The Shahpar-II Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is an unmanned aircraft developed and produced by Global Industrial & Defence Solutions (GIDS); a state-owned defense conglomerate based in Pakistan. This UAV falls into the category of Medium Altitude Long Endurance aircraft, capable of sustaining flight for up to 14 hours at an altitude of 20,000 ft, as confirmed by GIDS. The Shahpar-II represents an upgraded iteration of its predecessor, the Shahpar-I UAV, also conceived and engineered by Global Industrial Defence Solutions (GIDS). Moreover, an armed variation of the Shahpar-II exists, enabling the carriage of a substantial payload of 60 kg under each wing while maintaining a flight duration of 7 hours.
Nevertheless, this particular article exclusively centers around the unarmed variant of the Shahpar-II UAV.
Read More: Military Drones in Africa: The New Arms Race
It has a modular airframe structural design comprising of advanced composite and metallic hybrid structure with an improved aerodynamic design. Some of the notable features of the Shahpar system include its autonomous take-off and landing system, a robust autopilot scheme, user-friendly and comprehensive mission planning, and management software suite, reliable data links, and the capability of integrating various types of EO payloads.
Shahpar-II UAV is primarily for target acquisition, surveillance, relief, and rescue work during disaster, reconnaissance, and spying.
Specifications:
- Endurance: 14 hours
- Data Link Range: 300 kilometers (LoS), 1050 Kilometers (BLoS)
- Height Ceiling: 20,000 ft
- Take-off speed: 80 knots
GIDS also manufactured an attack variant of the Shahpar-II drone. An armed version of Shahpar-II is capable of carrying a load of 60kg under each wing. moreover, this Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) can also be armed with 3rd party munitions such as Turkish-origin MAM-C and MAM-L. The armed Shahpar-II UCAV has a cruising speed of 80-85 knots with an operational flight altitude of 18,000 feet and 7 hours of flight time.
