IDEAS 2018: Overview of Pakistan's burgeoning defence capability

Local and international weapon manufacturers showcase their latest technology at the four-day expo

KARACHI: The tenth edition of the International Defence and Exhibition Seminar (IDEAS), currently underway at the Expo Centre in Karachi, provides an amazing opportunity for both local and international arms manufacturers to showcase their latest weapon systems being deployed in contemporary modern warfare.

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Exhibits showcasing high-tech weaponry for all three services was on display covering different aspects of warfare such as intelligence, surveillance, information and data sharing.



The atmosphere at the venue was lively on the second day, with people from all walks of life, including those from the arms industry, and those with a general interest in arms relishing the opportunity to witness the nation's defence production capabilities.

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The latest JF-17 Block II with an in-flight refuelling system. Aircraft has been jointly developed by Pakistan and China.

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Defense Minister Pervez Khattak was also in attendance at the event, he was given an overview of the latest arms and weaponry on display at the exhibition by military officials.

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A local arms manufacturer held a ceremony for the handing over of a domestically produced 40mm automatic grenade launcher to a senior military general at IDEAS on Wednesday.

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The Pakistan Army started conducting trials on a domestically produced automatic grenade launcher (AGL) in May. The weapon platform is reportedly capable of operating in temperatures ranging from 55C to -24C.

Reports suggest the launcher has a range of 2,200 meters and weighs around 41 kilograms. The launcher can also be equipped with night vision or thermal sights.

Foreign presence

The exhibition had stalls of renowned international defence companies from around the world such as Russia, China and Turkey. Many foreign delegations were also present at the exhibition.

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Latest in air force and drones

The technology being deployed in the air showcased some of the most modern systems which help and track and position of aircraft accurately. In addition to this, state of the art flight simulators are also being deployed to train pilots.

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On the Ground

A layout of the military training facility in Punjab, where officials from the armed forces and civilian law enforcement agencies including the police, rangers and Frontier Corps acquire training in anti-terrorist operations.

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The Navy

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