The idea of developing an indigenous fighter in Pakistan goes back to the 1980s when Pakistan hired Northrop Grumman to help develop Sabre II as replacement for its aging fleet. Chinese were also involved in it, Then the US imposed sanctions on China and Pakistan that forced Grumman to withdraw from the project. . 

#Pakistan-#China jointly developed #jf17thunder Block 3 fighter jet expected to be fitted with active electronically scanned array radar (AESCAN) . The upgrade will see the JF-17's informatized warfare capability and weapons upgraded- Global Times http://disq.us/t/3chwupa

The development and production of the JF-17 Block 3 are underway, said Yang Wei, a Chinese legislator and chief designer of the China-Pakistan co-developed fighter jet, as he aims to enhance the jet's informatized warfare capability and weapons.

"All related work is being carried out," said Yang at a Thursday press conference featuring Chinese legislators and political advisers in aviation, China Aviation News reported Friday.

The third block will see the JF-17's informatized warfare capability and weapons upgraded, Yang said.

Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst, told the Global Times on Monday that the JF-17 Block 3 is expected to be fitted with an active electronically scanned array radar, which can gather more information in combat, enabling the fighter jet to engage from a farther range and attack multiple targets at the same time. A helmet-mounted display and sight system could also allow pilots to aim whatever he sees. 

Pakistan, the main user of the JF-17, could further share information between the fighter and other platforms, taking advantage of the whole combat system to effectively defend against strong opponents like India, Wei said.

With the new upgrade, Wei expects the JF-17 Block 3 to match an improved version of the F-16 fighter jet.

Yang said that the development and batch production for the JF-17 Block 3 are going simultaneously, thanks to the broad experience.

Wei said this probably means while the upgrades like the new AESA radar are still in development, the airframe, which remains roughly the same, can be manufactured without waiting.

Once new developments are complete, they can be fitted on the airframe very fast, ensuring a quick delivery time, Wei said.

The JF-17, or the FC-1, is a single-engine multi-role light fighter jet jointly developed by China and Pakistan for export, according to the website of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China.

When asked about which countries have inquired about the JF-17 Block 3, Yang said "A lot of countries have come to buy. You sign [a contract for the JF-17], you benefit."

The JF-17 is often described by its manufacturer and military observers as an advanced but also cost-effective fighter. It is currently contending with India's Tejas and South Korea's FA-50 in Malaysia's new fighter jet purchase plan, with the JF-17 being the most competitive option, Wei said.

Myanmar and Nigeria have reportedly purchased the Chinese-Pakistani warplane.
Newspaper headline: Development of JF-17 Block 3 jet underway

#JF17Thunder Block III Production Starts. Fighter will feature #AESCAN radar, new electronic warfare system, upgraded avionics with a 3-axis fly-by-wire digital flight controls, and helmet-mounted display and sight system. #Pakistan #China @Diplomat_APAC http://thediplomat.com/2019/03/report-jf-17-thunder-block-iii-fight...

Development and production of the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex/Chengdu Aerospace Corporation (PAC/CAC) JF-17 “Thunder” Block III multirole fighter aircraft is reportedly underway, the chief designer of the fighter jet, Yang Wei, said at press conference in China last week.

“All related work is being carried out,” Yang was quoted as saying by Chinese state media. “The third block will see the JF-17’s informatized warfare capability and weapons upgraded.” As I reported previously, JF-Block-III fighter jets are expected to receive the Chinese-made KLJ-7A active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system. It would be the Pakistan Air Force’s first AESA-equipped fighter aircraft.

JF-17 Block III aircraft will reportedly also feature a new electronic warfare system, upgraded avionics including a three-axis fly-by-wire digital flight control system, and a helmet-mounted display and sight system. With its new integrated sensor package, the aircraft will have the capability for quick information sharing and network-enabled operations that facilitate earlier detection and interception of enemy aircraft.


When discussing the start of aircraft production, Yang was most likely referring to the manufacturing of the JF-17’s airframe, with PAC reportedly producing 58 percent and CAC 42 percent of it. The development status of any of the new Block III subsystems is not known. However, once the Nanjing Research Institute of Electronics Technology (NRIET) completes development of the new AESA radar system, it “can be fitted on the airframe very fast, ensuring a quick delivery time,” Yang emphasized.

(Notably, Yang in his comments named neither NRIET nor the exact AESA radar system to be installed on the JF-17 Block III.)

JF-17 Block I and Block II aircraft, of which the PAF operates around 85 in total as of March 2019, have been fitted with NRIET’s older KLJ-7 X-band fire control radar. All three JF-17 variants are powered by a Chinese license-built Klimov RD-93 (an RD-33 derivative) turbofan engine. The JF-17 has an approximate combat radius of up to 1,200 kilometers without refueling and can reach a maximum speed of up to Mach 1.6.

The JF-17 costs $25 million per unit, although the Block III per-unit price is expected to go up as a result of the new subsystems, including the expensive new AESA radar system. The PAF intends to procure up to 50 new Block III aircraft.

The aircraft can alternatively be armed with air-to-air, air-to-surface, and anti-ship missiles. It will also be able to fire beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles (BVRAAM). An unnamed BVRAAM was test fired by the PAF last month and possibly today.

During a recent military standoff with India, a PAF JF-17 may have engaged an Indian Air Force fighter jet.

From Quora:
Who will buy the JF-17?
Danial Shazly
Danial Shazly, Ex-Editor, Asian Defence & Diplomacy
Answered Mar 11
There are many countries interested to look at what the JF-17 have to offer. The Block III version is a significant milestone for this multirole fighter. It carries forth some of the most advance systems and weapons that is associated with 4+ generation fighter. This includes

AESA Radar
Advance BVR missiles
Helmet Cueing System
IRST & advance BVR active missiles

The JF-17 Block 1 and 2 models. Both versions are very capable. Able to conduct air-dominance mission equipped with short range and medium range missiles.


This could probably be the JF-17 Block III with some elements of new design to the existing air frame. It is quite amazing that the JF-17 Thunder has potential growth….Once it was from the DNA of Super 7, which was a DNA of the MiG-21. From that design to this with some modifications has transform the JF-17 into a modern design. Amazing. The Iranians did theres on the trusted F-5E Tiger II but it did have the same DNA after slight modification to the twin tail. But for the JF-17, it was a big transformation.

The aircraft is:

As agile as the early model F-16A. Tested by Pakistan the newer Block 50 is not as agile. The JF-17 is expected to be the premier fighter in the PAF
Uses proven Russian engine, currently under license in China. The engine comes from the MiG-29 Fulcrum. This would be an ideal jet for countries who are already using the MiG-29
It is have a strong supply chain management from Pakistan and China.
The aircraft is an ideal export opportunity for nations who can’t afford Western and Russian jets or was barred from buying
The aircraft is affordable at US$25 million per unit
The aircraft was developed with Pakistan’s experience in using the F-16 and combat missions
The JF-17 should be easier to maintain
It is equipped with Fly-By-Wire
It has an inflight refuelling probe
The jet with this price should be a formidable player on the fighter market. Countries in Asia, Middle East and Africa are evaluating the jet.

Here is a list of countries that is evaluating the JF-17 Block 3: Saudi Arabia, Bulgaria, Albania, Malaysia, Sudan, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Oman, Algeria, Morocco, Argentina, Peru and Jordan.

Malaysia is currently evaluating the JF-17 alongside the F/A-50, Tejas and M-346 FA under its RfI for light combat aircraft. Saudi Arabia has shown great interest in the Block 3 model with a potential order of up to 120 jets. That would certainly beef up the Pakistani income and provide Saudi Arabia a very capable machines to fly alongside its more expensive and high technological jets like the Eurofighter Typhoon and F-15SA Eagle. Nigeria has taken on 3- jets for evaluation and has an option on 21 jets as per various sources.

At US$25 million per unit. This would sound a very good proposition for any air force to build numbers. The product is backed by China. For US$1 billion, a country is able to acquire 40 units as well as training, spares and weapons, with

#Pakistan outlines 5th gen fighter #aircraft industrial aims. "Such large-scale (Project Azm) requires synergetic efforts from a number of #industrial (public and private) and #academic organizations to fulfill the enormous task." #jf17thunder |Jane's 360 https://www.janes.com/article/87669/pakistan-outlines-fgfa-industri...

The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) has outlined ambitious plans to support its development of a fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) - otherwise known in Pakistan as Project AZM.

The PAC enterprise, which is owned and run by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), has established a new office - the Aviation Research, Indigenization & Development (AvRID) unit - to lead the FGFA programme, it confirmed.

The development programme is supported through Pakistan's development of a new aerospace complex - named 'Aviation City' - that was launched in 2017 to support Project AZM and other national military aerospace requirements.

