GIDS Shahpar
| GIDS Shahpar | |
|---|---|
| Role | Unmanned aerial vehicle |
| Manufacturer | Global Industrial Defence Solutions (GIDS) |
| Status | In service |
| Primary user | *Pakistan Air Force *Pakistan Army |
| Number built | Two squadrons |
The GIDS Shahpar is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) built by Global Industrial Defence Solutions (GIDS) of Pakistan and used by the Pakistani military. It is currently in production following the completion of a test and qualification phase.
According to an engineer of AERO (Advanced Engineering Research Organisation), one of the seven companies forming the GIDS consortium, the only parts of the Shahpar aircraft system not produced in Pakistan are the Rotax 912 engine and the tyres. The sensor suite is built at an AERO facility near Islamabad. The aircraft configuration is based around a pusher engine with canard foreplanes in front of the wings.
The Shahpar has been operational since 2012 when two flights entered service with the Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Army. Each flight is made up of five aircraft, a communications station and a ground control station.
Standing by a large Shahpar tactical UAV, Shoaib Iqbal, an engineer with AERO, the Advanced Engineering Research Organization, proclaimed that “everything in this aircraft was made in Pakistan. Everything except the engines and tires.”
AERO builds sensors at its facility near Islamabad, in a region where most of the Pakistani UAV industry is located.
The Shahpar is the most sophisticated of the GIDS aircraft on display here. Configured with a pusher engine and canards and with a wingspan of 6.6 meters, the craft can carry a 50-kilogram payload to heights of 5,000 meters, and stay airborne more than seven hours.
Two flights of the Shahpar entered service in 2012, Iqbal said, one each with the Pakistani Army and Air Force, and GIDS is expanding its production facilities to answer the demand.
A flight, Iqbal explained, consists of five aircraft, a ground control station and a communications station.
Specifications
Data from [1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 0 aircrew
Performance
- Endurance: >7 hours
Avionics
- Zumr-I (EP) multi-sensor turret
- Fully autonomous control system
See also
Related lists