Stories
Trump-Linked Firm Powerus Signs Defense Deal With Pakistan: Should India Be Worried?
- •Powerus Corporation, a US firm backed by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, signed a defense deal with the Pakistan Army for unmanned aerial systems, months after a similar deal with India.
- •The agreement includes an initial procurement order and long-term goals for a joint technology partnership and localized manufacturing in Pakistan.
- •Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump hold an indirect 9.9% beneficial ownership stake in Powerus through their investment fund, American Ventures, raising conflict of interest concerns.
- •The deal is controversial as Powerus supplies vital drone and anti-drone technology to both India and Pakistan, nuclear-armed rivals who recently fought a drone-heavy conflict.
- •India faces the risk of Pakistan exploiting or countering its drone defense mechanisms, and Islamabad gains a unique lobbying pipeline to the US administration through the Trump family's financial interests.
Key Questions Answered
The agreement includes a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and an initial procurement order for unmanned aerial systems, stemming from a September 16, 2026, meeting in Rawalpindi. The long-term goals involve establishing a joint technology partnership and localized manufacturing operations in Pakistan.
Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump hold an indirect 9.9% beneficial ownership stake in the combined drone corporation through their investment fund, American Ventures, via a merger with Aureus Greenway Holdings.
New Delhi faces risks because Powerus previously granted an exclusive intellectual property license to Indian firm Paras Defence to manufacture its Guardian-1 counter-drone systems, meaning Pakistan could potentially study or counter identical defense mechanisms. Furthermore, the financial links to the US first family may give Islamabad a lobbying pipeline that complicates India's efforts to diplomatically isolate Pakistan.
