Pakistan Surprises Many With First Use of Armed Drone

[Zarvan]

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan has made its first acknowledged operational strike using its Burraq armed UAV, which analysts say shows a higher than expected level of sophistication in the military's real-time targeting capabilities.

The strike was confirmed via the Twitter account of the head of the military's media branch, Inter Services Public Relations, Maj Gen Asim Bajwa. A tweet dated Sept. 7 announced the first "ever use of Pak made Burraq Drone today. Hit a terrorist compound in Shawal Valley killing 3 high profile terrorists." It also said further details would follow.

The Shawal Valley in North Waziristan is the scene of a Pakistan military operation to clear out the last pockets of the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and affiliated terrorist groups from Pakistani soil as part of the wider Operation Zarb-e-Azb.


"The Burraq and its targeting and command structure are obviously very much more sophisticated than many of us had imagined, spurring belief that [China's] influence, cooperation and input may have been considerable", said analyst Brian Cloughley, a former Australian defense attache to Islamabad. "This is not to denigrate the work of the drone manufacturer, NESCOM, which is an efficient organization, but it is extremely doubtful if its own drone technology capability is on a level that this development appears to reveal."

The Burraq and the similar Shahpar, which is said to be able to be armed, are widely believed to at least be developed from the Chinese CH-3 UAV if not license-produced versions by Pakistan's NESCOM.

Despite this milestone, there are "wider implications of drone employment [that] must be considered," Cloughley said. "In the tribal areas there is already widespread fear of drones and resentment against the government and the armed forces for the many civilian deaths that have resulted from US drone strikes. Drones and missiles don't display national identification, but even if the tribes could distinguish between US and Pakistani strikes, they would blame Islamabad for their results."

Analyst Kaiser Tufail said there are ethical issues, but Pakistan's targeting will likely be more discretionary.

"The usage of UAVs by foreign powers in other sovereign states has been a major issue, alongside the moral aspect of virtually 'clicking' to kill through impersonal and remotely actioned 'computer games,' " he said. However, "These aspects are not likely to hound countries like Pakistan, who have an own autonomous capability where the identity of insurgents is known much better than the US, which has been notorious for administering 'Hellfire' to wedding parties and funeral gatherings."

For the Pakistan Air Force, he said, this is the dawn of a new era.

"The future of warfare is getting more and more virtual," said Tufail, a former Air Force pilot. "By using UAVs, the risk of exposing pilots to being shot down is eliminated, besides the possibility of flying missions for days and weeks on end. The bio-support systems like ejection seats, oxygen supply and pressurization systems are obviated, lightening up the aircraft for more range/endurance and payload." he said.

Operationally, however, this is considerable step forward.

"The main advantage that I see is that air support does not have to be called in from long distances once a threat has emerged, and which can hide by the time the piloted aircraft arrive on the scene," Tufail said. "UAVs can loiter for hours, so the vulnerability of insurgents is also round-the-clock."

Potential interservice rivalry in UAV deployment needs to be addressed, he said.

"One of the issues I foresee is the battle of turf between the Army and the Air Force (and the Navy). Each has manufactured [or] purchased UAVs, but who uses them for what purpose has not been spelt out in any Inter-services roles and responsibilities document for UAVs," Tufail said. "This matter needs to be cleared up formally, before duplication of resources and effort takes its toll."

Email: [email protected]

http://www.defensenews.com/story/de...urprises-many-first-use-armed-drone/71881768/

 

[tharikiran]

I don't understand .. what's the big deal about an armed drone.Once you have a drone, it means you already have software code required to fly it, communicate with it.You can attach dumb bombs to it and it will still do the job.Now, if you have to fire missiles ...add more lines of software code to launch the missiles.
So, what's the big deal ?? It's just a matter of political and military decision to go from surveillance platform to an offensive one. No big deal..because when it comes down to writing code we have millions who can write code and good quality at that.Now, am I surprised..not at all.

 

[Blackwater]

Thanks to our Chinese engineer and scientist for this achievements [emoji120][emoji120][emoji120][emoji120]

 

[DingDong]

Using Drones, bombing own citizens!

Great going! Eat Grass, make Bomb.

