Introduction
Pakistan has entered a new phase of defence cooperation with a relatively young American drone company that has links to the family of US President Donald Trump and had already reached a commercial agreement with an Indian defence manufacturer.
The company, Powerus, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Pakistan Army and received an initial procurement order related to unmanned aerial systems. The value and precise technical details of the Pakistani order have not been publicly disclosed.
The development has attracted attention because Powerus had signed an agreement with India’s Paras Defence and Space Technologies only months earlier. That agreement gave the Indian company exclusive rights to manufacture and commercialise Powerus’s Guardian-1 counter-drone technology in India.
The Pakistan deal is also notable because Powerus is preparing to merge with Nasdaq-listed Aureus Greenway Holdings, an entity in which Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump have investments through American Ventures. The Trump brothers and the companies involved have described their involvement as passive, saying they have no role in Powerus’s operations or defence contracts.
For Pakistan, the agreement comes as Islamabad seeks to expand defence and economic ties with Washington. For Powerus, the arrangements in South Asia provide access to two neighbouring countries with substantial demand for unmanned and counter-drone technologies.
What Pakistan Has Agreed With Powerus
The latest development began with a meeting in Rawalpindi on September 16, when a Powerus delegation met Pakistan’s military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir.
According to Pakistan’s military media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations, the discussions covered defence procurement, production and capacity building.
Powerus subsequently said it had signed an MoU with the Pakistan Army and received a procurement order from Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence for unmanned aerial systems. The company described the order as limited, while its financial value and specific systems were not disclosed.
The distinction between the MoU and the procurement order is important. Powerus has said that the memorandum itself is not a definitive purchase agreement and does not create a purchase obligation. It is instead intended to establish a framework for future cooperation and remains subject to applicable US laws and government approvals.
The company has also discussed the possibility of developing technology and manufacturing capabilities in Pakistan.
That means the relationship could eventually extend beyond simply importing finished drone systems.
Who Is Powerus?
Powerus is a US-based autonomous systems company that was established in 2025 and is headquartered in Florida.
The company describes its business around autonomous systems for defence and critical infrastructure. Its portfolio includes aerial drones, counter-drone interceptors and maritime autonomous systems.
Powerus was founded by US military veterans, including Andrew Fox and Brett Velicovich. Velicovich has been one of the company’s prominent representatives in discussions involving Pakistan.
The company’s relatively short history makes its rapid expansion particularly notable.
Within roughly a year of its establishment, Powerus has pursued defence relationships in several markets while preparing for a corporate merger that could significantly increase its visibility in the US public markets.
The Trump Family Connection
One of the most politically sensitive aspects of the Pakistan agreement is Powerus’s connection to Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump.
The two sons of President Donald Trump are investors through an investment vehicle known as American Ventures. Regulatory filings and reporting indicate that the investment is connected to the planned combination of Powerus with Aureus Greenway Holdings. The combined company is expected to have a beneficial stake associated with the Trump brothers of around 9.9 percent.
The connection does not mean that the Trump brothers negotiated the Pakistan agreement.
Representatives for Donald Trump Jr. have said that he is a passive investor and has no involvement in Powerus’s operations or contracts. Powerus has similarly stated that the Trump brothers have no corporate governance role and do not participate in the company’s defence relationships.
The White House has also said there are no conflicts of interest.
These distinctions are important when examining the deal because an investment relationship and operational control are not necessarily the same thing.
Why the India Agreement Matters
The most unusual aspect of the Pakistan arrangement is that Powerus had already established a defence relationship in India.
On June 30, India’s Paras Defence and Space Technologies disclosed an agreement involving Powerus’s Guardian-1 interceptor. The agreement gave Paras Defence exclusive rights to manufacture and commercialise the technology in India.
Under the arrangement, Paras Defence is responsible for manufacturing and selling the licensed system in the Indian market, while the agreement provides for licensing payments and a share of net profits for Powerus.
This creates an unusual situation in which the same US technology company has commercial arrangements with both India and Pakistan.
India and Pakistan have a long history of military rivalry, and both countries have invested heavily in unmanned systems and counter-drone capabilities.
However, the existence of agreements with both countries does not automatically mean that the systems, configurations, software or operational arrangements are identical.
The Pakistani procurement details remain confidential, while the Indian agreement specifically identifies the Guardian-1 system.
What Is the Guardian-1?
Guardian-1 is a counter-drone interceptor designed to engage incoming unmanned aerial threats.
