Shahpar-III is a Pakistani GIDS Group 4+ MALE unmanned combat aircraft with SATCOM, six wing hardpoints, 570 kg external payload capacity, and 30-hour ISR endurance. Public sources support displayed or intended Shahpar-III weapons and sensor relationships, but do not document Shahpar-III combat employment in a named conflict.
Public reporting treats Shahpar-III as the heavier third-generation Shahpar-family MALE/UCAV. The configuration rows below separate the earlier Shahpar-II page from Shahpar-III engine configurations reported during development.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
 | Earlier Shahpar-family MALE/UCAV | Arab News and GIDS frame Shahpar-III as a step beyond Shahpar-II, while the existing Shahpar-II catalog entry covers the earlier Block II configuration and its separate conflict-use evidence. Sources: Arab News Shahpar-III Unveiling |
| Shahpar-III 140 hp configuration | Current GIDS-listed engine configuration | GIDS lists a 140 hp engine with 30-hour ISR endurance, 16-hour armed endurance, 30,000+ ft ISR ceiling, 28,000+ ft armed ceiling, and 570 kg external payload on six hardpoints. Sources: GIDS Air Products |
| Shahpar-III 170 hp configuration | Higher-power development configuration | Defense News reported a 170 hp configuration shown at IDEF 2023 with higher ceiling and endurance figures than the 140 hp option; GIDS did not identify the engine origin. Sources: Defense News IDEF 2023 Shahpar-III |
Available public sources support Shahpar-III as a Burq-family carrier and describe additional displayed weapons and sensors, but do not document Shahpar-III combat employment.
| Carried item | Item type | Carriage evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Laser-guided air-to-ground missile | Quwa described the Burq family as intended for Shahpar 2 and Shahpar-3 UAVs, while GIDS lists Shahpar-III as an armed MALE UCAV with six wing hardpoints and Quwa's Shahpar-3 profile describes more than double the Shahpar-II weapons payload capacity. Sources: Quwa Burq AGM Database, Quwa Shahpar-3 UAV Database, GIDS Air Products |
Shahpar-III is best read as a heavier Shahpar-family airframe whose public data changed between the 2023 development-display cycle and GIDS's current product page.
Arab News and GIDS describe Shahpar-III as the third generation of the Shahpar series, following Shahpar-II and adding greater payload and endurance margins for armed missions.
GIDS's current page lists the 140 hp Shahpar-III with SATCOM, six hardpoints, 570 kg external payload, EO/IR, SAR, COMINT/ELINT payload options, and AI-assisted video processing.
Janes and Defense News reported IDEF 2023 development data including 300 km LOS, 3,000 km BLOS, a 1,650 kg MTOW figure, and 140 hp and 170 hp engine configurations; those older values are kept separate from the current official GIDS spec line.
Janes reported that GIDS displayed Shahpar-III at IDEF 2023 in Istanbul and described development as ongoing, with the design intended to improve endurance, weapon carriage, and service ceiling over earlier Shahpar-family UAVs.
Sources: Janes IDEF 2023 Shahpar-III
Defense News reported 140 hp and 170 hp configurations, six hardpoints, optional internal payload, locally developed avionics, anti-icing or de-icing, a dual-redundant flight-control computer, and multiple sensor options.
Sources: Defense News IDEF 2023 Shahpar-III
Arab News reported that Pakistan's army chief unveiled Shahpar-III at IDEAS 2024 in Karachi and that GIDS described it as the third generation of the Shahpar UAV series.
Sources: Arab News Shahpar-III Unveiling
Defensehere reported GIDS CEO interview context around Shahpar-III, describing the aircraft as a Group 4+ UCAV with domestic flight-control systems, Pakistani munition compatibility, and a broader export push.
Sources: Defensehere GIDS Expansion Profile