 

[Alien]

I don't understand .. what's the big deal about an armed drone.Once you have a drone, it means you already have software code required to fly it, communicate with it.You can attach dumb bombs to it and it will still do the job.Now, if you have to fire missiles ...add more lines of software code to launch the missiles.
So, what's the big deal ?? It's just a matter of political and military decision to go from surveillance platform to an offensive one. No big deal..because when it comes down to writing code we have millions who can write code and good quality at that.Now, am I surprised..not at all.

It's a big deal for Bakis because, they have renamed some XiChinHoChiMin Chinese drone as Burraq and for their surprise, it actually worked and now they are celebrating, nothing new

 

[maomao]

Drone crashed or it is used as a missile?

 

[Zarvan]

Indians always jealous and in denial mode grow up kids

 

[maomao]

Indians always jealous and in denial mode grow up kids

No hamid gul fan....I was serious, there can be drones which can crash on the enemy and kill them! You will need thousands if not millions to tackle Afghans and Baloch.....also ISIS is coming for pak sarzameen!

 

[Mikesingh]

Pakistan surprises many? Sure! It surprises the world how you Pakistanis import knocked down kits of drones and all other weapon platforms from China and then repaint them in Pak colors and claim that stuff is indigenous!! Lol!

Your Burraq is nothing but the Chinese CH-3!! Here....

Chinese CH-3

Pakistan's Burraq.

Heck! Even the winglets are the same!! And the Pakistanis claim a massive leap in their drone technology!! Oh yeah!! Congratulations!!

 

[salute]

@Zarvan
lol fool pakis,
now those poor people in that region and western countries along with them gonna scream human rights violation ,
pakis use drones on baloch people,innocent people gonna gets killed,
then demand for freedom from paki gonna be more louder.

 

[bengalraider]

Guys all said and done I hate to be the devil's advocate here but the Pakistanis have carried out an armed drone strike. Now it doesn't matter whether the ch-3 is called the burraq or the burkha by them , what matters is they have the capability.
We have a large number of govt programs going that once implemented properly tend to leave them in the dust (brahmos being a case in point) however we do take quite long sometimes.
Anyhoo have fun blowing up your own people Pakistan!

 

[Neo]

Daily News
Sep 8, 2015 Bilal Khan -
Background on the Burraq Armed UAV
A look at Pakistan's new armed unmanned aerial vehicle

By Bilal Khan

The Pakistani military recently announced that they had officially begun using the Burraq armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) as part of its ongoing counterinsurgency operations in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Produced by the National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM), the Burraq was inducted in November 2013 and successfully test-fired a laser-guided air-to-ground missile (AGM) named Barq in March 2015. The Burraq is the result of a longstanding effort on the part of the Pakistani Armed Forces to acquire armed UAVs. The Burraq registered its first officially acknowledged record of combat in September 2015 during the Shawal Valley operation in North Waziristan where it fired a Barq AGM at three “high profile” militants.


The NESCOM Burraq Armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (AUAV) firing a Barq air-to-surface laser-guided missile. This incident effectively makes Pakistan one of the very first countries besides the U.S to deploy armed drones in live combat.

With about 420 strikes[1] in Pakistan alone, armed UAVs have played a major role in the region’s counterinsurgency theatre, particularly from 2008. Drone strikes in the region reached their peak in 2010 with 122 strikes. The advent of armed UAVs and their use against the Taliban leadership had a considerable impact in dampening the effectiveness of the insurgency. At the same time however, American engagement doctrines (see: ‘signature strikes’) also wrought in significant civilian casualties. However, the lethal efficiency of drones in targeted strikes, their low operational costs, and their psychological impacts (on friend and foe alike) cannot be understated.

Pakistan has sought armed drones for some time, perhaps as far back as 2003 when its then head of state, General Pervez Musharraf, reportedly made the request. However, Pakistan was rebuffed. At some point the Pakistani military put the country’s defence industry to work on developing a similar solution. In 2009 word came about of Pakistan developing the Burraq, but details at the time were scarce.

At the time, any Pakistani armed drone program would have been constrained by two factors: First, the challenges with associated with actually developing an airframe capable of exhibiting enough range and payload capacity to house laser-guided AGMs. The second, even if the first were achieved, was Pakistan’s lack of access to satellite communications assets, which would enable Pakistan to use such drones over extended range (as opposed to the very limited range.

