Pakistan's military parade, which had been postponed on March 23 due to bad weather, was conducted today in Islamabad, with the country's armed forces showcasing their military potential for all to see. During the event, contingents from the three armed forces and the security forces marched past as fighter jets performed aerobatic manoeuvres. The annual military parade, which takes place near the Shakarparian Hills in the federal capital, is the highlight of Pakistan Day celebrations.
Two of all the military equipment were at the centre stage with the first being the Shahpar UAV and the other being VT-4 Tanks. Here are interesting details of the two debutants at the Pakistan Day Parade.
Shahpar II Drone
Pakistan has displayed its Shahpar II Drone to the world for the first time. This drone is an upgraded version of Shahpar-I, which can fly for a distance of 300 km. It is being claimed in Pakistani media that this drone can fly in the air for 14 hours. This drone has been manufactured by a company named Global Industrial Defence Solutions (GIDS) of Pakistan.
Shahpar-1 was officially inducted into the Pakistani Army and Air Force for the first time in 2013. Pakistan operates a large number of these drones along the border with India. Moreover, the Pakistani Army also uses it on the border of Afghanistan. This UAV of Medium-Range has been developed by Pakistan in collaboration with the National Engineering and Scientific Commission.
Pakistan has not officially revealed the characteristics of the Shahpar-2 drone. Therefore, little information related to the upgraded version of this drone is available on public platforms. However, many reports regarding its earlier version are still present. As per the information the Drona can be used in surveillance, relief and rescue work during disaster, reconnaissance and spying. This is an unarmed drone, meaning there is no weapon in this drone.
VT-4 Tanks
The VT-4 is a Chinese manufactured third-generation tank specially made by the firm, Norinco for its overseas export. Although these tanks were inducted into the Pakistani Army last year, they made their first public appearance at this year's Pakistan Day Parade. As per a Global Times report, "The front design features a new explosive reactive armour."
Explosive reactive armour is a form of 'add-on' armour that protects a tank from hostile rounds by exploding outward. The VT-4 is similar in size to the Russian-made T-90 tanks used by the Indian Army. The VT-4, similar to Indian T-90 tanks has a 125mm gun that can fire both conventional tank rounds and missiles. Moreover, as per a few media reports, the turret of the tank is equipped with a remote weapon system. Notably, on a tank, a remote weapon system is usually a small gun that can be controlled from a distance and is useful against infantry and other light targets.
