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Drones : Made In Pakistan

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Nimmi
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Drones : Made In Pakistan Empty Drones : Made In Pakistan

Post by D.M 25th May 2010, 2:14 pm

This article is posted in Dawn few months ago.

Looking at the facility from outside, no one would guess what goes on
within the 90,000-square-foot research facility of Integrated Dynamics
(ID), a privately owned company in Karachi. There are no signboards
indicating that ID is in the business of developing drone technology for
military and civilian use. Surprisingly, there isn’t even an army of
security guards manning the complex as one would expect upon entering
the gate. A lonesome gate keeper lets us in without a fuss.

Even more startling is the ease with which R.S. Khan, ID's chief
executive, states that ‘drone technology has existed in Pakistan for the
last 20 years.’

Khan, who graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a
master's degree in aeronautics and astronautics, is quick to clarify
that his company has ‘never been asked to develop a drone which has an
armed implication.’ Instead, ID develops advanced Unmanned Autonomous
Vehicle (UAV) systems capable of reconnaissance missions as well as
target decoys for anti-aircraft missiles. His customers, he says,
include the armed forces of the country as well as foreign buyers from
the US, Australia, Spain, Italy and France.

Although he may not have been asked to develop an armed drone, Khan, who
previously worked as a consultant for Pakistan’s aerospace agency
Suparco, points out: ‘If we consider the fact that drone development has
been taking place in Pakistan for the last 20 years, I think the
technology for flying long-range autonomous missions has existed for at
least 10-12 years.’

Given Khan's estimations about local drone development, it is unclear
why Pakistan is asking the US to handover its armed drone technology,
especially that of the infamous Predator. President Asif Ali Zardari
recently told the British daily Independent that the US should give
Pakistan the ‘weapons, drones and missiles that will allow us to take
care of’ the militant threat in the tribal areas.'

Drone: In Pakistan, drones are usually associated with advanced unmanned
autonomous vehicles that are fitted with lethal firepower (for example,
the American Predator and Reaper drones). Target drones do not have
combat capability and are used as decoys to simulate fighter aircrafts
and test anti-aircraft batteries.
‘If you ask anyone in Pakistan involved in the business of making
unmanned UAVs whether something similar to the Predator drone aircraft
can be made, the answer would be yes,' explains Khan. 'I won’t say we
can make it overnight or by tomorrow. But I won’t say either that it is a
matter of decades. I would say that, if given the task, we can make
such aircrafts in a few years.' As a technologist, Khan is hesitant to
speculate as to why the Pakistan government or armed forces are not
investing in home-made technology. 'I think you need to ask the policy
makers that.'

UAVs in Pakistan

Interestingly, there are several public sector companies involved in
developing UAVs in Pakistan, including the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex
(PAC), Air Weapons Complex (AWC) and National Development Complex
(NDC).

The PAC's Uqaab drone is in use by the Pakistan Army, and, according to
unconfirmed reports, is being upgraded with Chinese help to carry a
weapons payload. Other PAC UAVs include the Bazz and Ababeel. AWC's
Bravo+ UAV is in use of the Pakistan Airforce (PAF). The PAF recently
acquired an unarmed Italian drone called the Falco UAV, which is
reportedly being used for surveillance and battleground assessments in
the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. In 2008, the Pakistan Navy also
reportedly completed trials of UAVs - the Austrian Schiebel Camcopter
S-100 and Swedish Cybaero - from a Pakistani frigate in the Arabian Sea.

Private sector companies are also involved in the design and development
of UAVs. Apart from ID in Karachi, East-West Infinity (EWI), Satuma and
Global Industrial Defense Solutions (GIDS) are in the drone-making
business.
The EWI's Heliquad UAV is considered a stealth design because of its
small size and Whisper Watch signals intelligence package, which is
capable of picking up radio and other communication signals. ID's Nishan
Mk1 and TJ1000, Vision MK1 & MK2, Tornado, Border Eagle, Hornet,
Hawk and Vector are also popular models employed by the armed forces for
reconnaissance missions and target practice (each model varies in range
and endurance). Satuma's UAVs, with similar functionalities, are called
Flamingo, Jasoos and Mukhbar. For its part, the GIDS develops the
Huma-1 UAV and its own version of the Uqaab.