"The office of DG [Director General] AvRID has been established to transform into reality the [PAF's] air staff vision… with the long-term goal of developing our own fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA)," PAC said on its website.

"[The] development of [the] FGFA would be a major national programme that would entail a massive amount of work, not all of which may possibly be carried out within PAC or even within Pakistan.

"Such large-scale development requires synergetic efforts from a number of industrial (public and private) and academic organisations to fulfill the enormous task," it added.

In order to "manage an engineering development programme of this magnitude", effective technical, engineering, and project management processes need to be established, PAC said.

PAC also outlined several specialist project teams that it will establish in collaboration with other national agencies as part of the Aviation City initiative.

These include an engineering management and support office, an Aviation Design Institute, a Mission Electronics Design Institute, an Aero Structures Design Institute, an Advanced Technologies Centre, and a Flight Test Centre.

PAC states that AvRID will collaborate with and leverage the capabilities of these various Aviation City agencies in undertaking Project AZM. "This [will] put together components of industry and academia to build a high-end research centre to enhance indigenisation capability.

Rafale Vs F-16: Which Fighter Jet Will Win The Dogfight?

https://www.thequint.com/videos/news-videos/rafale-jet-vs-f-16-comp...

Referring to the aerial combat with Pakistan last week, Attorney General KK Venugopal said that the country needs Rafale to defend itself from Pakistan's F-16s. He also added that two squadrons of Rafale fighter jets are coming to India in flyaway condition and the first one will be in by September, which begs the question: is Rafale really that good?

Manufactured by Dassault Aviation, Rafale jet is a twin-jet fighter aircraft which is able to operate from both an aircraft carrier and a shore base. Whereas, F-16 Fighting Falcon is a fourth generation single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by Lockheed Martin. Approximately 3,000 operational F-16s are in service today in 25 countries. So, in a face-off which aircraft will have the advantage? Which aircraft will win the dogfight? Pakistan's F16 or India's Rafale? Let's compare the stats, shall we?

In a dog-fight, advantage lies with one who targets the enemy first. And Radar helps in doing just that. In F16, Lockheed Martin has integrated technologies derived from the F-22 and F-35 including the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) APG-83 radar that provides F-16 with 5th generation fighter radar capability. It can detect enemies in a range of 120 kms. Its maximum engagement range is 20 targets at 84 kms.

Rafale on the other hand is fitted with 4 key technologies:

A multi-directional radar which can detect 40 targets at the same time in a range of over 100 kms.
An undetectable passive radar sensor which is an extremely precise optical camera.
Recognisance pod: a massive digital camera which can take photos at any speed with a precision of 10 cms.

And finally, Spectra, an integrated defence aid system which can jam or counter-jam enemy radar signals, give missile-approach warnings and send out decoy signals in case an enemy missile gets too close to the Rafale.
Decoy signal is an electromagnetic pulse sent from the rear of the plane which de-roots enemy missile.

So, clearly, it's a tough fight between Rafale and F-16. And predicting a clear winner is a bit difficult. Victory depends also on the pilot's skills. So, who do you think will win the battle? Let the facts decide.

#Pakistan Air Force to get final Block II #JF17, JF17B fighter aircraft. AMF has built more than 100 JF-17s since the first JF-17 (serialled 09-111) was rolled out in Nov 2009. Production of the Block III variant to begin later this year. #PAF | Jane's 360 https://www.janes.com/article/88534/pakistan-air-force-prepares-for...

The final three Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder Block II multirole combat aircraft are set to be delivered to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) by late June, the service has told Jane's .

The aircraft are part of an order placed by the PAF in late 2017 for an additional 12 platforms that are currently on the Aircraft Manufacturing Factory (AMF) final assembly line at PAC Kamra. AMF has built more than 100 JF-17s since the first JF-17 (serialled 09-111) was rolled out in November 2009.

Production of the Block III variant is expected to begin later this year PAF Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan told Jane's, adding that the service "will make a decision on one of the two new Chinese AESA [airborne electronically scanned-array] radars we are currently evaluating for these aircraft". He noted that, although supportability and cost will be factors in the decision, the service hopes to have the aircraft operating with the new radar by March 2020.

The Nanjing Research Institute of Electronics Technology's KLJ-7A radar is being marketed by China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) with air-cooling and liquid-cooling options. The second contender is Leihua Electronic Technology Research Institute (LETRI), which offers an air-cooling AESA radar known as the LKF601E.

Meanwhile, the Aircraft Repair Factory (ARF) at PAC Kamra recently completed its first 1,000th hour inspection on the first JF-17. This comes after PAC Kamra and China's Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (CAC), which co-developed the fighter, worked on two JF-17s each to develop the working procedures.

#Qatar #Rafale, #Pakistani hands: "#Pakistan Air Force pilots will fly all these aircraft being procured by Qatar. It is irrelevant whether they have been trained in #France on the Rafale. In all likelihood, they would have" #India #IAF 
https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/main-article/qatar-rafale-pak-... @deccanherald

Over the last few weeks, much has been written about the controversy emanating from the possibility of Pakistan Air Force pilots having trained and flown the Rafale aircraft in France. One needs to examine the possibilities of PAF pilots being engage...
Most critical would be the operational knowledge of the AESA radar. However, deeper technical knowledge of systems like the radar would not be available to Qatar. Given the nature of the long-standing relationship between France and Qatar, any 

More importantly, it is inevitable that it would need pilots on hire to fly these aircraft. This is where the Pakistani relationship comes into focus. That PAF pilots fly for the Qatar Air Force is well established.

PAF fighter pilot Sattar Alvi who flew a Syrian Air Force MiG 21 and shot down a much more advanced Israeli Mirage III claims that his knowledge of Mirage weakness helped him in the dogfight over Syria:

"A Mirage is good at high speeds and poor at slow speed combat. The Mirage leader made his high speed pass at me and as I forced him to overshoot he pulled up high above me. His wingman followed in the attack and I did the same with him; followed by a violent reversal and making the aircraft stand on its tail. The speed dropped to zero. The wingman should have followed his leader.

To my surprise he didn’t, and reversed getting into scissors with me at low speeds. That was suicidal and a Mirage should never do that against a Mig-21. But then, the game plan probably was for the wingman to keep me engaged while the leader turned around to sandwich and then shoot me. It was a good plan, but not easy to execute. The only difficulty in this plan was that the second Mirage had to keep me engaged long enough without becoming vulnerable himself. This is where things began to go wrong for the wingman because his leader took about 10 seconds longer than what was required."

https://tribune.com.pk/story/855837/50-years-on-memories-of-the-197...

#Sino-Pak JF-17 Thunder and #France's #Rafale are the only two fighter jets performing at #ParisAirShow . In fact, three #Pakistan Air Force (PAF) #JF17s are attending this year’s #ParisAirShow2019. #PAF https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2019-06-15/jf-17-th...

The Pak-Sino JF-17 Thunder has flown over 40,000 hours in service with six squadrons, including 2 ‘Minhasians’ Sqn. The fighter is set to mature even more rapidly with the integration of an AESA radar in the Block 3 JF-17s. 

BLOCK 3 JETS
The JF-17 Block 3 enhancements will involve new avionics, including a helmet-mounted display and a holographic wide-angle head-up display, better electronic warfare systems with integrated self-protection kit, as well as a missile approach and warning system, an increased payload, and more sophisticated weapons like a fifth-generation short-range air-to-air missile. It will be the ultimate JF-17, and with an AESA radar will have the capability to employ longer-range weapons and track multiple aircraft. 

A decision on a new AESA radar for the Block 3s is expected to be made by the end of the year. There are now three Chinese contenders, which were all shown at last year’s Zhuhai Air Show, while Leonardo’s Grifo-E is still on the table.

Nanjing Research Institute of Electronics Technology's KLJ-7A is being marketed by China Electronics Technology Group Corporation in air- and liquid-cooling options. The second contender, which was displayed at the Zhuhai Air Show last November along with the two Nanjing examples, comes from Leihua Electronic Technology Research Institute (LETRI), another air-cooling AESA known as the LKF601E. AVIC has thrown its weight behind this option and claims it was the first air-cooling radar. Replacing the JF-17’s original KLJ-7 is simply a case of taking out the old system and inserting the new one. The PAF’s Flight Test Group is currently working the options.

WEAPONS OPTIONS
The PAF’s JF-17s are operational with the SD-10 beyond visual range air-to-air missile (AAM) with a data link and initial mid-course guidance, PL-5EII infrared short-range AAM, C-802 anti-shipping missile, and a stand-off capability courtesy of its Indigenous Range Extension Kit integrated with the Mk80 series of general-purpose bombs. The PAF chief of air staff recently told AIN that the JF-17 is better than many contemporary aircraft in three areas but would not provide any more details, although the air-to-sea mode is undoubtedly one of them.


