March 24,2008:
Pakistan announced the successful completion of flight tests of a new
UAV, the Uqaab. The design looks very similar to models offered by a Pakistani
firm, Integrated Dynamics, which has been producing smaller (under 500 pounds)
UAVs for the government and commercial market since 1997. The Uqaab also appears
similar to the U.S. Army RQ-7B Shadow 200. Each Shadow 200 UAV platoon has 22
troops and operates 3-4 UAVs, plus the
ground control equipment. Typically, each combat brigade has one Shadow UAV
platoon. Each 350 pound Shadow 200 UAV
cost $500,000, and can stay in the air 5.5 hours per sortie. A day camera and
night vision camera is carried on each aircraft. Able to fly as high as 15,000
feet, the Shadow can thus go into hostile territory and stay high enough (over
10,000 feet) to be safe from hostile rifle and machine-gun fire.
The
Integrated Dynamics UAVs appear to operate in a manner similar to the Shadow
200, which is not high tech, just good engineering and quality manufacturing.
Integrated Dynamics has many export customers, including some in the United
States.