Powerus describes its interceptor technology as a way of addressing relatively inexpensive drones and loitering munitions. The company has highlighted threats such as Iranian-designed Shahed and Geran systems as examples of the type of aerial threat its interceptors are intended to counter.
Counter-drone systems have become increasingly important in modern warfare because conventional air-defence missiles can be significantly more expensive than the drones they are intended to destroy.
An interceptor drone offers a different approach.
Instead of using a large missile against every incoming drone, an armed or kinetic interceptor can potentially provide a lower-cost option for certain types of threats.
Powerus has listed different versions of its Guardian technology, including manual, semi-autonomous and fire-and-forget configurations.
The exact Powerus technology selected for Pakistan, however, has not been publicly identified.
Why Counter-Drone Technology Is Becoming More Important
The rapid expansion of drone warfare has changed military planning around the world.
Small unmanned aircraft can perform surveillance, carry explosives, locate targets and overwhelm traditional defensive systems through numbers.
This has created a growing market for counter-unmanned aircraft systems, commonly known as C-UAS.
Pakistan is no exception.
The country has faced drone-related security challenges and has developed its own unmanned systems while also acquiring technology from international suppliers.
The growing use of drones in conflicts from Eastern Europe to the Middle East has further demonstrated the importance of affordable defensive systems.
According to analysts quoted by Al Jazeera, interceptor drones can help address the cost imbalance between inexpensive attacking drones and much more expensive traditional air-defence weapons.
Pakistan Already Has a Domestic Drone Industry
The Powerus agreement should not be interpreted as evidence that Pakistan has no domestic drone capability.
Pakistan already produces a range of unmanned systems through state-owned and private-sector organisations.
The country has also worked with foreign partners, particularly China and Türkiye, on different forms of unmanned aerial technology.
Analysts quoted in recent reporting have therefore questioned what additional capability Powerus could bring to Pakistan.
Bilal Khan of the Quwa Group told Al Jazeera that Pakistan already produces or has the capability to produce several types of drones similar to those associated with Powerus.
Another possible explanation is that Pakistan is interested not simply in individual aircraft but in broader systems integration.
The Electronics and Integration Question
Modern drone warfare involves much more than the aircraft itself.
Sensors, communications, artificial intelligence, navigation, electronic warfare, command-and-control networks and data integration can all influence the effectiveness of an unmanned system.
A retired Pakistani general cited by Al Jazeera argued that the potential gap for Pakistan may be less about basic drone manufacturing and more about electronics, integration and systems-level capabilities.
This distinction could help explain why Pakistan might explore cooperation with a US technology company despite having its own drone industry.
If the partnership eventually develops into local production or technology cooperation, the value could lie in manufacturing processes, software, integration and supply-chain development rather than simply purchasing completed drones.
The Potential for Local Manufacturing
Powerus executives have indicated an interest in developing technology and manufacturing capabilities in Pakistan.
This is potentially more significant than a limited procurement order.
Local manufacturing could provide several benefits, including employment, technical training, industrial development and potentially future export opportunities.
Powerus CEO Andrew Fox has described Pakistan as a market where the company sees opportunities for industrial development rather than simply a one-time transaction.
However, establishing a successful local defence manufacturing partnership requires substantial investment.
It can involve technology-transfer agreements, intellectual-property protections, quality-control systems, supply chains and regulatory approvals.
The actual scope of any future manufacturing arrangement between Powerus and Pakistan has not yet been publicly established.
The Challenge of Supplying Two Rivals
Powerus’s relationship with both India and Pakistan raises an important operational question.
The two countries have competing security interests and have previously experienced military confrontations involving drones.
In May 2025, India and Pakistan fought a brief but intense conflict in which unmanned systems were used by both sides.
Powerus’s Indian agreement was signed in June 2026, while its Pakistan arrangement was announced in September.
Analysts quoted by Al Jazeera said the company’s management will have to ensure that its relationships with the two countries do not create operational-security problems.
At the same time, the defence industry has numerous examples of major suppliers selling different systems to countries that have competing strategic interests.
The existence of a shared supplier therefore does not necessarily mean that either country receives access to the other’s sensitive information.
The exact contractual safeguards between Powerus, India and Pakistan are not publicly available.
An Israeli Connection Also Draws Attention
Another sensitive issue surrounding Powerus is the background of one of its co-founders.
Powerus’s website has described Ziv Marom as a veteran of the Israeli military and identified him as the founder of Kaizen Aerospace, which became a Powerus subsidiary.
Pakistan does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel.
That background has consequently attracted attention in Pakistani discussions of the agreement.
