Pakistan has been unsuccessfully seeking drone technology from the United States, as a result they decided to make the pilotless plane on its own for its air force. Pakistan knows that the U.S.'s drones have been successful while fighting the Taliban in the tribal regions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Pakistan's argument for seeking the technology is that its people strongly resent their territory being used for missile attacks on the militants by foreign forces from across the border in Afghanistan. In one recent incident, a drone attack on August 5 killed Baitullah Mehsud, the an infamous leader of the Pakistani Taliban. But the elimination of Baitullah Mehsud could help change that perception.

Having proven its effectiveness, a U.S. counter-terrorism expert said, "With one blow, the Americans have killed Pakistan's greatest enemy in the tribal region," adding, "Even a full-fledged ground attack could not have achieved this target."

Their program launched this month in which it was announced that Pakistan's domestic version of the drone or unmanned aerial vehicle to be called Falco will be a collaborative effort with Selex Galileo of Italy at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra in Punjab province. No date was offered for the rollout of the Falco, but it would happen in the near future. The UAV co-production facility is seen as a major step toward Pakistan's long-term goal of self-reliance in the military aviation industry.

The Italian company was chosen as it is a leader in integrated sensor solutions and through-life capability management for defense systems and homeland security applications. It offers surveillance, protection, tracking, targeting, navigation & control and imaging systems.

Various Pakistani media reports quoted Air Marshal Farhat Husain Khan, chairman of the Kamra complex who presided at the launch ceremonies, as saying that the Falco would greatly enhance the air force's operational capability and help make Pakistan one of the few countries with the capability to make a modern tactical drone, and that it took two years to establish the complex in Kamra.

At first the Falco will only be able to provide reconnaissance and surveillance for the air force, as it may be large enough to carry both a missile and a targeting system. Future UAVs are thought to be fitted with systems like laser-guided missiles for offensive purposes with outside help.

A statement issued after a recent meeting between Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and U.S. Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke said the drone attacks "have seriously impeded Pakistan's efforts towards rooting out militancy and terrorism from the area."

It is not known whether the United States would part with its drone technology is not known although a report indicated that the United States was working hard to provide to Pakistani security forces whatever they need to fight al-Qaida.