Pakistan military has confirmed that India used Israeli made Harop drones in the recent drone attacks across multiple cities in the country. According to army spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the armed forces shot down 12 of these drones in places like Karachi and Lahore. He called the act a clear provocation and showed photos of the destroyed drones during a press briefing. He said that the army is on high alert and actively responding to this ongoing threat.
The Harop drone is a special type of weapon developed by Israel Aerospace Industries. It is not an ordinary drone rather it works like a flying bomb. It can stay in the air for a long time, search for a target and then dive onto it to explode. It can either be controlled by a person or fly on its own using built in systems. These drones are designed to destroy things like enemy air defense systems and other key targets. They can be launched from trucks, ships or even aircraft and can return safely if they do not find a target.
Dr. Fahad Irfan Siddiqui from Mehran University, explained that these drones are military grade and are operated through satellite signals which makes them very difficult to block or jam. In comparison, civilian drones like the ones used for farming or photography are easier to stop with jammers. He also said that the drones seen in news reports might include small quadcopters which are not very deadly but still hard to detect.
Dr. Siddiqui further explained that under international rules any drone heavier than 250 grams must be registered with the civil aviation authority. These type of drones are not allowed to fly near military bases, airports or borders. Such areas are declared no fly zones to make sure security.
Over the past decade, India has purchased around $2.9 billion worth of military equipment from Israel including drones like Harop, radars and missiles.
Also read this: Pakistan Confirms 26 Civilian Deaths in Indian Attacks
