The Shahpar-III is a

medium-altitude long-endurance A medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle flies at an altitude window of 10,000 to 30,000 feet (3,000–9,000 m) for extended durations of time, typically 24 to 48 hours.https://www.leonardocompany.com/en/products/falco-xplorer Thi ...

(MALE)

unmanned combat aerial vehicle An unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), also known as a combat drone, fighter drone or battlefield UAV, is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is used for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance and carries aircra ...

(UCAV) designed by

NESCOM The National Engineering & Scientific Commission (NESCOM) () is a Pakistani government-funded defence contractor that develops, designs and sells defense hardware, including missile and weapon systems. It was funded and formed by the Government of ...

and marketed by GIDS. It is the third and newest () member of the Shahpar drone family and is designed as a contender to similar systems like the

MQ-9 Reaper The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (sometimes called Predator B) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV, one component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS)) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations, developed by General Atomi ...

Development

The Shahpar-III being part of the

GIDS Shahpar The GIDS Shahpar is a family of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) built by Global Industrial Defence Solutions of Pakistan and used by the Pakistani military. It is currently in production following the completion of a test and qualification phase. ...

family is a further result of Pakistan's ongoing effort to enhance its local defence industry, particularly in aerospace. Shahpar-III's existence was revealed in a future roadmap presented by GIDS on its website where it was categorized as a group-4+ UCAV. Over time, GIDS displayed models and technology demonstrators of it in various international defense exhibitions including IDEF-2023. Its development cost around a US$100 million. During the IDEAS-24 expo in November 2024, GIDS CEO Asad Kamal and Pakistan Army chief

General Asim Munir Field marshal (Pakistan), Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah (born 1968)Power, John (7 May 2025).How Pakistan's most powerful man provoked India's missile attack. ''The Spectator''. Retrieved 10 May 2025. "Born in Rawalpindi in 1968 (...)" ...

unveiled the Shahpar-III marking its first public appearance. It was classified by GIDS as a Group-4+ UCAV and reportedly developed to compete with similar drones of its category like the

. The Shahpar-III features domestic flight control systems and avionics and is equipped with a 1553 architecture dual-redundant flight control computer enhancing its reliability. Being a

UCAV An unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), also known as a combat drone, fighter drone or battlefield UAV, is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is used for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance and carries aircr ...

, it can be deployed in a variety of roles with ISR,

ISTAR ISTAR stands for Military intelligence, intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance. In its macroscopic sense, #ISTAR, ISTAR is a practice that links several battlefield functions together to assist a combat force in employ ...

, CAS and maritime roles among them. It can be armed with several Pakistani-sourced munitions like the Barq missiles and Al Battaar laser-guided bombs though other munitions can also be integrated onto it.

Variants

* Shahpar-III (140 hp): Version fitted with 140 hp engine. * Shahpar-III (170 hp): Version fitted with more powerful 170 hp engine.

Specifications (170hp configuration)

References

{{GIDS GIDS products Unmanned military aircraft of Pakistan Airborne military robots

Development

Variants

Specifications (170hp configuration)

See also

References