The drone that Pakistan claims to have shot down looks like those used by its own police, say experts
India on Thursday said the drone that Pakistan claimed to have shot down, alleging that it was an "Indian spy drone", was in fact a Chinese one available off the shelf.
Pakistan had summoned India's envoy this morning and alleged that India had violated two agreements on air space violations with a drone that was shot down near the Line of Control in Bhimber in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. The drone was being used for "aerial photography," Pakistan's Inter Services Public Relations alleged.
A photo supplied by the Pakistani military appeared to show a Chinese-made DJI Phantom 3.
"It is not a drone of Indian design, it is not available in the Indian inventory. It looks like a drone of Chinese design, commercially available off-the-shelf," said Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishanker this evening.
Experts say the model is sold commercially for aerial filming and would contain no secret military technology. Anyone can buy it for around Rs 1.5 lakh on eBay.
Did Pakistan shoot down its own drone? Experts say it is possible.
Top officials in India say drones of this make are used by the Pakistan police and is quite unlike larger UAVs or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles used by the armed forces for high altitude reconnaissance or armed drones like the ones used by the US to target terrorists on Pakistani soil.
Indian forces and police use the indigenous "Nethra" drones manufactured by Ideaforge and the Defence Research and Development Organisation.
The Indian forces also use advanced Israeli made Searcher and Heron UAVs or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.
Pakistan has been pushing for its own lethal drones, and often protests that the US drone strikes targeted at the Taliban and al Qaeda are an infringement of its national sovereignty.
In March, the Pakistani military announced it had test-fired its own drone equipped with a laser-guided missile. Analysts said the video showed a drone similar to models produced by Pakistan's close ally China.