A retired Pakistani military officer interviewed by Al Jazeera said that such a background would normally be a sensitivity marker during defence procurement vetting.
However, analysts also noted that Pakistani military systems sourced from Western countries can contain components originating from countries with which Pakistan does not have diplomatic relations.
The existence of an Israeli connection therefore does not by itself establish the terms or security assessment applied to this particular agreement.
The specific Pakistani vetting process for Powerus has not been publicly disclosed.
Powerus and the US Defence Market
Powerus is also expanding in the United States.
According to recent reporting, the company received a US Air Force contract with a ceiling of up to $90 million.
That contract is significant because it demonstrates that Powerus is not solely dependent on overseas customers.
Its combination of US defence business and international expansion could become an important part of its growth strategy.
The planned merger with Aureus Greenway Holdings is another major step.
Aureus is a Nasdaq-listed company, and the transaction is expected to bring Powerus into a publicly traded corporate structure.
That could give Powerus greater access to capital while also increasing scrutiny of its financial and defence activities.
What the Pakistan Deal Says About US-Pakistan Relations
The drone agreement arrives during a period of improving US-Pakistan relations.
Washington and Islamabad have been exploring closer cooperation in defence, economics and investment.
Reuters reported that the Powerus agreement follows efforts by both countries to strengthen economic and defence ties.
The personal relationship between President Trump and Pakistan’s military leadership has also received significant attention.
However, the Powerus transaction should be separated from broader political developments.
The available public information establishes that Powerus has links to Trump-family investments and that it has reached an agreement with Pakistan. It does not establish that President Trump personally directed the procurement decision.
The Trump family has said its investment passive, while Powerus has stated that its government relationships are pursued independently of the Trump sons’ investment.
Why Pakistan May Be Interested in American Technology
Pakistan has historically relied heavily on Chinese defence equipment while also developing relationships with Türkiye and other countries.
A closer defence relationship with the United States could give Islamabad access to another source of technology.
For Pakistan, diversification can be strategically important.
A wider network of suppliers can reduce dependence on a single foreign partner and provide access to different technologies and manufacturing expertise.
At the same time, US defence exports are subject to American laws and regulatory requirements.
Powerus has specifically stated that its Pakistan MoU remains subject to US government approvals and applicable laws.
This means the agreement’s future development will depend partly on regulatory and political processes in Washington.
What Remains Unknown
Despite the attention surrounding the deal, several important details remain undisclosed.
Its value of Pakistan’s initial order has not been made public.
The precise drone systems involved have also not been identified.
It is therefore not possible to determine from the publicly available information whether Pakistan’s procurement relates to Guardian interceptors, tactical UAVs, maritime systems or another part of Powerus’s product portfolio.
The potential scale of future local manufacturing is also unclear.
Similarly, details concerning technology transfer, software access, production rights and long-term maintenance arrangements have not been released.
These missing details are important because the strategic significance of the agreement will depend heavily on what Pakistan actually receives.
A New Test for Pakistan’s Defence Procurement Strategy
Pakistan’s agreement with Powerus comes at a time when drones are becoming increasingly important in modern military operations.
The country already has domestic production capabilities and established relationships with foreign suppliers.
The challenge now is determining how a new American partnership can complement those existing capabilities.
If the arrangement develops into technology cooperation and local production, it could have implications beyond the initial procurement order.
If it remains a limited purchase, its impact would be considerably narrower.
The distinction will become clearer as more details emerge.
Conclusion
Pakistan’s latest defence agreement with US drone company Powerus has attracted international attention because of three overlapping factors: the company’s connection to investments associated with Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, its earlier agreement with an Indian defence company, and its potential role in Pakistan’s growing unmanned-systems sector.
Powerus has received an initial procurement order from Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence and signed an MoU with the Pakistan Army. The value and technical details remain undisclosed.
Months earlier, the company had granted India’s Paras Defence exclusive rights to manufacture and commercialise its Guardian-1 counter-drone system in India.
The two arrangements create a notable situation in which one American defence technology company is developing relationships with both India and Pakista Pakistan, the potential value of the partnership may ultimately depend on whether Powerus can provide capabilities that complement the country’s existing drone industry, particularly in areas such as counter-drone technology, electronics, integration and local manufacturing.
For Powerus, the agreements represent an ambitious expansion into a strategically important region.
For now, however, many of the most important details remain confidential. As the planned corporate merger and Pakistan’s cooperation with the company progress, further information about the systems, production plans and long-term relationship could provide a clearer picture of what this new drone partnership means for Pakistan’s defence industry and its evolving relationship with the United States.