KARACHI, Pakistan — Pakistan this week became the world’s fifth known country to use an armed drone in combat, and it can probably thank China.
Laser-guided missiles fired from the Burraq armed drone killed three “terrorists” in a mountainous region near the Afghan border on Sunday, according to Pakistan’s military.
The U.S., Israel, United Kingdom and Nigeria have previously used armed drones in combat, according to publicly available information. France, Iran and the United Arab Emirates possess the capability but haven’t exercised it, according to an October study led by Michael C. Horowitz, an associate professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania.
While weapons-equipped versions of unmanned aerial vehicles account for a fraction of the global trade, their share has roughly doubled in the past decade. Proliferation is set to surge with about 30 countries either developing or already possessing the capability to equip drones with weapons.
“Most states are only beginning to think about how they will use drones or respond to foreign drone use in their territory,” said Kelly Sayler, an associate fellow at the Center for a New American Security. “If states decide that there is a lower threshold for the use of drones – particularly in cross- border missions – then drones could be quite destabilizing.”
Pakistan said in March that Burraq, which was named after a flying steed ridden by the Prophet Muhammad, was developed indigenously. Many analysts, however, say it appears to be based on the CH-3 drone developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.
“They definitely had help from the Chinese,” said Elizabeth Quintana, director of military sciences at the London-based Royal United Services Institute.
“The two programs are very closely linked, if not identical,” said James Hardy, Asia-Pacific editor of IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly.
Major General Asim Bajwa, a Pakistan military spokesman, didn’t answer three calls to his mobile phone seeking further details on the development of the drone. Questions that were faxed and emailed to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. received no reply. China’s foreign ministry also didn’t reply to faxed questions.
The U.S. and China are the only two nations known to have exported armed drones, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Last month, China announced it would begin restricting exports of certain “high performance” drones over concerns they could compromise national security, Xinhua reported on Aug. 2.
“China’s drone technology has reached an advanced level,” said Ni Lexiong, a professor at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, who specializes in Chinese military and diplomacy. It’s possible that China exported the drone to close allies like Pakistan before the ban came into effect, he said.
Its role as an exporter of armed drones came to light in January, when a CH-3 unmanned aircraft crashed in Nigeria’s Borno province, the heart of the Boko Haram insurgency. The 5.1- meter CH-3 has a 200-kilometer range and can carry a 100- kilogram payload, according to Poly Technologies Inc., which manufactures the aircraft. A woman who answered a phone call to the company’s main number declined to comment, while a fax to Poly Technologies went unanswered.
The all-weather Burraq is armed with air-to-surface Barq missiles that ensure “pinpoint accuracy,” the Pakistan military said in March when it was unveiled. It hasn’t revealed any further details on its technical capabilities.
The use of armed drones gained prominence following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks as the U.S. began using them in places like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia. Pakistan has publicly criticized the U.S. for drone strikes on its soil.
Pakistan will now be able to target hard-to-reach places without relying on U.S. drones, said Tasneem Noorani, a former secretary at Pakistan’s interior ministry.
“It’s a very important improvement and development,” he said.
China has often modified weapons specially for Pakistan, including missiles, the Al Khalid tank and the K-8 light combat aircraft, said Siemon Wezeman, a senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The Burraq may be another example.
“They look very, very similar,” he said. “We’re currently treating it as a transfer from China with a ‘developed in Pakistan’ stamp and a Pakistani name.”
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