Pakistan's Blaze Loitering Munitions - Source Quwa

 

IDEAS 2024: Pakistan Defense Industry's New Drones, Missiles and Loitering Munitions
By Riaz Haq
CA

The recently concluded IDEAS 2024, Pakistan's Biennial International Arms Expo in Karachi, featured the latest products offered by Pakistan's defense industry. The event hosted 550 exhibitors, including 340 international defense companies, as well as 350 civilian and military officials from 55 countries. 

Pakistani defense manufacturers highlighted their latest products, including armed UAVs, air-launched cruise missiles, smart munitions and main battle tanks. A Pakistani defense official said several memoranda of understanding (MOUs) were signed with foreign military officials that could potentially lead to $36 billion in future sales. 

Pakistan Shahpar III UAV – Source @ZARRAR3D

Pakistan's state-owned defense conglomerate Global Industrial & Defense Solutions (GIDS) displayed a new medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) – Shahpar III – at the IDEAS 2024 held at the Karachi Expo Center from November 24 to 27, 2024.  Shahpar III features longer endurance, weapon-carrying capacity, and service ceiling over the earlier platforms in the Shahpar family of UAVs. The Shahpar III will have a maximum take-off weight of 1,650 kg and can carry multiple weapons on six underwing hardpoints. It will feature domestically developed avionics and be equipped with a dual-redundant flight control computer (US MIL-STD-1553 architecture), enhancing the aircraft's reliability, according to  Jane's Defense . 

Sarkash Kamikaze drone on display at IDEAS 2024 - Global Defense Agency

GIDS also introduced a new Kamikaze (suicide) drone " Sarkash " at the event. It has a maximum range of 1,000 km, endurance of over 2 hours, a 50 kg warhead, and a total weight of 175 kg, powered by a turbojet engine. GIDS is also working on Sarkash-1, a long-range loitering munition.

GIDS also unveiled the Blaze Series of loitering munitions, including Blaze 25, Blaze 50, and Blaze 75 at IDEAS 2024. The lightest of the series, the 25 kg Blaze 25, is ideal for short-range anti-tank operations with a range of 75 km and endurance of 60 minutes, leaving minimal acoustic and thermal signature thanks to its electric propulsion system, according to  OVD . In contrast, the Blaze 50, with its 50 kg weight, 180 km range, and 20 kg warhead, is an intermediate solution for medium-range attacks and reconnaissance missions. Designed for strategic, long-range engagements, the Blaze 75, the heaviest and most powerful model, boasts a 500 km range and a 30 kg warhead. It is powered by a gasoline engine for long-term endurance. 

Azb-81 LR Small Diameter Bomb - Source Quwa

Qaswa Industries showcased its AZB-81LR Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) at IDEAS 2024. It is a stand-off weapon (SOW) with a range of 200 km. The precision-guided munition has a 250-lb weight and standoff attack range of 200 kilometers, with an imaging infrared (IIR) seeker, according to defense publication  Quwa .  

Quwa also reported on a new Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) displayed at Expo. Using a stealthy low-observable (LO) airframe, the Rasoob-250 offers a range of 350 km with a cruising speed of Mach 0.7 and accuracy of within 5 m CEP (circular error probable). Including a booster, it has a total mass of 285 kg, with the semi-armor piercing warhead taking up 75 kg. It can be launched from drones, helicopters, and maritime patrol aircraft (MPA). 

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) publicly revealed for the first time a model of the next generation of its Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC)/Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) JF-17 ‘Thunder' fighter aircraft.  Known as the JF-17 PFX (Pakistan Fighter Experimental), the model was displayed at the event in Karachi. Pakistani officials at IDEAS 2024 described the JF-17 PFX as a 4.5-plus generation twin-engine fighter aircraft. They also said that development of the type is expected to be completed before the end of the decade, according to  Jane's . 

(Riaz Haq is a Silicon Valley-based Pakistani-American analyst and writer. He blogs at  www.riazhaq.com)