Haider tank, Shahpar drone grab people's attention at IDEAS 2024

Defence exhibition IDEAS 2024 concluded on Friday with the locally manufactured third-generation Haider tank and Shahpar fighter drone among Pakistan’s main showpieces.  

IDEAS has been held biennially since 2000 and has since grown into a key event for the Pakistani defence sector. This year’s show, running from Nov 19-Nov 22 in Karachi, hosted over 550 exhibitors, including 340 international defense companies, and more than 350 civil and military officials from 55 countries.

On the first day of the expo, Pakistan launched the Haider tank, locally produced at the Heavy Industry Taxila in collaboration with local and international technology partners. The tank has auto-tracking, a remote-control weapons system and a 470-kilometer cruising range.

The Shahpar-III drone capable of flying at 35,000 feet and carrying heavy weapons such as bombs, cruise missiles and torpedoes, was also launched at the exhibition. 

The Shahpar-III is a successor to the Shahpar-II drone, which could fly up to 20 hours at a maximum altitude of 23,000 feet, according to Global Industrial Defense Solutions (GIDS), a state-owned Pakistani defense conglomerate that has developed the drones. The Shahpar-III can fly up to 35,000 feet for 24 hours and carry a payload of up to 500 kilograms.