Pakistan Army Signs Drone MoU With US Firm Powerus, Places Initial Order

Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence has placed a limited procurement order with US autonomous-systems company Powerus and signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding covering future cooperation on unmanned and counter-drone technology, according to an official company statement and confirmation from Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) office. The agreement, reached on September 16-17, 2026, gives Islamabad a new potential US supply line for drone and counter-drone systems at a time when its rival India is also racing to field similar technology.

What Happened

On September 16, 2026, a Powerus delegation led by co-founder and president Brett Velicovich met Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces, at General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. According to an ISPR statement, the discussion covered “evolving trends in defence technology” and avenues for cooperation in procurement, production and capacity building, with Munir stressing the importance of technological innovation for national security.

The following day, Powerus and its Nasdaq-listed merger partner, Aureus Greenway Holdings (Nasdaq: PUSA), issued a joint press release confirming that Powerus had received “a limited procurement order from Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence for unmanned aerial systems and associated support,” alongside a strategic MoU “establishing a framework for potential expanded collaboration in unmanned and autonomous defense technologies.” Neither the value of the order nor the specific systems involved were disclosed, and Velicovich told Reuters the deal fell under the broad category of unmanned aerial systems, declining further detail for security reasons.

Powerus and its partner were explicit about the limits of the announcement: the MoU is non-binding, creates no purchase obligation on either side, and any future transactions remain subject to definitive agreements, US export-control review and government approvals. This is a signed framework and an initial order — not a confirmed program of record, and not yet a broader fielding decision.

The Company and Its Systems

Powerus (legally Autonomous Power Corporation) is a US autonomous-systems company founded by veterans with special-operations backgrounds; Andrew Fox serves as CEO and Brett Velicovich as co-founder and president. The company is in the process of going public through a merger with Aureus Greenway Holdings, a Nasdaq-listed vehicle; the merger’s Form S-4 registration was declared effective on August 12, 2026, with closing targeted for the fourth quarter of 2026 and the combined company set to be renamed Powerus Corporation.

Powerus’s product line spans several categories relevant to Pakistan’s stated interests:

• Guardian interceptors — kinetic, increasingly autonomous counter-drone interceptors designed to defeat low-cost one-way-attack drones such as the Shahed-136 family. The company has advertised interception rates in the high-80-percent range in testing and claims monthly production capacity above 500 units.
• xFold Dragon — a hybrid VTOL heavy-lift aircraft rated for roughly 1,000 pounds of payload and six-to-seven-and-a-half hours of endurance.
• Matrix — modular FPV/quadcopter drones for reconnaissance and strike roles.
• Autonomous maritime vessels and xNav — an autonomy and navigation software stack intended to run across the company’s air and sea platforms.

The joint statement did not specify which of these product lines are covered by the Pakistani order; officials in both statements described discussions as touching procurement, manufacturing and “longer-term capacity building,” which could point toward eventual local production or technology-sharing rather than a one-off equipment sale.

Who Uses It

Powerus’s Guardian interceptor has previously been reported in service or under test with US forces — including a US Air Force demonstration that led to a purchase order — and the company has also described work supporting counter-drone protection of critical infrastructure in the Gulf, including a reported $22.3 million commercial contract to protect Middle East energy infrastructure. Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence is now a confirmed customer for at least an initial, unspecified UAS order, though it has not been confirmed as a Guardian operator specifically. No other Powerus government-to-government defense sale in South Asia has been previously reported.

Context: Pakistan’s Drone Push

The Powerus agreement lands amid a broader acceleration of Pakistan’s indigenous and imported unmanned-systems programs. Pakistan’s state-run Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) opened a serial loitering-munition production line earlier this month, the Pakistan Air Force recently became the third operator of China’s HQ-17AE short-range air defense system, and state and private firms showcased interceptor drones, loitering munitions and autonomy software at the inaugural Indus Robotics and Autonomous Systems Expo in Islamabad this summer. Pakistan’s Shahpar-III medium-altitude combat drone is due its first flight test before the end of 2026, and the Alsons Group has unveiled what it describes as the country’s first indigenously developed UAV engine.

Against that backdrop, a US supplier relationship is notable: Pakistan’s drone inventory has leaned heavily on Chinese and domestic platforms in recent years, and any deepening of unmanned-systems cooperation with a US company would need to clear the same export-control review that governs all American defense technology transfers, particularly for a country whose military relationship with Washington has fluctuated over the past two decades.

