Abdalians Alumni Home

Friday, 21 August 2009 07:00

Pakistan has started manufacturing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drone, in collaboration with Selex Galileo of Italy which claims to lead the unmanned aerial systems market. A ceremony marking the launch of the project was held at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), Kamra, on Thursday 20th August 2009. It was presided over by Air Marshal Farhat Hussain Khan, the Chairman of the PAC Board. The project is being headed by AVM Aminullah Khan who has been working on this project for the last couple of years. Aminullah belongs to the 17th Entry.

Falco, the UAV to be manufactured under the project, is designed by the Italian firm. The aircraft will address surveillance and reconnaissance needs of Pakistan Air Force. Speaking on the occasion, Air Marshal Hussain said the UAV co-production facility was a major step towards the long-term goal of self-reliance in military aviation industry.

He praised PAC engineers and technicians who had worked unrelentingly for two years to establish the facility. He said that establishing the UAV manufacturing unit was a challenging task requiring total dedication and that Falco would greatly enhance PAF’s operational capability.

The roll-out of the first Falco UAV at the PAC is scheduled in the near future.