At IDEF 19, held in Istanbul in early May, an Aselsan source confirmed that deliveries of the first of 50 Aselsan targeting pods for the JF-17s will commence "within a few months," which will provide the JF-17 with a laser-designator capability, working with JTACs on the ground in the air-to-land integration role. 

Air Commodore Rashid Habib, JF-17 deputy chief project director, told the audience at the IDEAS 18 Air Power Conference in Karachi, that the JF-17 had flown 40,000 operational hours. He added that the JF-17B would be fitted with a missionized rear cockpit for combat training and operations, a three-axis fly-by-wire kit, and a fifth-generation advanced short-range air-to-air missile.

#Pakistan to develop private sector #defense industry. Pakistan's Integrated Dynamics (ID) has exported its #drone to U.S. Border Patrol. It also developed Shahpar #UAV, later turned into Burraq. #China weaponized & exporting it as the CH-3/5 series.
https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2019/07/25/pakistan...

The Pakistani government is promoting aims to increase public-private cooperation and develop a self-reliant, self-sustained defense industry. But the private sector is skeptical.

The aims were outlined by Army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, in a government-hosted seminar earlier this month, which included public and private sector representatives.

The seminar recommended establishment of a task force to develop a roadmap for aiding indigenous defense production, establishing a raw material industry in conjunction with the private sector, utilizing surplus production capacity for export, and establishing ‘digital parks’ to exploit software industry potential and promote university level research and development.

However, Shehzad Ahmed Mir, managing director of Bow Systems Ltd, a private sector defense contracting company, says bureaucratic resistance needs to be overcome.

“Army chiefs come and go, only policies stay. So far there is no government policy to support such repetitive statements made by many an armed forces chief,” he said.

Mir blames Pakistan’s civilian bureaucracy for resisting change.

“The problem lies in the acceptance of the bare fact that private industry can do the job far better, and at much lower cost than these bureaucrats. Unless the defense ministry in Pakistan seriously invites the private industry to sit across the table, go through a lengthy and complex process of negotiations to formulate a standard policy for such matters, such statements are worthless in the business world.”

Exports are a key aspect of the drive, but the problems Mir highlights have already taken their toll. Among other things, Pakistan may already have killed off a golden egg laying goose.

The head of UAV firm Integrated Dynamics (ID), Raja S Khan, says the once thriving private UAV industry essentially collapsed when state bodies took their projects in house.

ID has had notable export success, including with U.S. Border Patrol. It is most renowned though for developing the Shahpar UAV, later developed into the Burraq armed drone. China weaponized the drone, further developing and successfully exporting it as the CH-3/5 series, for which Pakistan appears to receive nothing.

Khan believes the “major element” required to revive the industry and make it an export competitor is a UAV regulatory policy to “allow private sector entities to develop and test their designs.”

“India has recently introduced its UAV regulatory policy and is far more proactive in allowing its private sector a foothold in the global UAV industry by freely allowing test zones, development and access to regulatory permissions for registered users," he noted. “Nothing of the sort exists in Pakistan and even a company with the track record of ID is at a loss to test new developments in the absence of regulatory permissions and no accessible or designated flight test zones.”

He is not optimistic for the future.

“The future of development and our export potential looks bleak unless these issues are addressed with policies formulated with UAV professionals on board.”

Mir agrees.

After #ImranKhan's meeting with #Trump, #Pakistan's F-16 P&W engines to be upgraded with some advanced F-22 Raptor and F-35 features, according to #Indian defense/security analyst Bharat Karnad. https://bharatkarnad.com/2019/07/27/payoffs-post-trump-imran-meeting/ via @BharatKarnad

Imran returned home a hero having consolidated Pakistan’s status — surprise! surprise! — as the indispensable front line state the US desperately needs to zero out its military presence in Afghanistan at any and all cost, along with a goodies bag for the Pakistan armed services, which indubitably is the first tranche of upfront payoffs — a $125 million package to retrofit 12 PAF F-16Cs and six two-seater trainer version F-16Ds with the technologically updated Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 jet engine with 79 kiloNewton dry thrust and 129.7 kN with afterburner. Most likely, senior PAF officers accompanying the COAS General Qamar Bajwa, who was part of Imran’s delegation, wangled the EEP (Engine Enhancement Program) version.

The P&W website reveals the EEP as incorporating advances in such areas as turbine materials, cooling management techniques, compressor aerodynamics, and electronic controls, from the F-22 Raptor’s turbofan engine and from the propulsion system in the latest American combat aircraft F-35 jet power plant, thereby increasing the “Depot maintenance interval” of the warplane from 4,300 to 6,000 hours or, to put it differently, from 7 to 10 years, while easing upkeep procedures and reducing the lifetime costs by almost a third. In other words, PAF is well on its way to at once refurbishing its entire F-16 fleet, lengthening its life, and making it more affordable.

Again by design and, perhaps, to suppress any hard reaction from Delhi, the US insisted on placing 60 Lockheed representatives in Pakistan (whether on PAF air bases, is not clear) constituting a Technical Security Team (TST) to monitor the end-use of these revamped F-16s. Except, a Pentagon official told Indian news agency, PTI, that the Americans would be there to also, as he put it, protect the engine technology, presumably from being onpassed to China — one of the usual channels Beijing has used over the years to access US technologies. Pakistan, for instance, shipped an F-16 for Chinese engineers to study and reverse engineer its many technologies when it was first inducted into PAF in 1982 and, likewise, moved the high-performance, silenced, rotor system in the US helicopter that crashed during the 2011 American Operation Neptune Spear to take out Osama bin Laden, to China for a decent amount of time before returning the damaged ‘copter to America.

The fact is even with Americans exercising physical oversight of the revamped F-16s, there’s no way they can prevent these aircraft from being flown to satellite air fields ostensibly on routine exercise either for the Chinese aviation designers and engineers to closely inspect them there, or to embark them on offensive sorties (assuming the TST is really there to deter such uses, which is doubtful).

Curiously, at the same time as the F-16 deal was announced in Washington a couple of days after Imran’s departure, the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency issued a statement saying that India had asked to buy spare parts and test equipment for IAF’s C-17 transport planes, and that it “is seeking personnel training, among other things, “for an estimated cost of $670 million.” India, it added, “needs this follow-on support to maintain its operational readiness and ability to provide Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HA/DR) assistance in the region…[and] will have no difficulty absorbing this support into its armed forces.” Both the press releases announcing the F-16 upgrade and the the Indian buy of C-17 support, iterated that these sales “will not alter the basic military balance in the region.” 

Pakistan close to buying 36 fighter jets from Egypt

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190905-pakistan-close-to-buying...

Pakistan’s Air Force is close to closing a deal with Egypt to buy Dassault Mirage-V aircraft after long negotiations head towards a close.

The Egyptian Air Force has retired the aircraft from service which means they will have to be refurbished before going into service.

Last year Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met with Pakistan’s Joint Chief of Staff Committee Chairman Generl Zubair Mahmood Hayat to discuss military cooperation and the fight against terror.

The two countries have had a long and steady relationship. Last year they celebrated 70 years of diplomatic relations after Egypt was the first country to open an embassy in Pakistan after it achieved independence.

In June Egypt’s ambassador to Pakistan said his country values relations with Pakistan. In May Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan visited Al-Sisi and the leaders agreed to upgrade cooperation.

Egyptian Minister of Planning Hala Al-Saeed said she was keen to promote and develop bilateral relations in various fields and has said: “Long live Egypt. Long live Pakistan.”

Pakistan also has strategic relations with some of Egypt’s major allies, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Yesterday Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir and UAE Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan met their counterpart Shah Mamood Qureshi and Prime Minister Imran Khan to discuss the issue of Kashmir in a symbolic show of unity, according to Pakistan.

The visit comes after the UAE honoured Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi in a highly controversial decision.

After India revoked the special status of Kashmir neighbouring Pakistan said it would downgrade diplomatic ties with India and called on New Delhi to reverse its “illegal annexation of Kashmir”.

On Sunday, thousands of Pakistanis protested for the fourth week against India’s decision

Pakistan has kept its ageing Mirage jets flying after 50 years with DIY repairs and upgrades
Fifty years after Pakistan bought its first Mirages, many planes in the venerable fleet are still being patched up, overhauled and upgraded for use in combat

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/2143898/pakistan-...

