China- Pakistan ties | Photo Credit: AP

New Delhi: In a move that may be viewed as a counter to India's S-400 missile system purchase, China has announced that Beijing will sell 48 high-end military drones to Pakistan. While the official figures of the deal were not disclosed, Chinese media reported that China will supply Wing Loong II, a reconnaissance, strike and multi-role unmanned aerial vehicle to its 'all-weather' friend Pakistan.

According to China's state-run Global Times, the UAV will be manufactured jointly. It may be noted that China is Pakistan's biggest arms supplier. In fact, the two countries also jointly manufacture a single engine fighter JF-Thunder. According to a report in news agency PTI, the Pakistan Air Force Academy announced that Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Kamra and the Aviation Industry Corporation of China's Chengdu Aircraft Industrial (Group) Company will be responsible for jointly manufacturing the drones.

According to an earlier report in state-run Xinhua, Wing Loong II made its maiden flight in February 2017. A deal involving as many as 48 Wing Loong IIs, if confirmed, would be China's largest export deal for drones to date, Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator, was quoted as saying by the Global Times.

The deal is trustworthy given the close military ties between the two countries and Pakistan's need for drones, Song said. "US drones like the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper are technologically more advanced, but Washington limits their export... Chinese drones will enjoy more success in the international market in the future, he said, as they perform similarly at a lower cost. Chinese UAVs like Caihong series also has clients from countries like Iraq and Saudi Arabia," Song was quoted as saying further.

Last week, during the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin, India signed a deal to procure five regiments of S-400 Triumf missile.