Both India and Pakistan are armed to the teeth with a variety of lethal drones, including the Harop and TB2.
While the India-Pakistan ceasefire appears to be holding, new battle lines have been drawn in part with the help of sophisticated unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Last week, Islamabad said that it had shot down dozens of Indian-launched drones across various cities. New Delhi also claimed to have neutralized several Pakistani air defenses and UAVs. Both nations possess versatile drone arsenals, with India’s fleet primarily made up of Israeli products and Pakistan’s comprised largely of Turkish and Chinese aerial weapons. From the Indian subcontinent to Ukraine and the Red Sea, it is clear that drone warfare is monopolizing modern warfare.
Introducing the TB2 Drone
Ankara’s homegrown TB2 UAV is widely considered to be one of the most effective drone series in use today. Featuring advanced systems enabling both autonomous and remotely controlled operations, the Bayraktar drone has put Turkey on the map as an expanding weapons manufacturer in the region. Powered by an internal combustion engine, the Turkish drone can travel at speeds in excess of 220km. In terms of altitude, the TB2 possesses an operational altitude of 25,000 feet with an endurance of twenty-seven hours. As detailed by its maker, the TB2 is equipped with a cutting-edge avionic suite with a “triple redundant avionic system that encompasses units enabling a fully autonomous taxiing, take-off, landing and cruise.” While the Turkish drone has carried out successful strikes in conflicts from the Caucasus to the Middle East, North Africa, and now South Asia, its larger size may limit its future uses as smaller UAVs are becoming more commonplace.
Introducing the Harop Drone
India’s deployment of the Israeli-made Harop loitering munition in its strikes in Pakistan came as no surprise, considering New Delhi is the biggest foreign client of defense systems from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). This suicide drone, along with the IAI-produced Heron, is recognized across the globe for its lethality and precision. Largely derived from its Harpy UAV predecessor, the Harop functions as an electro-optically guided attack weapon that can be reconfigured to carry out multiple tasks simultaneously, including gathering intelligence and striking radars. The Israeli drone is capable of remaining in the air or “loitering” for roughly six hours or traveling 600 miles after being launched. Once in the air, the Harop can function autonomously or via an operator. The Harop first became popularized during the Nagorno-Karabakh 2020 flare-up in violence between Armenia and Azerbaijan. While the drone’s presence in the Russia-Ukraine war has not been confirmed, similar loitering munitions have played a major role on both sides.
Although a lasting ceasefire between Islamabad and New Delhi is desirable, the potential for an imminent renewal of violence remains high. Since both sides are armed to the teeth with a variety of lethal UAVs, the Harop and TB2 could be deployed alongside foreign-produced alternatives down the line.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
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