The sprawling complex at Kamra, west of Islamabad, reverbates at the thundering take-off of a Mirage Rose-1, the latest ageing fighter jet to have been gutted and reassembled by the Pakistani Air Force.
Fifty years after Pakistan bought its first Mirages, many planes in the venerable fleet are still being patched up, overhauled and upgraded for use in combat, years after conventional wisdom dictates they should be grounded.
That includes one of the first two planes originally purchased from France’s Dassault in 1967, which was in a hangar at Kamra after its record fifth overhaul.
The techniques they have developed are reminiscent of – but far more hi-tech and lethal than – the improvised methods used to keep classic American cars running on the streets of Havana.
“We have achieved such a capability that our experts can integrate any latest system with the ageing Mirages,” says Air Commodore Salman M. Farooqi, deputy managing director of the Mirage Rebuild Factory (MRF) at the Kamra complex.
Pakistan bought its first Mirages to diversify its fleet, which in the late 1960s largely consisted of US-built planes: F-104 Starfighters, T-37 Tweety Birds and F-86 Sabres.

----

But Mirages flew on, also carrying out reconnaissance missions in India, and intercepting and shooting down Soviet and Afghan planes that violated Pakistani airspace during the Soviet war.
Usually the jet has two or three life cycles, each spanning around 12 years. But overhauling them abroad was expensive for Pakistan, a developing country whose budget is already disproportionately tilted towards its military and which has historically received billions in military help from countries such as the US.

So, with the help of experts from Dassault, the air force decided if you want something done for the right price, you’ve got to do it yourself.
The Mirage Rebuild Factory was established at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) in 1978, and in the years since has saved “billions” of dollars for Pakistan, according to Group Captain Muhammad Farooq, in charge of one of the maintenance hangars – though he said the exact figure was difficult to pin down.
The planes take some seven weeks to be overhauled and repainted, he said, adding that usually the MRF has the capacity for more than a dozen planes a year. Its calendar for the next decade or so is already booked up.


At least eight different Mirage variants, including the Mirage 5-EF, Mirage III-DP and Mirage-III Rose-I, were in one of the maintenance hangers when AFP visited.
Engineers and technicians were dismantling cockpit instrument panels and landing gear while undertaking a “non-destructive inspection”, essentially an X-ray to detect faults in the wings and airframe.
Dozens of engines awaiting overhaul were piled in one hangar. Even planes that had suffered accidents such as fires breaking out have been patched back together at the facility.
Pakistan has also been buying up discarded Mirages from other countries to bring through the facility, said retired Air Marshal Shahid Lateef.

The most important technological improvement, developed with the help of South Africa, is the ability to integrate air-to-air refuelling, Farooqi said.
The “identification of friend and foe” (IFF) system, which detects when a Mirage has been locked on to by the system of another plane, was also a key development, he said.

#China enables #Pakistan to become a #defense exporter. #Technology transfers from China have enabled Pakistan to begin producing #military hardware on its own. It's true with the fighter jet that now forms the backbone of #Islamabad's defense strategy.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/China-enab...

When Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan began a high-profile trip to Beijing on Tuesday, he was closely shadowed by influential army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa. But while Khan met with senior Chinese leaders and businessmen, Bajwa was being received by senior army generals, an indication of the close defense ties between the countries.

Those ties are so close, in fact, that China is helping Pakistan become a defense exporter that sells arms to countries like Myanmar and Nigeria.

Pakistan has relied on Chinese military hardware for more than five decades, though Islamabad has used every opportunity to also gain access to Western defense equipment, notably from the U.S.

Pakistan's leaders have long lamented their country's lukewarm ties with the U.S., which have sometimes resulted in reduced arms supplies. This contrasts to the situation with China, which has gradually but consistently nurtured Pakistan as a close ally.

Technology transfers from China have enabled Pakistan to begin producing military hardware on its own. This is true with the fighter jet that now forms the backbone of Islamabad's defense strategy. Pakistan is also increasingly foraying into the production of tanks and other equipment for land forces thanks to technology transfers from China.

Similarly, Chinese hardware is allowing Pakistan to expand its navy.

According to senior government officials who spoke to the Nikkei Asian Review, in the past year Pakistan has redoubled its push to sell batches of JF-17 Thunder fighters that it has built with Chinese assistance. Pakistani government officials said the JF-17 Block III, a version of the JF-17 that will be rolled out in 2020, will include more advanced radar, additional weaponry and other new technologies.

Officials in Islamabad say China has repeatedly helped Pakistan create a more commercially feasible defense industry so that purchasing expensive hardware does not cripple the country's already weak economy.

-------------
"Affordability and high quality are the main selling points of the JF-17," said retired Air Marshal Shahid Latif, a former Pakistan Air Force general previously involved with the JF-17 production project. Encouraged by the publicity given to Myanmar's purchase, Pakistan in the past year has discussed future sales to Malaysia and Azerbaijan as well as sales of additional fighters to Nigeria, which now has three JF-17s.

In the coming years, Pakistan's reliance on Chinese military hardware will grow. China has signed a contract to supply eight new submarines to Pakistan's navy, the largest defense deal ever between the countries. Although neither party has revealed the value of the contract, Western defense analysts say it could be worth from $4 billion to $5 billion depending on weapon systems and other add-ons.

#Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) has signed an agreement with the #Aviation Industry Corporation of #China (AVIC) for the “co-production of Chinese #commercial aircraft.” AVIC’s #aircraft include Xian MA60/600/700 and/or ARJ-21. https://quwa.org/2020/01/02/pakistans-pac-and-avic-sign-agreement-t... via @QuwaGroup

On 27 December 2019, Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) announced that it signed an agreement with the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) for the “co-production of Chinese commercial aircraft.”

Neither PAC nor AVIC offered additional details.

In 2017, PAC had expressed interest in manufacturing a 10-30 passenger commercial airliner or commuter aircraft to support the growing demand for domestic air travel. It is not known if PAC is still pursuing that goal, but the recent agreement AVIC could point towards a more manageable objective.

In 2018, PAC revealed that it was working on an expanded aerospace cluster (as part of the Kamra Aviation City initiative), and that it was hoping to attract Tier 1-4 production work from Boeing, Airbus, and other aircraft manufacturers. PAC was hopeful that the initiative could result in the domestic assembly of single-aisle commuter aircraft and jet airliners (Aviation Week – subscription required).

It is possible that this recent agreement with AVIC is tied to the objective of expanding Pakistan’s share in the supply chains of various airliner/commuter aircraft manufacturers. In this case, PAC would enter the supply chain of AVIC’s aircraft, such as the Xian MA60/600/700 and/or ARJ-21.

It is worth noting that Hybrid Aviation, a privately-owned Pakistani aviation company is a launch customer of the Xian MA700 (Reuters).

Interestingly, Russia’s Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov reportedly announced that talks were ongoing with Islamabad for the sale of six to 16 Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ-100) airliners to Pakistan’s state-owned airline, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

In other words, there could be a regional airliner requirement in place (by PIA as well as Pakistan’s private sector airlines) that could link into production work for PAC. The latter could materialize through industrial offsets, or possibly a joint-venture or partnership for an airliner-focused spinoff of PAC.

#Pakistan Completes Production of First Batch of #JF17 B #Fighter #Aircraft. Block III will receive a new electronic warfare system, upgraded avionics including a 3-axis fly-by-wire digital flight control system & helmet-mounted display #PAF @Diplomat_APAC https://thediplomat.com/2020/01/pakistan-completes-production-of-fi...

The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) Kamra completed production of the first batch of eight twin-seat Pakistan Aeronautical Complex/Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (PAC/CAC) JF-17B Thunder for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in late December.

The aircraft were rolled out during an official ceremony held in Kamra on December 27, 2019. The rolling out of the aircraft was attended by the PAF’s chief of air staff, Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan, and China’s ambassador to Pakistan, Yao Jing, next to a host of other dignitaries.

According to a statement by the PAF, Khan congratulated PAC Kamra and its Chinese partners for the “successful accomplishment of [the] 2019 production target and on completing [the] first 8 dual-seat JF-17 aircraft in [a] record time of five months.”

He also noted that the JF-17 constitutes the “backbone” of the PAF and is “battle proven” as a result of combat missions conduced in February 2019 against the Indian Air Force (IAF). Pakistan at the time claimed that IAF fighters were engaged with beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles (BVRAAM) fired from a JF-17 Block II. One Indian Mig-21 was shot down and the pilot captured.

The JF-17B aircraft will be available in an attack and trainer variant. The first prototype of the twin-seater was reportedly completed in late 2016 and made its maiden flight in April 2017. The aircraft has a deeper dorsal spine and an added fuel capacity in comparison to other one-seat JF-17 variants.