The Burraq was inducted in November 2013, and it was shown having the capacity to carry two laser-guided AGMs. It was noted at the time for sharing a strong aesthetic resemblance to the Chinese Rainbow CH-3. The same observation came to light again in March 2015 when the Pakistani military publicly announced that it had test-fired a Barq AGM (which is similar in concept to the AGM-114 Hellfire-II) from a Burraq. To be clear, China’s willingness to support Pakistan in its many defence programs, including armed drones, is well known. To suggest that Pakistan would refuse China’s assistance would be disingenuous.



The aesthetic similarities between the Rainbow CH-3 and Burraq (and for that matter the Chinese AR-1 AGM and Barq) cannot be swept away, and that is not a bad thing. Pakistan was also reportedly offered the larger and longer-range CH-4 (which is capable of carrying four AGMs and has a strong aesthetic resemblance to the MQ-1 Predator). Should Pakistan decide to continue enhancing its armed UAV capabilities, it could draw upon China’s advances and expertise in this area, and not be encumbered by elongated lead-times resulting from technical challenges.


The larger CH-4 was reportedly offered to Pakistan along with the CH-3. Whereas the CH-3 could carry two AGMs, the CH-4 can carry four.

More importantly, it is clear that the Burraq armed UAV and Barq laser-guided AGM are being produced in Pakistan through NESCOM. Even if it were a straightforward off-the-shelf purchase with license production rights (which, to be fair, does seem to be the case), it would still be a significant gain for the Pakistani defence industry (which is already playing a role in supporting the Turkish Anka program). Whichever way one cuts it, the Burraq is a good platform for building valuable expertise and developmental capacities.

The Barq laser-guided AGM was not discussed as much as the Burraq, but the fact that this kind of system is being produced in Pakistan is an important gain. While sharing a strong visual similarity to the Chinese AR-1, it is worth noting that the AR-1 a lightweight variant of the HJ-10, which in turn is similar in concept to the AGM-114 Hellfire-II. Not only would this kind of system be used from armed drones, but it could make its way to attack helicopters and close air support aircraft as well. Variations of this missile could be adapted for targeting structures and armoured vehicles as well.



It has not been confirmed if the Burraq was used with the support of the BeiDou Satellite System (BDS), but with the Burraq in active deployment, it will be worth seeing exactly how the Pakistani military will employ these systems. It is unclear if they are in the sole hands of one service arm (such as the Pakistan Air Force) or whether they will be diffused across different arms and organizations, such as the ISI. It is also unclear if Pakistan’s armed UAV pursuits will conclude with the Burraq as is, or if it rolls out armed drones based on other designs, such as the CH-4 or Anka, in the future.

[1] Number came from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism

http://quwa.org/2015/09/08/background-on-the-burraq-armed-uav/

 

[FRYCRY]

India should implement this on LoC why are our jawans patrolling that damn risky LoC at 3am

 

[Blackwater]

Daily News
Sep 8, 2015 Bilal Khan -
Background on the Burraq Armed UAV
A look at Pakistan's new armed unmanned aerial vehicle

By Bilal Khan

The Pakistani military recently announced that they had officially begun using the Burraq armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) as part of its ongoing counterinsurgency operations in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Produced by the National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM), the Burraq was inducted in November 2013 and successfully test-fired a laser-guided air-to-ground missile (AGM) named Barq in March 2015. The Burraq is the result of a longstanding effort on the part of the Pakistani Armed Forces to acquire armed UAVs. The Burraq registered its first officially acknowledged record of combat in September 2015 during the Shawal Valley operation in North Waziristan where it fired a Barq AGM at three “high profile” militants.


The NESCOM Burraq Armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (AUAV) firing a Barq air-to-surface laser-guided missile. This incident effectively makes Pakistan one of the very first countries besides the U.S to deploy armed drones in live combat.