Even though almost all UAVs in the country have been built for military
applications - reconnaissance, simulations, decoy systems, remote
sensing - none of them are reported to be capable of firing arms.
Moreover, none of the above-mentioned facilities are involved in
large-scale, mass production of UAVs.

Policy on drones

It is still not clear what Pakistan’s policy regarding unmanned drones
is. On the one hand, Pakistan has ‘condemn[ed] in the strongest terms’
any US drone attack. On the other hand, reports have emerged that the US
has the tacit approval of the current government.

Previously, former president Pervez Musharraf had reportedly authorized
Washington to launch Predator drones from secret bases near Islamabad
and Jacobabad. Google Earth images of an airbase in Balochistan hosting
Predators had also emerged at a time when Pakistan was adamantly
claiming that all drones were flying in from Afghanistan. More recently,
the Pakistan Army ‘practiced’ shooting down drones, but even then,
foreign aircrafts continued to rain in their missiles.

ID's Khan explains that shooting down drones to prevent attacks is a
viable option. ‘From a technical standpoint, all it takes is a simple
air-to-air or surface-to-air missile to bring the drone down. Almost all
of these aircrafts have a very low radar signature. But they’re not
undetectable. They can be detected,' he says. 'The question really is
whether one wants to bring one down or not.'

Drones vs. casualties
Quote

‘The question really is whether one wants to bring one down or not.’

According to news reports, US drone attacks have killed around 701
people in Pakistan since 2006, including 14 alleged Al Qaeda leaders.
Although armed UAVs or drones provide safety to their operators since
they cannot be harmed if the aircraft are shot down during combat
operations, they come at the cost of scores of civilian casualties, who
bear the brunt of aerial raids. Therefore, it is debatable whether the
armed drones, even if built and controlled by Pakistan, would actually
make a difference in terms of changing the sentiment of the people
against their devastating impact.

The way forward

Apart from their use in a military context, there is a need to deploy
UAVs for the benefit of Pakistani communities. UAVs abroad are being
used for a variety of civilian services, including search and rescue
operations, environmental analysis, assisting local law enforcers,
scientific research and even transport. Situational awareness about a
potentially hazardous or calamity-hit areas, for example, in the
aftermath of an earthquake, could also be gained through the use of such
systems.

The responsibility of implementing this vision rests not only with the
companies that develop UAVs, but also with government bodies that should
utilise drones to improve their image and efficiency. After all, drones
are not exclusively killing machines.

Drone terminology

Model aircraft: Typically a remote-controlled unmanned plane that flies
within the visual range of an operator.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle: A remote-controlled unmanned plane that can fly
beyond the visual range of an operator. It is usually fitted with
remote sensors and/or cameras.

Unmanned Autonomous Vehicle: An advanced form of unmanned aerial
vehicles, it may have a range of hundreds of kilometres and an endurance
of months. Moreover, the mission can be pre-programmed in such systems
and can be completed with or without the assistance of an operator. Some
advanced versions also use artificial intelligence.
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Post by Nimmi 26th May 2010, 2:16 am

Thanks

Keep sharing.....
.. Drones : Made In Pakistan 526242
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Post by JAHANGEER 11th June 2010, 2:44 am

nice info thank you for sharing
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Post by midnite angel 19th June 2010, 7:12 pm

Thanks for sharing !!!!!!!!!!!
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Post by Haya 20th June 2010, 5:30 am

thanks,,,,,!!!!
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Post by D.M 3rd July 2010, 2:39 am

Drones : Made In Pakistan Welcome
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Post by Flower 4th July 2010, 9:17 pm

thankx for sharing

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Post by Guest 12th July 2010, 3:12 am

Pretty neat!! thanks a lot for sharing...I am amazed that Pakistan has such technology!!

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Post by Nimmi 19th July 2010, 3:31 pm

Thanks..
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Post by D.M 29th July 2010, 12:34 am

Drones : Made In Pakistan Welcome
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