GIDS Unveiled The 1000-Kilometer Sarkash Kamikaze Drone and Blaze Series Loitering Munitions At IDEAS 2024
Global Industrial & Defence Solutions (GIDS), a Pakistani state-owned defense company, showcased its latest breakthroughs in loitering munitions, also known as “kamikaze” or “suicide drones,” during the International Defense Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) in Karachi.
In line with the growing global adoption of loitering munitions technologies, whose low-cost and precision strike capabilities have proven their strategic usefulness in conflicts in the South Caucasus, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East, GIDS first long-range kamikaze UAV is called SARKASH.
According to GIDS’s product brochure, SARKASH, equipped with state-of-the-art guidance and seeker systems, is a long-range kamikaze UAV that offers extended battlefield surveillance and precision engagement of high-value targets. Powered by a turbojet propulsion system, this drone can reach a flight endurance of over 120 minutes and an operational range of 1,000 kilometers. Its payload capacity is 50 kg, and its weight is 175 kg. Thanks to its launch mechanism, which allows for fast deployment on various land—and sea-based platforms, it can adapt to diverse combat settings.
In addition to SARKASH, the company unveiled the Blaze Series of loitering munitions, consisting of Blaze 25, Blaze 50, and Blaze 75, for the first time at IDEAS 2024. The lightest of the series, the 25 kg Blaze 25 is ideal for short-range anti-tank operations with a range of 75 km and an endurance of 60 minutes, leaving minimal acoustic and thermal signature thanks to its electric propulsion system. In contrast, the Blaze 50, with its 50 kg weight, 180 km range, and 20 kg warhead, is an intermediate solution for medium-range attacks and reconnaissance missions. Designed for strategic, long-range engagements, the Blaze 75, the heaviest and most powerful model, boasts a 500 km range and a 30 kg warhead. A gasoline engine for long-term endurance powers it.
Global Industrial & Defense Solutions’ work on the SARKASH and Blaze Series will significantly strengthen the military, supporting Pakistan’s long-standing Multi-Domain Military Modernization program. Moreover, given the worldwide demand for loitering munitions, these technologies are likely to provide a positive impetus to the South Asian country’s growing influence in the global defense sector.