Defence

Pakistan-based Integrated Defence Systems says it is at an advanced stage of flight testing of a new swept-wing tactical unmanned air vehicle with an endurance of more than 6h. The company is also testing a turbojet-powered variant of its Nishan unmanned aerial target with the new version, designated Nishan Mk2TJ, capable of being used as a high- speed reconnaissance system. The new swept-wing tactical UAV first flew early this year, says IDS general manager of marketing Ijaz Khan, with early qualification trials being flown with a dummy payload. He says the aircraft is now flying with an electro-optic sensor suite with "several hundred hours" of flight trials still planned. The Nishan Mk2TJ is a derivative of the existing Nishan Mk2 delta wing, propeller-driven target system. Khan says that both target versions are being pitched at the Pakistani navy as a potential replacement for its Meggitt Banshee target drones.