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In addition to the eight aircraft rolled out in late December, the PAF expects to receive a further 14 JF-Bs in 2020 and four more in 2021, according to the chairman of the PAC.

Another variant of the aircraft, the JF-17 Block III, conducted its maiden flight on December 15 of last year.

Notably, while JF-17 Block I and II variants are reportedly powered by a Chinese license-built Klimov RD-93MA turbofan engine, the Block III version is expected to receive the RD-93MA or Chinese WS-13 engine. As I explained elsewhere:

F-17 Block III fighters will apparently receive a new electronic warfare system, upgraded avionics including a three-axis fly-by-wire digital flight control system, a helmet-mounted display and sight system, and Pakistan’s first Chinese-made active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system. Two such radar systems are currently under evaluation, according to the PAF Air Chief: the Nanjing Research Institute of Electronics Technology’s KLJ-7A radar and the Leihua Electronic Technology Research Institute’s (LETRI) LKF601E.

Another contester reportedly is Leonardo’s Grifo-E AESA radar system. The PAF will reportedly procure at least 50 JF-17 Block IIIs by 2024.

SIPRI Study: #China is now the 2nd largest arms producer in the world, behind the #UnitedStates but ahead of #Russia. #India is the world's 2nd biggest arms importer. #Pakistan is 9th largest arms importer. https://www.sipri.org/media/press-release/2020/new-sipri-data-revea...

New research from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) suggests that China is the second-largest arms producer in the world, behind the United States but ahead of Russia. This research represents the most comprehensive picture of Chinese companies’ weapons production to date.

In the past, a lack of transparency has meant that the value of Chinese companies’ arms sales has been either unknown or difficult to reliably estimate. For this reason, the SIPRI Top 100—an annual ranking of the world’s 100 largest arms-producing and military services companies—has so far not been able to include Chinese arms companies.



Advances in reliable estimates
SIPRI has identified information from 2015–17 on the value of arms sales by major Chinese arms companies. The research looks at four companies for which credible financial information is available. The companies cover three sectors of conventional arms production: aerospace, electronics and land systems. With the increase of available data on these companies, it is now possible to develop reasonably reliable estimates of the scale of the Chinese arms industry.



China has some of the world’s largest arms producers
Based on estimated arms sales in 2015–17, the four major Chinese arms companies chosen for the study can now finally be compared with the major arms companies from the rest of the world. In 2017, of the 20 largest companies in the SIPRI Top 100, 11 were based in the USA, 6 in Western Europe and 3 in Russia. If the four Chinese arms companies investigated in the study were included in the Top 100, they would all rank among the top 20, with combined estimated arms sales totalling $54.1 billion. Three of the companies would be ranked in the top 10.

The largest of the Chinese companies is Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), which with arms sales totalling $20.1 billion would rank sixth largest in the world. China North Industries Group Corporation (NORINCO), which would place eighth in the Top 100 with sales of $17.2 billion, is in fact the world’s largest producer of land systems.



Weapon production more specialized
Contrary to most other major global arms producers, Chinese arms companies specialize primarily in one arms production sector, for example AVIC produces mostly aircraft and avionics. Most of the large non-Chinese arms companies produce a wider range of military products across different sectors—covering aerospace, land systems and shipbuilding within one company.



For editors
These new estimates are most likely still an underestimate. A lack of transparency in the arms sales figures of Chinese arms companies continues to hinder a complete understanding of China’s arms industry. This new research, however, acts as an important scoping study that opens the possibility for further research and prepares the ground for a fuller estimate of Chinese arms sales.

Pakistan F16 upgrades contract to Lockheed Martin

https://www.militaryaerospace.com/sensors/article/14176374/electroo...

The Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod provides precision targeting and situational awareness to combat aircraft crews, and is among the most widely deployed targeting system for fixed-wing aircraft in use by the U.S. Air Force and U.S. allies.


The pod provides precision strike, as well as non-traditional intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (NTISR) for close air support of ground forces. The pod has electro-optical imagery capability, a video datalink, and J-series coordinates.

The pod has image processing algorithms, stabilization, high-resolution, mid-wave forward-looking infrared (FLIR) and daylight TV sensors, dual-mode laser for geo-location, laser spot tracker, infrared marker, meta-data for video, and common software and hardware interfaces.

The pod has been flown on U.S. Air Force and international F-15E, F-16, B-1, A-10C, Harrier GR7/9, and CF-18 combat aircraft, and is suitable for the B-52 strategic bomber.

LANTIRN is a combined navigation and targeting pod system for use on the F-15E Strike Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon. It enables these aircraft to fly at low altitudes, at night, and under-the-weather to attack ground targets with a variety of precision-guided weapons.


The LANTIRN's AN/AAQ-13 navigation pod provides high-speed penetration and precision attack on tactical targets at night and in adverse weather, and contains a terrain-following radar and a fixed thermographic camera, which provides a visual cue and input to the aircraft's flight control system, enabling it to maintain a pre-selected altitude above the terrain and avoid obstacles.

The system's AN/AAQ-14 targeting pod contains a high-resolution, forward looking infrared sensor, which displays an infrared image of the target to the pilot; a laser designator and rangefinder for precise delivery of laser-guided munitions; a missile boresight; and software for automatic target tracking. LANTIRN has been in full-rate production since 1986.

IRST is a longwave infrared detection system that targets aircraft in a radar-denied environment. The system uses infrared search and track technology to detect and provide weapon-quality track solutions on potentially hostile aircraft.

Related: Raytheon to provide UAV electro-optical targeting systems in $50.2 million contract

The system has a processor, inertial measurement unit, and environmental control unit that fit inside the sensor pod, which attaches to a weapons station underneath the aircraft.

Infrared sensors like the IRST detect the heat from an aircraft's engine exhaust or even the heat generated by the friction of an aircraft as it passes through the atmosphere. Unlike radar, infrared sensors do not emit electronic signals, and do not give away their presence to adversaries.

On this contract Lockheed Martin will do the work in Orlando, Fla., and at locations to be identified with each order, and should be finished by May 2025. For more information contact Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control online at www.lockheedmartin.com, or the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center-Robins at www.robins.af.mil/Units/AFLCMC.

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Peace Gate: US F-16 Sales to Pakistan 1984


https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a147543.pdf


The sale of 40 F-16 Multi-role fighter aircraft to the
emerging nation of Pakistan not only encompasses a variety
of geo-political, economic, and military consequences for the
country itself but subsequently creates unique challenges
for USAF foreign military sales program managers. This
thesis examines the managerial challenges and program management performance during the acquisition and logistics
support phases of the Peace Gate program. By first analyzing
Pakistan as an emerging nation and recipient of F-16 aircraft
under the Zia dictatorship, the thesis then discusses program
management impediments and consequent management action taken
by the USAF, Pakistan Air Force, and contractor management
teams. Managerial decisions and strategies applied during
the sale and support phases are assessed in light of accomplishing Peace Gate program objectives. Conclusions regarding the contribution of specific managment techniques toward
program success are made.

-----------------

As of May 1984, 15 aircraft have been
delivered (six from PG I and nine from PG II); the entire
program cost for PG I has been aid by the Government of
Pakistan (GOP); and ten PAF pilots and over 100 maintenance
technicians have been trained in CONUS. CIS work for PG I
has been completed and PG II CIS work has begun (19).

-------------------

Because the economic, political and military elements of
the Peace Gate environment determine, to a large extent, the
potential for program success and the character of program
decision making during the life of Peace Gate, this chapter
attempts to provide some insight into the program's operating
environment.
Geography
Pakistan's world position and perception of international events is largely determined by its strategic loca- r
tion. The Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a South Asian Third
World country approximately the size and shape of California, *.
is surrounded by either historic or current adversarial
nations. Pakistan has four neighboring states: Iran to the
southwest, Afghanistan to the north and west, China to the
northeast, and India to the east; all of which play an
important part in determining its security requirements
(14:680). Pakistan is a country of considerable environmental variety. The northern border of its 1100 mile expanse
is comprised of the Hindu Kush mountains--the greatest
concentration of high peaks in the world.

-------------

Because of Pakistan's tenuous agricultural and industrial development, it is one of the 49 United
Nations (UN) designated "low income countries of the world"
(28:1367). Its low per capita Gross National Product (GNP)
of about $300 (70:128) is aggravated by its 3.2 percent
population growth rate--one of the highest in the world
(66:37). The full extent of Pakistan's economic plight is
perhaps best expressed by the tragic fact that 34 percent of
its population is still classified as "living in a state of
absolute poverty" (28:1367).
--------

Needless to say, the industrial capacity and economic
base of Pakistan are of great concern to American Foreign
Military Sales decision makers (66:41). Pakistan lacks the
industrial capacity to sustain a technical defense program
without substantial support. Additionally, economic conditions have led a number of U.S. government officials to
question Pakistan's ability to afford a major military
modernization program, either in the short run or long term
(67:80).

