US drone maker Powerus signs Pakistan Army MOU, gets initial order

[Hazard]

Don't know what to make of this news. IRAN next door pretty much specialise in this field - and yet off we go to Yankees time and time again.

 

[KAL-EL]

Don't know what to make of this news. IRAN next door pretty much specialise in this field - and yet off we go to Yankees time and time again.

Well maybe the Yanks as you call them. Know something you don't my friend

 

[Michael]

How a drone maker aims to fix the supply chain​

Powerus co-founder and U.S. Army veteran Brett Velicovich explains how the company is working to bring the drone end-to-end manufacturing process to the United States.

How a drone maker aims to fix the supply chain

Powerus co-founder and U.S. Army veteran Brett Velicovich explains how the company is working to bring the drone end-to-end manufacturing process to the United States.

www.manufacturingdive.com

==========================

Under the requirements of the NDAA, no defense contractor will directly admit to certain matters; however, within the realm of rigorous industrial systems, they will express objective realities in a circumspect manner.

 

[White Privilege]

I will say it: a sweetheart deal to please the Trumps. So far, it's only an MoU; we will have to see the number of units and the price.

Yes, it appears to appease Trump's (buy from USA (read Trump)) policy, so his family also benefits from his seat. Pakistan has launched many locally made drones on fast track so not sure what value addition this deal will bring otherwise.....

 

[White Privilege]

Was there any competitive bidding for this order ? This company has a limited track record and annual revenues ranging between 25 and 100 million dollars over the last three years and is merging with a Trump family related golf course operator.

Seems like a clear case of a bribe and the Dems are sure to investigate this and have public hearings once they take control of Congress in a few months.

 

[mythbuster]

So much cope and unwarranted jealousy from every corner in this thread lol. And no substance.

Anyway, somebody asked about the products. So a summary.

Guardian, basically a shahed interceptor.

Matrix series of FPVs
Matrix 3. 0.7 kg payload
Matrix 5. 1.6 kg payload. 8 km "data link " range
Matrix 7. 2.7 kg payload. 12 km DL range
Matrix 10. 4.5 kg payload. 20km DL range.

Matrix fold. This one is interesting. Instead of a specialized drone, its common airframe with a cartridge bay. The operator can swap the electronics/mission package in the field.
They spell out this cartridges/loadouts

"(1)Fiber
Zero-RF control on a spooled fiber run.
(2) Autonomous
Onboard autonomy for operator-light tasking.
(3) Digital
Encrypted digital link and video pipeline.
(4) Anti-Jam
Hardened navigation for contested spectrum."

Matrix T trainer

Matrix Series pilot kit. Ground station goodies.

They also have some commerical use, fire fighting, basic ISR, and crop dusting drones that I think are irrelevant to us.
__________________________

If the deal goes through, and they do build some manufacturing capacity in Pakistan, I think it will be mainly to arm the Americans and their customers. Pakistan itself will go the Russia route with these products like ehen Russia first bought some shaheds, then started their own line under "Geran" instead of continuing buying it from the Iranians. Unless the Powerus build in Pakistan project is big enough to mass produce at scale that it would be cheaper to buy them off the shelf. Which I don't see happening.

As for china, it's irrelevant whether it can be done with or without them. Same goes for the Americans and POWERUS. Either way, Pakistan needs to build a massive scale drone industry to rival that of Ukraine for Pakistan faces the exactly similar and bigger threat Ukraine did. Which is Soviet junk rolling through the plains from the east.

Intent is to create economy of scales in drones manufacturing , otherwise , any other cooperation doesn't add to much for any of the two parties.

 

[I*R*A]

The way you're claiming – making sense USA is milking Pakistan, being a third wheel here, as a middleman

Any Pakistani who is jumping to conclusions is a lost cousin of this Rajesh from Hindu rashtra. For this Rajesh anything Pakistan does, hurts Pakistan, somehow is bad and Pakistanis are incompetent not able to look after their interests.

 

[Yasser76]

Any Pakistani who is jumping to conclusions is a lost cousin of this Rajesh from Hindu rashtra. For this Rajesh anything Pakistan does, hurts Pakistan, somehow is bad and Pakistanis are incompetent not able to look after their interests.

Yes, they dont even know we can all smell them a mile off

 

[Mohid Afzal]

A question for knowledgeable memebers, aren't we making stuff like this locally too? I remember seeing a lot of development posts in this area in the past few months with the most recent one showing a 3D printing farm/lab at HIT. Are those products similar to the one's being provided by the US drone maker or are they a different category? If the products similar to what the US company will provide, then what's the point of this contract?
For someone like me who doesn't have knowledge about how these things work, it's very confusing.