With about 420 strikes[1] in Pakistan alone, armed UAVs have played a major role in the region’s counterinsurgency theatre, particularly from 2008. Drone strikes in the region reached their peak in 2010 with 122 strikes. The advent of armed UAVs and their use against the Taliban leadership had a considerable impact in dampening the effectiveness of the insurgency. At the same time however, American engagement doctrines (see: ‘signature strikes’) also wrought in significant civilian casualties. However, the lethal efficiency of drones in targeted strikes, their low operational costs, and their psychological impacts (on friend and foe alike) cannot be understated.

Pakistan has sought armed drones for some time, perhaps as far back as 2003 when its then head of state, General Pervez Musharraf, reportedly made the request. However, Pakistan was rebuffed. At some point the Pakistani military put the country’s defence industry to work on developing a similar solution. In 2009 word came about of Pakistan developing the Burraq, but details at the time were scarce.

At the time, any Pakistani armed drone program would have been constrained by two factors: First, the challenges with associated with actually developing an airframe capable of exhibiting enough range and payload capacity to house laser-guided AGMs. The second, even if the first were achieved, was Pakistan’s lack of access to satellite communications assets, which would enable Pakistan to use such drones over extended range (as opposed to the very limited range.

The Burraq was inducted in November 2013, and it was shown having the capacity to carry two laser-guided AGMs. It was noted at the time for sharing a strong aesthetic resemblance to the Chinese Rainbow CH-3. The same observation came to light again in March 2015 when the Pakistani military publicly announced that it had test-fired a Barq AGM (which is similar in concept to the AGM-114 Hellfire-II) from a Burraq. To be clear, China’s willingness to support Pakistan in its many defence programs, including armed drones, is well known. To suggest that Pakistan would refuse China’s assistance would be disingenuous.



The aesthetic similarities between the Rainbow CH-3 and Burraq (and for that matter the Chinese AR-1 AGM and Barq) cannot be swept away, and that is not a bad thing. Pakistan was also reportedly offered the larger and longer-range CH-4 (which is capable of carrying four AGMs and has a strong aesthetic resemblance to the MQ-1 Predator). Should Pakistan decide to continue enhancing its armed UAV capabilities, it could draw upon China’s advances and expertise in this area, and not be encumbered by elongated lead-times resulting from technical challenges.


The larger CH-4 was reportedly offered to Pakistan along with the CH-3. Whereas the CH-3 could carry two AGMs, the CH-4 can carry four.

More importantly, it is clear that the Burraq armed UAV and Barq laser-guided AGM are being produced in Pakistan through NESCOM. Even if it were a straightforward off-the-shelf purchase with license production rights (which, to be fair, does seem to be the case), it would still be a significant gain for the Pakistani defence industry (which is already playing a role in supporting the Turkish Anka program). Whichever way one cuts it, the Burraq is a good platform for building valuable expertise and developmental capacities.

The Barq laser-guided AGM was not discussed as much as the Burraq, but the fact that this kind of system is being produced in Pakistan is an important gain. While sharing a strong visual similarity to the Chinese AR-1, it is worth noting that the AR-1 a lightweight variant of the HJ-10, which in turn is similar in concept to the AGM-114 Hellfire-II. Not only would this kind of system be used from armed drones, but it could make its way to attack helicopters and close air support aircraft as well. Variations of this missile could be adapted for targeting structures and armoured vehicles as well.



It has not been confirmed if the Burraq was used with the support of the BeiDou Satellite System (BDS), but with the Burraq in active deployment, it will be worth seeing exactly how the Pakistani military will employ these systems. It is unclear if they are in the sole hands of one service arm (such as the Pakistan Air Force) or whether they will be diffused across different arms and organizations, such as the ISI. It is also unclear if Pakistan’s armed UAV pursuits will conclude with the Burraq as is, or if it rolls out armed drones based on other designs, such as the CH-4 or Anka, in the future.

[1] Number came from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism

http://quwa.org/2015/09/08/background-on-the-burraq-armed-uav/

how come your engineer can not make a car ,motorcycle or railway engineer even repair railway engine but can make tank,missile and this burraq:biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2:

 

[Zarvan]

No hamid gul fan....I was serious, there can be drones which can crash on the enemy and kill them! You will need thousands if not millions to tackle Afghans and Baloch.....also ISIS is coming for pak sarzameen!

Only few Baluch were creating problem and even majority of those have surrendered as for Afghans they never attacked us and TTP is pretty much eliminated