Beijing: China will give 48 high-end drones to its close ally Pakistan, a deal, which experts say, could be the biggest of its kind.
The Chinese media reported about the development after India struck a $5 billion (Dh18.3 billion) deal with Russia to buy S-400 defence systems. China is Pakistan’s biggest arms supplier.
Wing Loong II, made by Chengdu Aircraft Industrial (Group) Company, is a high-end reconnaissance and strike multi-role endurance unmanned aircraft system. The cost and the time period of delivery of drones were not known.
The Global Times said the deal was announced by Pakistan Air Force’s Sherdils Aerobatic Team on Sunday.
The report cited the aerobatics team as saying that in the future the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Kamra and the Aviation Industry Corporation of China’s Chengdu Aircraft Industrial (Group) Company will jointly manufacture the drones.
Wing Loong II made its maiden flight in February last year, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The largest overseas order for Wing Loong IIs was obtained even before the maiden flight, Xinhua said. The report did not specify the buyer.
“A deal involving as many as 48 Wing Loong IIs, if confirmed, would be China’s largest export deal for drones to date,” Song Zhongping, a military expert, told the Times.
“The deal is trustworthy given the close military ties between the two countries and Pakistan’s need for drones,” Song said.
The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) will also be jointly manufactured, state-run Global Times reported.
China, an “all-weather ally” of Islamabad, is the largest supplier of weapon system to the Pakistan Army. Both the countries also jointly manufacture JF-Thunder a single engine multi-role combat aircraft.
The deal for the acquisition of Chinese drones was announced by Pakistan Air Force’s Sherdils Aerobatic Team on its official Facebook account on Sunday, the Global Times report said.
The air force academy aerobatics team announced that in the future, the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Kamra and the Aviation Industry Corporation of China’s Chengdu Aircraft Industrial (Group) Company will jointly manufacture the drones, the report said.
Chengdu Aircraft Industrial Group did not confirm when the deal was reached.
A Xinhua report in December last year said Wing Loong II UAS has already obtained the largest order of Chinese UAVs in the overseas market, even before its maiden flight. But the report did not specify the buyer.
According to the report, the system is composed of the ground station and various number of unmanned aerial vehicles.
Within 10 months of its maiden flight, multiple live firing tests had been conducted in accordance with the requirement of its customers, including stationary targets, moving targets, time sensitive targets and air-ground coordination, the report said.
A deal involving as many as 48 Wing Loong IIs, if confirmed, would be China’s largest export deal for drones to date, Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times.
It makes sense the aerobatic team was closely involved with the deal, Song said, noting that the team is expected to train the drone operators.
The deal is trustworthy given the close military ties between the two countries and Pakistan’s need for drones, Song said.
US drones such as the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper are technologically more advanced, but Washington limits their export, Song said.
Chinese drones will enjoy more success in the international market in the future, he said, as they perform similarly at a lower cost.
“Chinese UAVs like Caihong series also has clients from countries like Iraq and Saudi Arabia,” Song added.
