Trump-Linked Powerus Inks Pakistan Drone Deal — SkimNews
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- Powerus signed an MOU with the Pakistani Army on September 16, represented by Field Marshal Asim Munir, covering an initial UAV order and a stated goal of joint manufacturing in Pakistan.
- Powerus licensed Ukrainian drone IP through its deal with G1 Exploration, which holds rights to seven fully developed Ukrainian drone models, and together they launched the Guardian interceptor line.
- Powerus investors include American Ventures, a Trump-family fund, and Unusual Machines, where Donald Trump Jr. is an adviser and shareholder; the company was founded in October 2025 by US intelligence and special forces veterans under the name Autonomus Power Corporation.
- Powerus won a $90 million US Air Force contract to supply 3,000 interceptor drones and a $2.5 million Pentagon contract for 1,500 first-person-view drones, beating competition from Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and Boeing.
- Powerus also holds a $22.3 million, two-year contract to build an air-threat monitoring network protecting Middle East oil and gas infrastructure from Iranian drone attacks, and is producing Guardian interceptors in an undisclosed Gulf Cooperation Council country.
- India is uneasy after Powerus separately partnered with Mumbai-based Paras Defense and Space Technologies to produce and sell Guardian-1 drones domestically — putting the Trump-linked firm in business on both sides of a rivalry inflamed by Operation Sindoor.
- Pakistan has been expanding military drone capabilities since the Operation Sindoor clash, encouraging private manufacturing and counter-drone systems and courting foreign partnerships through deals like the Powerus MOU.
Why it matters: A startup younger than most interns has secured more than $112 million in US defense contracts while simultaneously selling drone technology to both India and Pakistan. Washington has historically withheld major weapons from Islamabad; a Trump-family-backed firm entering the market tests neutrality norms on the nuclear-armed subcontinent and raises conflict-of-interest questions about how a golf-resort shell company out-competed Lockheed Martin.
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