A private Pakistani company, which designed and produced the country’s first drone called ‘Buraq’, has now come up with an even advanced drone aircraft technology, which can remain in the air for up to 15-hours and be utilised for surveillance of development projects among other uses.“The best civilian application of the long range aerial surveillance aircraft {Arrow} is that it is capable of monitoring and making secure trade via the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC),” said Raja Sabri Khan, Chief Executive at Integrated Dynamics.The aircraft, which can be operated via remote control, has been put on display at the defence weapons exhibition, IDEAS 2016, which is to get under way on Tuesday (today).Sabri said the surveillance system can be operated via remote in the range of 250 kilometers (or 150 miles). “If you operate it on a satellite system then its range becomes unlimited. You can operate it in any part of the world while sitting in Karachi,” he said.He said the unique feature of the aircraft is that it can fly non-stop for up to 15 hours. “The feature is not available in any other such system at this economic cost … its price is not more than a valued 4X4 jeep,” he said.It can be used to pinpoint leakages of oil and gas from long-laid pipelines like the ones managed by Pakistan Petroleum Limited, Sui Southern Gas Company and Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited. At the same time, it can be used to monitor and secure sensitive sites, he said.The system can also be used by geologists and agriculturalists for collecting required data on earth or farms.It can fly even at nighttime. “You just feed the data regarding the route you want the drone to take and sit back,” he said.Besides, the aircraft is also capable of carrying military weapons and equipment. “It can fly with a payload of 100-150 kilogrammes,” he said.“Arrow is a revolutionary new concept in aerial surveillance using optionally piloted vehicle converted ultra-light aircraft,” he said.With field portability, and a one-hour assembly time on site with the wing-fold system, “it is a great armament, payload delivery, and stands-off surveillance platform,” he said.“It can be packed in a standard truck-mounted 20-foot container,” he said.The aircraft would be prepared in Korangi, Karachi. It is the result of 15-20 years research work, added the official.He said that his company exports such military and civilian surveillance systems across the world, while western countries remain its big clients.Published in The Express Tribune, November 22, 2016.Like Business on Facebook , follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.