KARACHI — Pakistan is secretly racing to develop its own armed drones, frustrated with US refusals to provide the aircraft, but is struggling in its initial tests with a lack of precision munitions and advanced targeting technology. One of Islamabad's closest allies and Washington's biggest rivals, China, has offered to help by selling Pakistan armed drones it developed. But industry experts say there is still uncertainty about the capabilities of the Chinese aircraft. The development of unmanned combat aircraft is especially sensitive in Pakistan because of the widespread unpopularity of the hundreds of US drone strikes in the country's rugged tribal region bordering Afghanistan. The US has held talks with Pakistan about providing unarmed surveillance drones, but Islamabad already has several types of these aircraft in operation, and the discussions have gone nowhere. Inaugurating a defense exhibition in the southern city of Karachi last week, Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf indicated Islamabad would look for help from Beijing in response to US intransigence. “Pakistan can also benefit from China in defense collaboration, offsetting the undeclared technological apartheid,” said Ashraf. Pakistan has also been working to develop armed drones on its own, said Pakistani military officials and civilians involved in the domestic drone industry, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because of the classified nature of the work. Pakistan lacks laser-guided missiles like the Hellfire used on US Predator and Reaper drones and the advanced targeting system that goes with it, so the military has been using unguided rockets that are much less accurate. Pakistan's largest drone, the Shahpur, has a wingspan of about seven meters and can carry 50 kg. The US Predator, which can be equipped with two Hellfire missiles, has a wingspan more than twice that and a payload capacity over four times as great. — AP
