The unannounced launch on 11 August 2005 caught much of the international community by surprise due to the technically advanced nature of the missile , as well as the fact that Pakistan did not notify India of its test - firing as the existing notification agreement is limited to ballistic missile testing only . On March 22 , 2007 , Pakistan test - fired an upgraded version of the Babur with an extended range of 700 km . Pakistan carried out two more tests of Babur on July 26 , 2007 and December 11 , 2007 . On May 6 , 2009 , Pakistan conducted another test - firing but did not announce the event until 9 May 2009 , citing political reasons . On October 28 , 2011 . Pakistan successfully test fire its Babur Cruise missile and has a range of 700 kilometer . The ISPR said Babur was capable of carrying conventional and atomic warheads . A special feature of this launch was the validation of a new multi tube Missile Launch Vehicle ( MLV ) during the test . The three tube MLV enhances manifold the targeting and deployment options in the conventional and nuclear modes . With its shoot - and - scoot capability , the MLV provides a major force multiplier effect for target employment and survivability . On June 6 , 2012 Pakistan conducted a successful test - fire of the multi - tube , indigenously developed Cruise Missile Hatf - VII ( Babur ) , which can carry both nuclear and conventional warheads with stealth capabilities . It was the third test - fire conducted by Pakistan in the recent past , of different capacity and load . “ It can carry both nuclear and conventional warheads and has stealth capabilities , ” said an official announcement of the ISPR . “ It also incorporates the most modern cruise missile technology of Terrain Contour Matching ( Tercom ) and Digital Scene Matching and Area Co - relation ( DSMAC ) , which enhances its precision and effectiveness manifolds . ”