A drone of our own

Will Pakistan-owned, operated drones armed with Pakistan-developed missiles take over from US drones


Editorial March 14, 2015
This television screen grab shows UCAV Burraq launching the laser-guided missile Burq.

Pakistan has quietly been moving towards the production of an armed all-weather drone for several years; and the successful completion of the launch of a laser-guided missile from an indigenously produced drone is a significant step forward in the development of our armoury. Drone development globally has been on fast-forward for a decade, with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) coming in all shaped and sizes — and capabilities. The smallest and cheapest are those which are commercially available in the open market and are now used regularly by media outlets as camera platforms. They have many other civilian uses as well, and it is likely that Amazon.com will have developed a book delivery service staffed by drones by the end of this year. At the other end of the scale are the fighting vehicles such as that now coming into operational use with the Pakistan armed forces, and as has been proven many times over, armed drones can be a very effective tool in counterterrorism operations.

Hitherto the use of armed drones in Pakistan has been confined to their controversial deployment by the Americans, and the resultant arguments about territorial imperatives and violations of sovereignty. Where the significance of this development may lie is in whether — or not — Pakistan-owned and operated drones armed with Pakistan-developed missiles will take over the role currently fulfilled by American drones. This would require intelligence-sharing at the highest of levels, but there can be little doubt that the Americans do not share with Pakistan everything that they know — for the simple reason that they do not trust us not to tip off the terrorists that they are being tracked and targeted. That aside, this is a significant widening of military capabilities, and if real-time intelligence can be linked to strike capacity — surveillance and targeting working in synchronicity — then this is a powerful and effective weapon with a multitude of applications. There may be economic benefits too. Other countries also fight terrorism, and a cost-effective drone could be an international revenue earner. A discreet pat on the back to all concerned is in order.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 15th, 2015.

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COMMENTS (6)

Solomon2 | 9 years ago | Reply "Hitherto the use of armed drones in Pakistan has been confined to their controversial deployment by the Americans, and the resultant arguments about territorial imperatives and violations of sovereignty. " You forgot to mention the deaths of innocent civilians in drone strikes. But have no fear: I'm sure drones operated by the Pakistani military will NEVER strike civilians: the only casualties will be "militants" and "suspected militants."
Raja Porus | 9 years ago | Reply This fantastic ground-breaking development will give Mullah Fazlullah and his terrorist Indian RAW supporters countless sleepless nights.
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