SIDE BAR

May 2005

Pakistan Pushing Military Exports

By Roxana Tiron

Pakistan’s intent to become self-reliant in weapons production has resulted in recent years in the development of homegrown capabilities to produce military equipment—ranging from lasers to complex air defense systems and ammunition.

A number of government-owned companies oversee the process from research to manufacturing. Now, based on their success with the Pakistani military, these entities are pursuing a strong export market, officials told National Defense.

“We are trying to create a market for ourselves,” said Mohammad Salman, the marketing director of the Institute of Industrial Control Systems, during a military show in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Exports only are directed to “friendly countries,” and if the “government allows,” he added.

But there is more behind Pakistan’s desire to sell its weapons than making a profit. Through exports, Pakistan is trying to strengthen its industrial base and bolster its standing as a regional power, said David Isenberg, an arms control analyst with the British American Security Information Council in Washington, D.C. Pakistan has had a long standing feud with its neighbor, India, over the Kashmir region.

One of the government-sponsored conglomerates now pursuing an aggressive export campaign, especially in the Middle East, is the Institute of Industrial Control Systems. IICS designs and produces weapon systems for the Pakistani military, said Salman. The company has managed to sell its products to Saudi Arabia and is in negotiations with the United Arab Emirates, he said.

“Any conventional arms transfer from Pakistan needs to be looked at very carefully,” said Matt Schroeder, an analyst with the Federation of American Scientists. “The international community needs to be aware of what is coming out of Pakistan.” Countries, such as the United States and other NATO members, also need to make sure that Pakistan’s export controls are rigorous, he cautioned.

Just last year, the father of that country’s nuclear program, Abdul Qadeer Khan, admitted supplying nuclear technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya.

On the conventional weapons side, among the products the IICS is marketing internationally is the Anza MK-II surface-to-air missile, which travels at a speed of 600 meters per second, with a range of 5,000 meters. Another system is the Baktar Shikan, an advanced anti-tank guided missile with a range of 3,000 meters and anti-jamming capability. The system can be disassembled into four sub-units, each weighing no more than 25 kilograms, thus making the system man-portable. The weapon can also be mounted on Jeeps, armored personnel carriers and helicopters.

The IICS handheld laser rangefinder has found success with the Saudi military, said Salman. The system designates static and moving targets from 150 meters to 10,000 meters. A lightweight version of the rangefinder can acquire multiple targets simultaneously. A larger system is used in artillery guns.

Engineers currently are working on enhancements to existing technologies, said Salman. “We want to improve the range and penetration power of some systems,” he said. One new endeavor he mentioned is the development of an anti-bunker warhead.

Meanwhile, the Air Weapons Complex (AWC), another government-sponsored entity, during the last four years, has developed an air-defense automation system, said Amir Hussain Khan, a consultant and project manager.

The system collects information from air defense sensors, processes it, converts it into a standard format and displays it in real time. The system allows the commander to view a fused picture of the entire area of responsibility. The data compiled from the air defense sensors is combined with the battle plan, projection overlays, current locations and planned operations of ground, maritime and air units of friendly, neutral and enemy forces, explained Khan.

The multi-radar tracker is an integral part of the system. It works in high clutter environments and displays real time information for any command and control function. The tracker automatically initiates and monitors maneuvering targets.

Bangladesh also bought the system and has integrated six radars, said Khan.

AWC also developed mobile command and control centers for forward-area defense.

For the training of aircrews, AWC designed the air combat maneuver instrumentation system. The technology is used to record aircraft maneuvers during training exercises.

Three squadrons already are using the ACMI, and Pakistan plans to outfit the air force fleet, said Khan.

Pakistan’s armed forces purchase their ammunition from the Pakistan Ordnance Factories, a network of 14 facilities. They specialize in ammunition for machine guns, small arms, medium and heavy artillery, tank and anti-tank missions. Among the products now being made at the factories are light machine guns, personal defense weapons, submachine guns, anti-aircraft machine guns that use 12.7-mm ammunition and automatic rifles.

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