Experts Urge Indigenous Drone Development to Safeguard Pakistan’s Strategic Interests

Islamabad: Experts at a high-level roundtable hosted by the Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies (CASS), Islamabad, have stressed the urgent need for Pakistan to indigenise drone technology to counter evolving aerial threats and maintain a strategic edge over regional adversaries. The event, titled “Unmanned Military Revolution: Contemporary Drone Warfare and Anti-Drone Systems”, was held as part of the CASS Tech Talk series on July 23.

The roundtable brought together retired senior military officials, academics, and technical experts to discuss the rapid evolution of drone warfare and the critical need for robust counter-drone capabilities. Discussions covered emerging technologies such as swarm drones, loyal wingmen, and integrated anti-drone defence mechanisms.

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Moderated by Air Commodore Raza Haider (Retd), Director at CASS, the session featured in-depth analysis of recent conflicts involving unmanned systems. Case studies included the Pakistan-India conflict with Harop drones, Ukraine’s “Operation Spiderweb” which inflicted an estimated $8 billion in damage to Russian bombers, and Israel’s Operation Rising Lion targeting Iranian air defences.

Air Marshal Farooq Habib (Retd), former Senior Director at CASS, emphasized the strategic transformation underway due to drone proliferation. He highlighted how drone warfare impacts deterrence models and facilitates hybrid conflict strategies. Citing Ukraine’s jump from 5,000 drones in 2022 to over 2.4 million in 2024, he warned of a paradigm shift in South Asia’s future warfare, likely dominated by hybrid engagements and unmanned operations.

Technical insights were shared by Dr. Sohail Malik, Chairman of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering at Pak-Austria Fachhochschule IAST, Haripur. He outlined the need for integrated counter-drone frameworks, stressing multi-sensor systems combining radar, EO/IR, acoustic, and RF technologies. He also advocated for indigenous innovation and AI-enabled capabilities to track, identify, and neutralise hostile drones effectively.

In his closing remarks, Air Marshal Javaid Ahmed (Retd), President CASS, reiterated the think tank’s commitment to advancing strategic discourse in Pakistan. He noted that recent regional confrontations—including Pakistan’s successful use of unmanned systems—have highlighted the need to institutionalize drone warfare capabilities within national defence frameworks.

The session concluded with a consensus that Pakistan must act swiftly to develop a self-reliant drone and anti-drone ecosystem, ensuring the protection of its airspace, infrastructure, and national assets amid rising regional and global threats.