UNMANNED SYSTEMS UPDATE
14 Aug 09. Taiwan continues micro and tactical UAV development. Taiwan’s armed forces are set to receive their first tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capability with the introduction of the Chung Shyang system, unveiled at the Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition (TADTE) on 13 August. According to the Aeronautical System Research Division of Taiwan’s Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), the Taiwan Army has ordered over 20 platforms for surveillance and reconnaissance missions. (Source: Jane’s)
21 Aug 09. The Pakistan air force yesterday launched an ambitious project to begin manufacturing parts of drones in an indication of the country’s determination to produce advanced defence systems locally, writes Farhan Bokhari in Islamabad. Unlike the US-produced drones armed with advanced missiles and used to attack suspected militant sites in the PakistanAfghanistan region, the air force will produce the Falco unmanned aerial vehicle with Italian company Selex Galileo, mainly for reconnaissance and gathering intelligence. Western defence officials in Islamabad said any initiative to produce such aircraft would eventually allow Pakistan to develop more sophisticated drones including those armed with weapons. The use of such drones has acquired greater significance in the past year since the air force assumed a wider role in military campaigns against Taliban militants in the northern Swat valley as well as the areas along the Afghan border, reputed to have become havens for Taliban and al-Qaeda militants. The PAF did not say how many drones would be produced or the pace of production, though it said the first one was likely to be produced “in the near future”.(Source: FT.com)