KARACHI: Pakistan’s Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir this week unveiled the “Shahpar-III” drone capable of flying 35,000 feet into the air and carrying heavy weapons such as bombs, cruise missiles and torpedoes, with the head of the company that manufactured the drone describing it as a “game changer” in battlefield. 

Developed by Global Industrial Defense Solutions (GIDS), a state-owned Pakistani defense conglomerate, Shahpar-III represents the third generation of the Shahpar series of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The latest edition is capable of carrying a payload of up to 500 kilograms, which enables it to transport a variety of heavy weapons. 

Munir unveiled the drone during the ongoing International Defense Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) expo in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi on Wednesday. Pakistan’s premier expo, running from Nov. 19-22 at the Karachi Expo Center, will host over 550 exhibitors, including 340 international defense companies, alongside more than 350 senior civil and military officials from 55 countries.

“It is a main game changer in a battlefield with the kind of weapons it can carry,” Asad Kamal, Chief Executive Officer of GIDS, told Arab News, adding that the drone would soon be inducted into the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). 

UAVs offer a unique advantage to combat forces around the world as they can be deployed in hazardous environments without risking human lives, mostly in conflict zones, to carry out precision strikes. 

Apart from its obvious military advantages, UAVs or drones can also be used for civilian purposes such as search and rescue missions, reconnaissance, surveillance, agriculture monitoring and delivery services.

The Shahpar-III is a successor to the Shahpar-II drone which could fly up to 20 hours at a maximum altitude of 23,000 feet in the air, according to GIDS website. The Shahpar-III can fly up to 35,000 feet for 24 hours and carry a payload of up to 500 kilograms. 

GIDS, which has been selling its products to around 14 countries including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, introduced Shahpar-II in 2021. The drone’s impressive endurance and high-altitude capabilities make it a formidable asset for military operations. 

“This has a more strategic value to an armed force in comparison to Shahpar-II,” Kamal explained. “Shahpar-III is a natural step up when you’re making UAVs drones.”
Kamal said the drone can see targets at night and “take on the enemy” with heavy weapons. 

“That means that from your own borders, you can launch a cruise missile from an unpiloted plane,” he said. “That cruise missile has a range of 250 kilometers. So, it can give any force a lot of firepower value by having this sort of a weapon in its arsenal.”