Air Weapons Complex
The Air Weapons Complex (AWC) (Urdu: فضائی اسلحہ کمپلیکس) is a scientific research and development military complex engage in explosive engineering, specifically in airborne system. The AWC is operated and controlled by the Pakistan Air Force as its military unit that is dedicated towards developing and integrating the aerospace warfighting technologies and providing warfighting capabilities to the Pakistan Air Force.[1][2]
Air Weapons Complex | |
---|---|
Active | 18 February 1992 |
Country | Pakistan |
Branch | Pakistan Air Force |
Type | Research and Development |
Part of | Pakistan Air Force |
Headquarter | Wah Cantonment, Punjab, Pakistan |
Nickname(s) | AWC |
Commanders | |
Director-General | Air Vice Marshal Faheem Kayani |
Since its establishment in 1992, the AWC has designed and developed the air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) for the Air Force and participated in technical demonstrations in conjunction with NESCOM, DESTO, and the Ministry of Defence (MoD).[3][4]
Products
Airborne systems
- Airborne Video Tape Recorder (AVTR) system
- Airborne Digital Data Recorder system
- Infra-red search and track (IRST) system
- GPS navigation system
- Mechanical gyro and iFOG-based inertial navigation system (INS)
- MOHAFIZ counter-measures dispensing system
- Laser guidance system for Mk.80 series bombs (license-manufactured design from the US)[5]
Air-launched weaponry
- Practice bombs (6 kg, 11 kg)
- 250 kg Pre-fragmented bomb
- 250 kg Mk.82 general-purpose bomb
- 500 kg Mk.83 bomb
- 1000 kg Mk.84 bomb
- Mk.80 series general-purpose bomb tail units (low drag or high drag speed-retarding devices)
- HAFR-1, HAFR-2[6] and RPB-1 anti-runway weapons[7] (possibly variants of the Matra Durandal)
- H-2 SOW
- H-4 SOW
- Ra'ad ALCM[8]
- Ra'ad-II ALCM
Electronics
Other
- Multi-Spectral Camouflage Net - camouflages against night-vision, infra-red, radar and millimeter wave sensors as well as visual detection. Stated to reduce an object's radar cross-section (RCS) by 86% on average and reduce average detection range by 43.8%.[10]
Technical Expertise
- Software Development for Mission Critical Systems
- Non Destructive Testing Software and Mechincal Support
- Electronic System Design and Production
- Prototyping and Production of Specialized Mechanical Assemblies
- Mechanical Components Precision Manufacturing
- TQM Practices
- Mil-Spec Qualifications
- CAD/CAM Support[11][1]
UAV project
The Air Weapons Complex embarked on a project for the indigenous development of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) in mid-1998. The Sky Tracker and Sky Navigator software suites were developed for the ground-based tracking of UAVs. The software retrieves the GPS position data from the UAV via a radio data-link17 and uses it to show the position of the UAV as a 2D plot along with other essential data such as, speed, altitude, heading, etc. This plot can be overlaid onto area maps as well. This information is used by the pilot for flying the UAV from the ground-based command station.[12][13][2]
References
- "Kamra". Federation of Atomic Scientists.
- Pike, John. "Kamra - Pakistan Special Weapons Facilities". www.globalsecurity.org.
- Doug Richardson, “Pakistan tests Hatf 8 air-launched cruise missile,” Jane’s Missiles and Rockets, 1 September 2007; “Pakistan missile test,”
- "Air Weapons Complex (AWC) | Facilities | NTI". www.nti.org. NTI Air. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- "Air Weapons Complex, Pakistan". articles.janes.com. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011.
- "Defense & Security Intelligence & Analysis: IHS Jane's - IHS". articles.janes.com. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011.
- "Hafr-1 and -2 RBP-1 Runway Penetration Bomb, Pakistan". Archived from the original on 17 June 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
- "Pakistan tests ballistic missile". BBC News. 29 April 2011.
- "Bangladesh adopts Pakistan-made air defence system". Pakistan Times (pakistantimes.net). Archived from the original on 7 January 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- "Article 4". Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
- "Literature Study Guides - By Popularity - eNotes.com". eNotes.
- News, Defense. "404". Defense News.
- "Defense & Security Intelligence & Analysis: IHS Jane's - IHS". articles.janes.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012.