Pakistan 'mulls US drone action' : BBC

By M Ilyas Khan
BBC News, Karachi

Pakistan's PM Yousuf Raza Gilani says his government is considering "a number of options" to counter attacks by US drones inside its territory.
His statement came after Pakistan's air force chief said his force was equipped to tackle the drones militarily.
US-operated pilotless drones have launched more than 20 missile attacks in Pakistani tribal areas since August.
The government is under immense public pressure to defend its territory against such attacks.
The drone attacks are believed to have been largely on-target, hitting Taleban and al-Qaeda hideouts in the north-western Waziristan tribal region.
There have been few civilian casualties, officials say.
But Pakistani media and opposition parties term these attacks as a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

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Pakistan Air Force prepares to induct UAVs into service: Janes

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) will formally induct unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into service for the first time in 2009, the chief of the PAF has told Jane's.

This comes five years after the PAF launched a programme to acquire UAVs for intelligence-gathering and reconnaissance operations.

In addition to the Bravo+ UAV, which, according to PAF Chief Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed, has been built indigenously, the air force will also receive the Falco UAV produced by Selex Galileo of Italy. The two systems will be used mainly for aerial reconnaissance and information gathering, although the PAF will later also induct UAVs equipped with weapon systems to carry out offensive operations.

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