SOURCE: IDRW.ORG
Pakistan has formally requested Turkish defense firm Baykar, a leading private company specializing in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), command, control, communications, computers, intelligence (C4I), and artificial intelligence, to investigate the repeated failures of the YIHA-III, a high-precision UAV and loitering munition co-developed with Pakistan’s National Aerospace Science and Technology Park (NASTP).
The request follows the recent India-Pakistan conflict in May 2025, during which numerous YIHA-III drones landed inside Indian territory in near-intact condition, suggesting that India’s sophisticated electronic warfare (EW) and anti-drone systems may have played a decisive role in disabling the drones mid-flight. This development raises questions about the reliability of the YIHA-III and the effectiveness of Pakistan’s drone strategy against a technologically advanced adversary.
The YIHA-III, unveiled in 2023 and first observed in public during early 2024, is a collaborative effort between Baykar and NASTP, integrating Turkish and Pakistani expertise. The drone features a distinctive design with a tubular body equipped with a fixed tricycle-style landing gear, allowing launches from both runways and catapult systems. It is armed with an UMTAS anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) warhead, providing a potent high-explosive payload for precision strikes. The UAV is engineered for loitering missions, capable of hovering over target areas, detecting objectives, and executing vertical dives to engage with devastating effect. Its versatility extends to swarm mode operations, where multiple units can coordinate attacks to overwhelm enemy defenses.
The YIHA-III has been deployed by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in anti-terrorist operations, notably during Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar in 2024 against targets in Iran. However, its performance during the May 2025 conflict with India, part of Pakistan’s Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos, has drawn scrutiny after the drones failed to achieve their intended objectives.
During the four-day conflict triggered by India’s Operation Sindoor—a retaliatory strike following the April 2025 Pahalgam terrorist attack—Pakistan launched approximately 100–150 YIHA-III drones, alongside other Turkish-made models like the Asisguard Songar, targeting Indian military installations and civilian areas across 36 locations from Leh to Sir Creek. Indian defense sources reported that over 600 Pakistani loitering munitions, including the YIHA-III, were neutralized, with many landing intact or with minimal damage inside Indian territory, particularly in Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, and Rajasthan.
The near-intact condition of the recovered drones, including intact landing gear and warheads, suggests they were disabled mid-flight rather than destroyed by kinetic means. Indian military officials have indicated that the country’s advanced electronic warfare and anti-drone systems, such as the Integrated Counter UAS Grid and indigenous Akashteer radar networks, likely jammed the drones’ communication links and navigation systems, causing them to lose operator control and crash land. Debris analysis revealed that some YIHA-III units retained functional components, including the UMTAS warhead and rear-mounted propeller engines, pointing to a failure in guidance rather than structural collapse.
The string of failures has prompted Pakistan to seek Baykar’s expertise to identify the root causes, particularly the susceptibility of the YIHA-III to India’s EW capabilities. Pakistani defense analysts have expressed frustration, noting that at least four YIHA-III drones crashed within Pakistani territory due to technical malfunctions or operator errors, while others were intercepted by Indian air defenses. The intact landings in India have fueled speculation that the drones’ reliance on satellite navigation and remote control made them vulnerable to jamming, a tactic India has refined with systems like the S-400 Triumph and hand-held EW devices.
Baykar’s investigation is expected to assess the drone’s electronic countermeasures, software resilience, and operator training protocols. The firm, known for the globally successful Bayraktar TB2, may also evaluate whether the YIHA-III’s design—optimized for asymmetric conflicts like Syria and Ukraine—lacks the stealth and survivability needed against India’s layered air defense grid. Pakistan’s collaboration with Turkey, which includes local assembly of the YIHA-III at NASTP facilities, has been a cornerstone of its drone program, but the recent conflict has exposed potential gaps in this partnership.
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