The deal also arrives as India accelerates its own counter-drone and drone investments following its 2025 conflict experience — commercial coverage in India has already framed the Powerus-Pakistan agreement as part of a wider regional drone competition, though that framing reflects analysis rather than any official Indian government statement on the Pakistani deal itself.

Why It Matters

For Powerus, the agreement is a concrete data point in its stated push to expand “international defense footprint” ahead of its Nasdaq listing, and a rare instance of a small US counter-drone startup securing a South Asian government customer. For Pakistan, it is one more thread in a diversifying drone-supplier base that already includes Chinese, Turkish and domestic sources — and a potential hedge against relying on any single foreign supplier for a capability category, unmanned systems and counter-drone defense, that has become central to modern battlefield calculus from Ukraine to the Gulf to South Asia itself.

The story is also a reminder of how much of today’s drone diplomacy plays out through terse corporate press releases and non-binding frameworks rather than announced government programs — precise scope, systems and dollar value here remain undisclosed, and will only become clear if and when a definitive agreement is signed.

What Happens Next

Powerus and Aureus Greenway Holdings still need to close their merger, targeted for the fourth quarter of 2026, before the combined Powerus Corporation begins trading under its new name. Any expanded Pakistan cooperation beyond the initial order will require a definitive agreement and US government export-license approval — a process that can take months and is not guaranteed to succeed. Neither Islamabad nor Powerus has indicated a timeline for follow-on announcements.

FAQ

What exactly did Pakistan order from Powerus?

Neither party has disclosed the specific systems, quantities or value. Powerus and Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence described it only as an order for “unmanned aerial systems and associated support.”

Is this a binding, large-scale arms deal?

No. The memorandum of understanding is explicitly non-binding and creates no obligation to buy or sell. Only the initial limited order is a firm transaction; anything beyond it requires a separate definitive agreement and US export approval.

Does this mean Pakistan is buying Guardian interceptors?

That has not been confirmed. Guardian is Powerus’s flagship counter-drone product and the most likely candidate given Pakistan’s stated interest in air defense against drone threats, but neither side has named specific hardware in the order.

Why would Pakistan want a US drone supplier alongside Chinese systems?

Diversifying suppliers reduces dependence on any single country for missiles, spare parts, software and training, and can open access to different technology — in this case, US counter-drone interceptor and autonomy software not offered by Pakistan’s existing Chinese and domestic suppliers.

What is Aureus Greenway Holdings’ role?

It is the Nasdaq-listed company (PUSA) that Powerus is merging into; after the merger closes, expected in Q4 2026, the combined entity will be renamed Powerus Corporation. AGH’s interim CEO said the Pakistan order supports the strategic rationale for that pending combination.

Sources

• Powerus / Aureus Greenway Holdings, “Powerus Receives Pakistan Ministry of Defence Order and Signs Strategic Memorandum of Understanding,” GlobeNewswire, September 17, 2026 — primary company announcement with executive quotes and merger status.
• Inter-Services Public Relations (Pakistan), statement on Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir’s meeting with the Powerus delegation, September 16, 2026 — official Pakistani military confirmation of the meeting and its stated agenda.
• Dawn.com, “US drone maker Powerus says it signed MoU with Pakistan Army, gets initial order,” September 17, 2026 — independent Pakistani press confirmation including Reuters-sourced comment from Brett Velicovich.
• The Express Tribune, “US drone maker Powerus signs Pakistan Army MOU, gets initial order,” September 17, 2026 — corroborating Pakistani press coverage.
• Daily Pakistan, “Pakistan turns to US Drone Powerhouse POWERUS in push for Autonomous Warfare,” September 17, 2026 — additional detail on Powerus product portfolio and GHQ meeting.
• Business Today (India), “Powerus Pakistan drone deal ups stakes: How India’s counter-drone war is changing post Operation Sindoor,” September 18, 2026 — regional analysis of the deal’s implications, used for context only, not as a source of Pakistani or Powerus facts.
• Quwa Defence News, “Powerus Wins Pakistan Ministry of Defence Drone Order and MoU,” September 2026 — specialist South Asian defense outlet corroboration.
• Powerus (power.us), product pages for Guardian, Matrix and xFold Dragon systems, and press release on Middle East critical-infrastructure contract — manufacturer product specifications and prior contract history.