#PAF has upgraded its 150 #French #Mirage III/V jet fighters from 1960s with modern radars, new avionics, IFF (ID Friend/Foe) #technology at #Pakistan Aeronautical Complex under ROSE program. Pakistan is acquiring more used Mirage III/Vs for spares. https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2019/02/26/Mirage-2000-is-IAF-war...

About a year ago, Agence France Presse (AFP) did a special report on an older French-built fighter, which holds a similar reputation with the Pakistan Air Force—the Mirage III/V.

The American-built F-16, of which the Pakistan Air Force is thought to operate around 75 jets, is Pakistan’s most advanced fighter. But strict US export controls and monitoring has meant Islamabad has been unable to modify the F-16 for long-range attack missions.

This has left the Pakistan Air Force heavily reliant on the Mirage III/V for the stand-off strike role. And Pakistan has virtually trawled the world for used Mirage III/V jets, buying variants from the likes of Australia, Libya, Lebanon, Spain and, of course, France.

Since the mid-1990s, Pakistan has upgraded dozens of Mirage-III/Vs with Italian radars and other electronics at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex under the ROSE programme.

In addition to improved air-to-air capabilities, Pakistan has modified the Mirage ROSE aircraft with the capability to fire long-range glide bombs developed with South African assistance. The Mirage ROSE was also the launch aircraft on tests of the Ra’ad cruise missile, which has been fired at least seven times since 2007. The Ra’ad has been claimed to have a range of up to 350km and can carry conventional or nuclear warheads.

The AFP report was intended to mark the 50th anniversary of the Mirage III/V’s entry into Pakistani service. The AFP feature specifically covered the upgrade of the Mirage III/V called the retrofit of strike element, or the morbidly ‘romantic’ acronym, ROSE. Over the past five decades, Pakistan has purchased nearly 150 Mirage III/V fighters.

The Mirage III was the first European combat aircraft capable of flying at twice the speed of sound and made its maiden flight in 1956. The Mirage V was a dedicated ground attack variant of the Mirage III, with greater space for fuel, in place of avionics. The only thing these aircraft share in common with the Indian Mirage 2000 is their ‘delta wing’ design. The Mirage 2000 is a far newer and capable design that uses ‘fly-by-wire’ technology (flight control by computers) instead of hydraulic controls on the older jets.

The AFP article from 2018 mentioned the Pakistan Air Force intended to replace the Mirage ROSE aircraft with the Chinese-designed JF-17 as the French aircraft are becoming difficult to maintain. However, Pakistan officials praised the Mirage ROSE aircraft as being “very agile” and capable of penetrating deep into enemy territory without being detected.

So, while tension rises between India and Pakistan, it is difficult to miss the irony in the fact that two French-designed aircraft play key roles in the two militaries.

P.S.: In the mid-1990s, Asif Ali Zardari, husband of then Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, was accused of taking a bribe of $200 million from Dassault to facilitate a deal for 32 advanced Mirage 2000 fighters for the Pakistan Air Force. The deal was scuppered when Bhutto's government was dismissed in 1996.


https://www.france24.com/en/20180429-thrifty-50-pakistan-keeps-agei...

Israel’s Lavi, India’s Tejas & Pakistan’s Project Azm: 4th & 5th Gen Fighter Programs
Pakistan is working on its 5th generation fighter programs when India and Israel have almost abandoned or stalled their 4th generation fighter programs. Under "Project Azm" Pakistan Air Force will be producing several stealth jets and submarines that will have the capability to outsmart any radar and contending fighter jets.

https://www.globalvillagespace.com/israels-lavi-indias-tejas-pakist...

Pakistan Fifth Generation Fighter Program
Pakistan is among some countries that successfully launched a fourth-generation warfare program. Pakistan successfully produced JF-17 Thunder when Israel’s Lavi program and India’s Tejas Program failed miserably and died on tables. Now when Pakistan is done with its “Fourth Gen Fighter Program” with the new JF-17 Thunder Block III, a deadly fighter in the air, Pakistan eyes a joint Fifth Gen Fighter Program with China.

Looking at its budget, Pakistan will probably be going for a lightweight and low-cost platform – similar to America’s F-35 and China’s J-31. Its still a feat for Pakistan, a country with just $280 billion GDP, going for the fifth generation warfare as only 3 countries in the world previously are working on them i.e. The US, China & Russia while Japan managed to only produce a prototype and Turkey and South Korea have been stalling their program for years.

Pakistan has started with its fifth-gen fighter program with a project called “Azm”. Pakistan Air Force showcased the conceptual design of its future stealth aircraft on the tail of the PAF C-130 at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) 2019.

As per the yearbook of the Pakistan Ministry of Defence Production (MoDP) for the year 2017-2018, the Aviation Research, Innovation and Development (AvRID) Secretariat has finalized the first of the four conceptual design stage cycles for the development of the Pakistan Air Force’s Fifth-Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) program.

Pakistan’s entry into the fifth-generation fighter league is a significant step for the country’s prestige and demonstrates both the potency of its indigenous defense industries and the value of Chinese technological assistance.

https://twitter.com/rabiyahashme/status/1155055970005004289

“Pakistan is engaged with Chinese experts in manufacturing the next-generation aircraft. China is also providing technical assistance for launching the satellite program” Pakistan’s former Air Chief spoke at AirTech 2017. The former Air Chief was referring to the Project Azm that is expected to significantly expand the country’s air combat compatibility and its aviation industry.

This project not only strengthens the Pakistan Air Force’s capabilities but also grants Pakistan increased independence from the United States and its aviation companies amid growing tensions between both the countries and in the region.

Pakistan’s aims are ambitious with Project Azm, trying to build a Fifth Gen Fighter Jet by 2022, but with the help of the Chinese defense sector and technological assistance, it might be possible.

Project Azm is not designed to fulfill the need for a heavy Air Superiority fighter jet for Pakistan as, much like America’s F-35 and J-31 light fighters, Project Azm fighters will not be able to take on India’s Su-30, which it will not be able to contend even regardless of its stealth capabilities.

Project Azm
Project Azm was formally initiated by the PAF back in July 2017, and its agenda is to develop an FGFA, a medium-altitude, and long-endurance (MALE), new munitions, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and multiple other projects.

A recently conducted interview with the Pakistan Air Force Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan revealed that he does not expect the 5th generation fighter aircraft to make its maiden flight for “another decade”.

#Pakistan #AirForce Chief Opens Centre Of Artificial Intelligence & Computing. #technology has altered the nature of warfare in the 21st century & the vision of the center is to harness the potential of #ArtificialIntelligence in #PAF ops. UrduPoint

https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/air-chief-inaugurates-centre-...

Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan was the chief guest at the occasion, said a PAF press release.

The Air Chief formally inaugurated the newly established centre by unveiling the plaque.

Addressing the ceremony, the Air Chief said that establishment of CENTAIC was indeed a landmark initiative in the evolutionary journey of PAF which would lead Artificial Inteligence Research and Development in both civil and military spheres.

---------------------------

It’s just one AI application the Army is exploring with combat applications, said Brig. Gen. Matt Easley, head of the service’s Artificial Intelligence Task Force, said last week at the Association of the U.S. Army annual meeting in Washington.

Shooting down drones, aiming tank guns, coordinating resupply and maintenance, planning artillery barrages, stitching different sensor feeds together into a coherent picture, analyzing how terrain blocks units’ fields of fire and warning commanders where there are blind spots in their defenses are all military applications for which the Army will test AI.

The most high-profile example of AI on the battlefield to date, the controversial Project Maven, used machine learning algorithms to sift hours of full-motion video looking for suspected terrorists and insurgents. By contrast, Easley said, the new application looks for tanks and other targets of interest in a major-power war, he said, in keeping with the Pentagon’s increasing focus on Russia and China. https://www.militaryaerospace.com/computers/article/14069203/artifi...

#NASA #astronauts, #scientists answer #Pakistani fourth-graders’ #science questions on Twitter. #Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, #American TV host Emily Calandrelli replied to the tweet https://gn24.ae/aa2409bc4ec6000

A group of fourth graders from Karachi got the surprise of their lives today when they wrote a letter asking American space agency Nasa (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) some questions about space and got replies from astronauts and space experts.

Students of The Cornerstone School in Karachi, Pakistan, had some questions for astronauts about travelling to space. Promoting curiosity in her students, their teacher helped them post the questions on Twitter. She tagged Nasa’s official Twitter account as well as some astronauts in hopes of getting a response.

