Soon, Italian drones, 'made in Pakistan'

Lahore, Oct.10 (ANI): While the United States has rejected repeated appeals from Pakistan to give the drone technology to it, so that it could carry out the anti-terror operations on its own, Islamabad is now looking forward to use Italian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).

According to The Los Angeles Times, despite the US snub, Pakistan has not stopped its efforts to acquire the drone technology, and has now inked a deal with an Italian company for that purpose.

The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex has signed an agreement with the Italian company Selex Galileo to produce the UAV, FALCO, locally, the newspaper said.

"In a small, glass-walled laboratory at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra, it (Pakistan) is gearing up to produce its own modern tactical drones similar to the Falcos it used over the Swat Valley," it added.

Experts believe it is an important first step from Pakistan towards the aim of having its own drones which are capable of carrying missiles.

"My own assessment is that they have helped in improving intelligence and operations capability of the Pakistani army in Swat," Defense analyst Talat Masood said.

The Pakistani Army used FALCOs during its operation in the Swat and Malakand Divisions to take aerial images of militant hideouts. (ANI)