US to supply Pakistan with 85 mini-drones

First Posted: 04/21/11 05:23 PM ET Updated: 04/21/11 05:26 PM ET



ISLAMABAD, April 21 (Reuters) - The United States will provide Pakistan with 85 small "Raven" drone aircraft, a U.S. military official told Reuters on Thursday, a key step to meeting Islamabad's calls for access to U.S. drone technology.

The official, speaking on Thursday on condition of anonymity, declined to disclose the cost of the non-lethal, short-range surveillance aircraft, which are manufactured by the U.S.-based AeroVironment Inc.

A company spokesman said the Raven is used by U.S. allies including Italy, Spain and Norway and is one of the most widely utilized unmanned aircraft in the world.

The disclosure is another sign of growing U.S. military assistance to Pakistan, a crucial if often tense ally in the U.S. fight against al Qaeda and insurgents attacking U.S. forces in neighboring Afghanistan.

Pakistan is expected to receive roughly $3 billion in U.S. military aid in the upcoming fiscal year.

On Wednesday, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, accused the country's intelligence agency of a having a longstanding relationship with Haqqani militants targeting U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

The White House said in a report to Congress released this month Pakistan lacked a robust plan to defeat Taliban militants, and noted its security forces are struggling to hold areas cleared of the al Qaeda-linked fighters at great cost.