- Shahpar can be used for surveillance activities during rough weather and at night
- With a highly-developed GPS, the weaponized system can fly up to 17,000 ft while covering a radius of 250kms
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan unveiled the indigenously-developed Shahpar drone at a trade exhibition for internationally and locally-manufactured arms and weapons in Karachi on Wednesday.
The four-day 10th International Defense Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) which was inaugurated by President Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday will finish tomorrow.
Designed, developed and manufactured by the Global Industrial Defense Solutions (GIDS), the Shahpar is a tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that can be used for real-time reconnaissance, target acquisition, and disaster management missions.
It can undertake surveillance activities during the night and carry out operations in any weather. The UAV can also be mounted with an optical payload of nearly 50 kilograms.
The Shahpar comes with a highly-sophisticated GPS and can carry additional payloads to meet the operational requirements of its users. It can soar up to a height of 17,000 feet for seven hours while covering a radius of 250 kilometers.
Drones have been popularized in the recent decades by the United States which has used them extensively in its war against extremism in various parts of the world. The technology gave it military superiority against transnational radical outfits, capturing the interest of defense experts who recognized its battlefield efficacy in irregular warfare.
Drones have also been used for commercial purposes, with an increasing number of TV networks and photographers benefiting from their use. Pakistan’s armed forces inducted the Shahpar in 2012 and introduced it to international audiences the same year during the IDEAS forum. It was also displayed at the International Defense Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) in Abu Dhabi, UAE in February 2013.