The tweet soon started gaining attention as people began retweeting it to help make it viral. Eventually, astronauts and space experts took notice of it and replied.

The Emmy-nominated American science TV host Emily Calandrelli, who hosts Xploration Outer Space and Emily’s Wonder Lab, was the first expert to reply to the tweet.

A 10-year-old student Alisha had asked: “What fuel does a spaceship use?”

Calandrelli replied: “All different types! Some popular rockets that you’ll see will use a fuel plus an oxidiser. For example, something called RP-1 and then liquid oxygen. These are combined and then *ignited* and burned to create a big (controlled) explosion that moves the rocket!”

Nine-year-old Haniyah asked: “Is it true that it rains diamonds on Jupiter?”

The MIT-engineer replied: “It’s definitely possible!! The same physics and chemistry that creates diamonds here on Earth (putting carbon under super high heat/pressure) exist on planets like Jupiter, so some scientists hypothesize that it’s raining diamonds there. Wouldn’t it be fun to see that?”

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield who often shares space videos replied to 10-year-old Mahrukh’s question: “How do you feel when you get blasted off in a space shuttle?”

@Cmdr_Hadfield replied: “Mahrukh - I flew in the Space Shuttle twice. You feel violently shaken, squished, super-focused, excited, and lucky.”

He also replied to another student named Rayyan, who asked: “Do you get scared that your space shuttle might get lost?”

Along with a picture of Karachi from space, @Cmdr_Hadfield tweeted: “Rayyan - I wasn't scared we'd get lost. We had the Earth nearby, and used the stars to steer. I felt especially comforted when I flew over home. Here's a photo I took of Karachi - can you find your school?”

By October 15 morning, screenshots of the tweet were viral on other social media platforms as well. And Nasa scientists and space experts started replying to the questions on Reddit. Twitter users later posted these responses in reply to the teacher’s original tweet.

Tweep @tahaazher wrote: “Also these replies from Nasa scientists on @reddit. They have invited the students when the pandemic is over.”

That’s not all. The students got a reply from the control centre of Ariane 6, which is a launch system developed and manufactured under the authority of the European Space Agency. And the German Aerospace Center also sent replies to their questions.

The excited teacher, Aimun, shared an update with the reactions the students had when she handed them the responses that all the space experts had sent in.

Twitter users found the thread of questions and answers very heartening, and some even felt emotional after reading it.

Many Pakistani tweeps also commended the teacher for thinking of putting the questions on Twitter. @smoodwrites replied: "I'm really glad you did this. I was a super space-curious kid... Pakistan needs more teachers like you."

Huawei to set up ICT academy at #Pakistan Air University. It's the 24th #Huawei #ICT Academy established under the MOU signed between the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan and Huawei Technologies Co. #communications #technology #cyber https://profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/11/02/huawei-to-set-up-ict... via @Profitpk

A strategic memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Air University and Huawei Technologies Pakistan for the establishment of the Huawei ICT Academy at the university.

The ceremony was attended by the university’s Vice Chancellor Air Marshal (r) Javaid Ahmed, Dean Kashif Kifayat, Huawei Service Director Zhangwenwu as well as other respective professors and members from both organizations.

The academy at Air University will be the 24th Huawei ICT Academy established under the MOU signed between the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan and Huawei Technologies Co Ltd aimed at promoting the studies of advanced technologies and adopting the globally renowned university-enterprise cooperation model for course development, training and certification in HEIs.

Students from BS-cyber security, IT, computer science, software engineering and engineering will be able to get Huawei certified at an associate, professional and expert level.

Addressing the ceremony, Professor Kashif Kifayat stated, “Air University is the headquarters of the National Centre of Cyber Security, establishing the Huawei academy here will attract more external students due to the trust Air university has developed. This initiative will have a significant impact on the cyber security culture of Pakistan and produce more Huawei cyber security product line experts in the country.”

Adding to that, Huawei Service Director Zhangwenwu emphasized on the importance of creating intellectually independent individuals, saying, “Huawei understands that with the constant technological advancements happening in the world right now it is necessary to focus on youth development programs to build a skilled workforce for our future digital economy.

“Similarly, the Digital Pakistan initiative by the Prime Minister of Pakistan also emphasizes this need to create skilled youth and to bolster the IT industry by building a digital ecosystem.”

Echoing his statement, Vice Chancellor Javaid Ahmed stated, “This initiative by Huawei and Air University will benefit us in multiple dimensions. We will embed the Huawei certification in our BS-Cyber Security, IT and Computer Science as special courses. This academy will enable our faculty members to get training from Huawei experts to become professional trainers.”

Over 9000 people have so far received Huawei certifications in Pakistan.

New Extension to the Chashma Plutonium Separation Facility
by Neil Hyatt[1] and Sarah Burkhard

November 30, 2020

https://isis-online.org/isis-reports/detail/new-extension-to-the-ch...

Background

Pakistan first developed plans to acquire reprocessing technology in the 1960s. In 1972, Pakistan entered into talks with Saint Gobain Technique Nouvell (SGN) of France to procure a reprocessing facility with a design capacity of 100 tons of heavy metal (tHM) per year.4 A contract for a basic design was signed in 1973, and another for a detailed design in 1974, but France eventually cancelled the deal in 1978, due to U.S. government concern that the facility would benefit Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program. However, construction of the reprocessing facility had already commenced and a considerable amount of design and specification information had already been transferred by SGN to the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC). Pakistan stated its intent to complete the facility, but failed to find another supplier.5 Construction stalled. Historic imagery shows that the plant became overgrown and remained dormant for many years. No further progress was apparently made until construction resumed some time between 2000 and 2002.6 In the interim, Pakistan built the smaller New Labs reprocessing facility at PINSTECH, near Islamabad, to reprocess spent fuel from the unsafeguarded Khushab I heavy water reactor. In parallel to the resumption of construction at Chashma, an expansion at PINSTECH began which appeared to be a second reprocessing facility, roughly doubling the reprocessing capacity at that location.7

The investment in additional reprocessing capabilities occurred in parallel with the construction of three additional unsafeguarded heavy water reactors at the Khushab site from 2001 – 2015, Khushab II, III, and IV. All four Khushab reactors are believed to be operational and dedicated to plutonium production.8 With the additional Khushab reactors, located approximately 80 km east from Chashma, and 200 km from the New Labs facility, the need for a larger plutonium separation capability is credible.

Additionally, at the Chashma site, four 300 MWe pressurised water reactors (CHASNUPP 1 – 4) were constructed and brought into operation from 2000 – 2017, with a fifth unit planned.9 These reactors operate under IAEA safeguards. A 2019 PAEC slide presentation to an IAEA conference stated an intention for on-site dry storage of the spent nuclear fuel from the CHASNUPP reactors.10 It stated that currently, all spent fuel from Pakistan’s safeguarded reactors is in wet storage. An associated graphic indicates with a question mark that the decision whether to pursue reprocessing of the spent fuel had not yet been made. Already a few years prior, in 2014, a PAEC slide presentation had stated that after dry and wet storage, the fate of the spent fuel had “yet to be decided.”11

Figure 1, a May 2020 Google Earth satellite image, gives an overview of the Chashma nuclear complex, highlighting the four CHASNUPP reactor units and the reprocessing plant. Also highlighted is the likely Kundian fuel production plant (the Kundian Nuclear Complex 1) which manufactures fuel for the KANUPP reactor.

The majority of the apparent construction of the Chashma reprocessing plant and associated facilities lasted from 2002 to 2013 and was documented by ISIS.12 For the reasons given above, the plant’s primary purpose is assumed to be plutonium separation from unsafeguarded heavy water reactors at the Khushab site. The plant may have become operational around 2015, 13 but it is unknown whether the facility continued to operate during the most recent and possibly still on-going constructions.

#Chinese #Defense Minister: 'China-Pakistan military ties should be scaled up' to a "higher level" to jointly deal with "risks and challenges" faced by the two countries. #China #Pakistan #India #Kashmir #CPEC #US
https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/chin... @deccanherald

(General) Wei (Fenghe) held talks with Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa in Islamabad on Monday and signed a memorandum of understanding to deepen defence cooperation between the all-weather allies. "We should push the mil-to-mil relationship to a higher level...

"We should push the mil-to-mil relationship to a higher level, so as to jointly cope with various risks and challenges, firmly safeguard the sovereignty and security interests of the two countries, and safeguard the regional peace and stability"

The Chinese statement was also silent about the new MoU. Both countries rarely disclose the extent of their defence ties which spans all sectors of the army, air force and the navy.

