New Delhi: To enhance its drone capabilities, Pakistan has signed a defence deal with Trump-backed Powerus, a US based drone company known for its Guardian series interceptor drones.
Pakistan’s interest in Powerus follows the four-day skirmish with India in May 2025, the first instance in which both countries used drones as strike weapons. India used drones for reconnaissance, surveillance and precision strikes.
Islamabad is reportedly considering purchasing Powerus’s Guardian Interceptor line, designed to counter one-way attack drones. The company backed by two sons of US President Donald Trump produces about 3,000 drone interceptors a month, priced at roughly $5,000 a piece, according to a Financial Times (FT) report. It began manufacturing interceptors in the UAE this June amid the West Asia conflict.
“Powerus has received a limited procurement order from the Ministry of Defence of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for unmanned aerial systems and associated support. The order represents an expansion of our international defense business,” a press release by Powerus stated Thursday.
Powerus’ interceptor family, according to its website, has evolved across three generations: Guardian 1 (manual origins), Guardian-2 (semi-autonomous operation): and Guardian-3 (fire-and-forget ecosystem):
“We have also signed a strategic MoU with senior defense officials of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. It sets a framework for potential expanded cooperation in unmanned and autonomous systems, subject to definitive agreements and government approvals,” the release added.
Powerus has received a limited procurement order from the Ministry of Defence of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for unmanned aerial systems and associated support. The order represents an expansion of our international defense business.
We have also signed a strategic… pic.twitter.com/DXWKgOY4iX
— Powerus (@powerus_usa) September 17, 2026
Andrew Fox, the company’s founder and chief executive, dubbed Pakistan’s private defense sector as “emerging but still not mature,” leaving an opening for American firms.
In an interview to Reuters, he said the two sides are aiming for a mutual arrangement that pairs American and Pakistani technology, with Powerus also weighing whether to manufacture equipment inside Pakistan.
Pakistan’s military said, in a statement, that a Powerus delegation led by Velicovich met Field Marshal Asim Munir, to discuss defence procurement, production and long-term capacity-building. Their statement, however, made no mention of the MoU.
China has been Pakistan’s biggest defence exporter with Beijing accounting for 80% of military acquisitions between 2021 and 2025, valued at approximately $5.28 billion, according to a 2025 SIPRI report.
Munir is seeking to capitalise on the growing US-Pakistan relationship. The defence deal comes after deals in crypto and critical minerals. In January, Islamabad signed an MoU with Trump-backed World Liberty Financial, a crypto company co-founded by Zach Witkoff, the son of US special envoy and close Trump aide Steve Witkoff.
“Pakistan has the opportunity not only diplomatically but economically, to create industry here, create jobs, and create export opportunities. This is more than a one-off for us. This is the establishment of a long-term relationship,” Fox told FT after the deal.
Similarly, Powerus president and co-founder Brett Velicovich told FT that the US had for decades avoided providing drone systems to countries such as Pakistan, while China supplied them more freely. He said this created a dependence on China, but US policy is now changing, with Washington becoming more willing to share its drone technology with other countries.
Currently, the Chinese origin CH-4 and Wing Loong II as well as the Bayraktar, the Byker Yiha Kamikaze, and the Asisguard Songar from Turkey are part of the Pakistani military’s drone fleet.
The Trump connection
The American defense and autonomy company is set to merge with Aureus Greenway Holdings in October. Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump hold a stake in Aureus through an investment fund called American Ventures, according to securities filings, which project the fund will retain roughly a 9.9 percent beneficial stake in the merged entity.
The combined entity would take the Powerus name and trade on the Nasdaq under the ticker ‘PUSA.’
Instead of taking a traditional IPO (where a private company raises capital to become a public trading corporation and be listed on the NSE or NASDAQ), Powerus is reportedly executing a reverse merger using Aureus Greenway Holdings, a publicly listed golf course operator where the Trump brothers are passive investors.
The brothers’ investment bank, Dominari Securities, has also played a role in raising capital for the deal, and the drone-parts supplier Unusual Machines, where Donald Trump Jr. sits on an advisory board is among the investors as well.
Fox is slated to become the CEO and chairperson of the unified Powerus Corporation.
Powerus is third investment of the Trump siblings in the drone sector after a $1.5 bn February tie-up with Israeli drone maker XTEND and Florida-based JFB Construction Holdings.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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