Pakistan Army Reaches Agreement to Buy Drones from Firm Run by Israeli Intelligence Official

 ❐ Staff representative

Pakistan has signed a memorandum of understanding for military cooperation with Powers, a US-based drone manufacturer invested in by US President Donald Trump’s two sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump.

The company’s co-founder said the deal also includes an initial drone-related order. However, details about the number of orders, price and specific technology were not disclosed, citing security and confidentiality reasons.

Ziv Marom, one of the company’s co-founders and Chief Vision Officer, is an Israeli citizen and a former intelligence officer in the country’s Defense Forces (IDF).

Pakistan’s military deal with Powers comes at a time when the same company has previously signed a deal with an Indian defense company. In addition, the company’s Indian partnership and the Trump family’s investment have come under renewed scrutiny after the Pakistani military met with Powers’ co-founder Brett Velicovich.

A delegation from Powers met with Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir in Rawalpindi on September 16. According to the Pakistani military, the meeting discussed defense procurement, production, capacity building, and changing trends in defense technology. The next day, Powers co-founder Brett Velicovich announced the MoU and initial orders with the Pakistan Army.

Powers has investment ties with Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. The company is in the process of merging with Nasdaq-listed Aureus Greenway Holdings, and two of Trump’s sons are partners in the company through an investment firm called American Ventures.

However, the Trump sons have said they are not involved in the company’s operations, business decisions, or contract management. Powers also said they have no role in the company’s management or determining domestic and international defense relations.

A few months before the deal with Pakistan, Powers signed a deal with Indian defense company Paras Defense and Space Technologies. Under the June 30 deal, Paras Defense received an exclusive license to manufacture and commercially sell Powers’ Guardian-1 counter-drone system in the Indian market.

For this, the Indian company entered into an intellectual property licensing agreement with Tandem Defense LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Powers’ parent company.

Guardian-1 is a high-speed, battery-powered counter-drone system designed to detect, track, and counter airborne threats.

According to Powers, the technology can be used to counter single-target attack drones, loitering munitions and drone swarms. However, while the agreement with India specifically mentions Guardian-1 technology, the MoU with Pakistan does not disclose which specific systems or technologies will be provided.

As a result, the fact that arch-rivals India and Pakistan are associated with the same drone technology company has raised questions in military and strategic circles. However, information has not yet been released on whether the technology deal with India and the agreement with Pakistan contain the same technology.

In Al Jazeera’s report, military analysts saw this issue in the larger context of defense cooperation between the United States and rival states.

Another issue that has raised questions about Powers’ leadership is that the company’s co-founder, Brett Velicovich, is a former US military officer. Various reports have also mentioned Israeli defense-related experience with the company.

Pakistan does not recognize Israel as a state, which has led some analysts to question Pakistan’s military cooperation with a US defense establishment led by individuals with Israel-related experience.

The South Asian country currently procures advanced military technology and drones from China and Turkey. At the same time, Pakistan also has its own Shahpar-2 drone system. Meanwhile, the reason behind the cooperation with a new US-based company on drone technology is to increase military capabilities as well as strengthen US defense and economic ties with Pakistan, according to various reports.

The deal with Pakistan comes at a time when Washington and Islamabad are seeking to deepen defense and economic ties. Powers is also exploring opportunities for technology development, local manufacturing and long-term industrial cooperation in Pakistan. At the same time, the issue of reducing Pakistan’s dependence on China for defense imports has also been discussed.

However, the specific military capabilities of the deal, the number of drones supplied, and the financial value are not disclosed, so it is not yet clear how much of an impact it will have on Pakistan’s defense capabilities. Similarly, it has not been publicly confirmed whether there is a direct technical link between Powers’ deal with India and the new agreement with Pakistan.