Indian defense analyst Pravin Sawhney on PAF Center for artificial intelligence with PLAAF

https://youtu.be/xaAKlKoNoVU


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Earlier this month, on September 7th, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) presented a number of innovations that it had made as part of the Kamra Aviation City initiative. The Kamra City initiative is part of the PAF’s effort to set up a domestic aerospace development and manufacturing cluster reported “Quwa.”



Project Azm, a project that was started in 2017 seeks to secure a domestically produced next-generation fighter aircraft (NGFA). The project also seeks to be able to produce unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s), and state of the art munitions. Videos of the progress of these projects were shown at the event.

https://southasianmonitor.net/en/pakistan/paf-presents-plans-for-ne...



Speculation, according to Quwa, leans towards the production of a twin-engine fighter. The PAF Chief, Air Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan, had outlined that the PAF had been seeking a single-seat, twin-engine design equipped with super-cruising and laser-based weapons.

Thus the airforce seeks to develop an aircraft with ‘fifth-generational-capabilities’ such as low-observable (LO) and low radar cross-section (RCS) airframes.

PAF reveals artificial intelligence program

The PAF also revealed that its newly raised Centre of Artificial Intelligence and Computing (CENTRIC) is undertaking a ‘Cognitive Electronic Warfare’ (or Cognitive EW) program. In order to manage and analyze vast amounts of data. Artificial intelligence can calculate and disseminate quickly vast amount of data regarding any potential enemy.

Today’s EW systems can collect a considerable amount of data about an enemy’s frequency use, radar deployment, and many other factors. However, the analysis function of using that data to find actionable results is left on solely human operators, which may not be an efficient use of personnel, nor effective

Cognitive Electronic Warfare (CEW) is the use of cognitive systems – commonly known as Artificial Intelligence (AI) or machine learning – to enhance development and operation of Electronic Warfare (EW) technologies for the defense community.
Cognitive systems can sense, learn, reason, and interact naturally with people and environments, accelerating development and implementation of next generation EW threat detection, suppression, and neutralization technologies.

https://www.baesystems.com/en-us/definition/what-is-cognitive-elect...(CEW)%20is,technologies%20for%20the%20defense%20community.

Applying cognitive systems to EW development helps defense researchers identify patterns and develop hypotheses that can result in broad improvements across multiple systems, while also anticipating demands specific only to particular missions. While these Cognitive Electronic Warfare systems do not "know" definitive answers to problems, they are able to interpret a vast amount of data from a range of complex sources to provide well-reasoned hypotheses for consideration.

The most successful uses of CEW are not those that rely entirely on computers, but are instead those which combine computer input with human strategies and understanding. Assigning data collection, information storage, and probability calculations to computers allows humans more capacity for focusing their creativity and insights on better solutions.

‘It will be several years before Rafales can be considered threat to Pakistan’Tufail is a popular aviation historian, strategic affairs commentator

https://www.theweek.in/news/world/2020/09/11/it-will-be-several-yea...

Writing in Pakistan Politico, a Pakistani magazine, Tufail noted, "the inadequacy of IAF’s Su-30MKI and MiG-29 twin-engine fighters in the air superiority role led to the decision to acquire the Rafale, ostensibly a more modern and capable multi-role fighter". Both the Su-30MKI and MiG-29 are Russian-designed fighters.

The Su-30MKI is numerically the most important aircraft in the Indian Air Force, with over 250 units in service, while the MiG-29 has undergone an upgrade to give it enhanced multirole capabilities. The Indian Air Force operates over 60 MiG-29 fighters.

Tufail acknowledged both the Su-30MKI and MiG-29 were "highly manoeuvrable in a visual dogfight", but "they seem to have shortcomings in network-centric, beyond-visual-range (BVR) combat". Tufail alleged the Su-30MKI jets that participated in the aerial skirmish with Pakistan Air Force jets over Jammu and Kashmir in February 2019 lacked datalinks to exchange information securely and their radars were unable to lock on to "two dozen PAF fighters". The Indian Air Force had stated Pakistani F-16 fighters fired AMRAAM air-to-air missiles in the skirmish.

"While a definitive conclusion about the shortcomings of the Su-30 fire-control radar and missiles cannot be made on the basis of a single engagement, it is clear that they are not at par with the PAF F-16/AMRAAM combo," Tufail wrote in Pakistan Politico. “The IAF was aware of these limitations of the Russian fighters, which is why it had initiated measures for the acquisition of Western multi-role combat aircraft instead of more Su-30s, as far back as 2012,” Tufail wrote.

Tufail noted the Rafale had longer range and heavier payload than the F-16 and JF-17 fighters of the Pakistan Air Force. The Chinese-designed JF-17 is numerically the most important fighter in the Pakistan Air Force, with over 100 units in service.

Tufail noted the Rafale, JF-17 and F-16 had comparable performance in a turning dogfight, where the aircraft's capability to turn quickly is a decisive factor.

A key capability that the Rafale brings to the Indian Air Force is the Meteor long-range air-to-air missile, which has a range in excess of 150km. The Meteor uses a 'ramjet' engine, allowing it to have powered flight to the point of impact, unlike earlier air-to-air missiles that rely on rocket engines, which only burn for specific period. The ramjet engine gives the Meteor a significantly higher 'no escape zone', the zone in which a target aircraft cannot use manoeuvrability or speed to evade a missile strike.

Tufail noted the Pakistan Air Force was set to acquire the Chinese-made PL-15 air-to-air missile for its JF-17 fighters. Experts have estimated the PL-15, which is significantly longer than the Meteor, has a range in excess of 200km. US officials have cited the development of the PL-15 as an argument for the US military to have a new long-range air-to-air missile.

Tufail argued, " It must… be remembered that it will be at least two years before the Rafale achieves anything close to full operational capability." He claimed the Pakistan Air Force has operated the F-16 for 37 years and the JF-17 for a decade. "These combat-proven PAF fighters are fully integrated with the air defence system, and are mutually data-linked, alongside all AEW (airborne early warning) and ground sensors. Such capabilities are not achieved overnight, and it will be several years before the Rafales can be considered a threat in any real sense. Any immediate impact of the Rafale on IAF’s air power capabilities is, thus, simply over-hyped."

GIKI students beat top universities to clinch 2nd place in Design, Build and Fly competition

https://www.techjuice.pk/giki-students-beat-top-universities-to-cli...

Team Invictus from GIKI has clinched 2nd position in Design, Build and Fly competition, hosted by American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. The competition had participation from students from all across the globe including renowned institutions such as MIT, UC Berkeley, and Stanford and GIKI students clinched the second spot to beat many of these institutions and bring the prize home.

The 2021 iteration of the competition aimed to build and test a UAV with a towed sensor. All student teams were tasked to design, fabricate and demonstrate capabilities of their unmanned radio controlled aircraft which is designed to meet a specific mission objective. As per the GIK University announcement, the team used advanced manufacturing techniques which included 3D printed parts and a pod and boom aircraft configuration to get their design ready.

The students of GIKI were also congratulated by the U.S Embassy of Pakistan in a Facebook post:


The team’s proposal for the unmanned aircraft was scored 85.9, which was 1st best in Asia whereas it was rated 2nd best globally. The proposal document consisted of 60 pages of highly technical information plus fly-offs that took place in alternately in Kansas and Arizona, USA. It must also be noted that due to COVID for the first time, digital collaboration tools had to be used but that didn’t hinder the team’s progress at all as they set forth to clinch the second position.

The team’s future plans are to be the face of the radio-controlled aircraft industry in Pakistan and they aim to promote aeronautics and aviation as a hobby in the country so that more people get involved.

Growing #Turkey-#Pakistan #Defense Collaboration: Turkey sees #nuclear power Pakistan as a strategic ally and partner in building its Siper long-range missile-defense project and TF-X fighter jet. Ankara seeks to be a power center in a multipolar world. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-02/turkey-expands-w...

Turkey is pushing to co-manufacture warplanes and missiles with Pakistan, a hookup that could also give it access to prized war technology from China.

Turkish defense and government officials have held periodic talks with Pakistani counterparts -- the last high-level discussion was in January -- about developing and manufacturing military hardware with Pakistan, according to people from both countries who are familiar with the negotiations. The people didn’t say when they’ll meet again or how close they are to an agreement.

A deal would get NATO-member Turkey closer to some of China’s military technology. Pakistan builds its JF-17 fighter jets with China and is said to have adapted Chinese designs for its Shaheen ballistic missile.

Turkey sees nuclear power Pakistan as a strategic ally and potential partner in building its Siper long-range missile-defense project and TF-X fighter jet, the people familiar said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss strategic goals. The people didn’t say whether the talks have gotten to the point of seeking Beijing’s consent to share Chinese defense technology.

Asked about restrictions imposed on weapons exports, China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that the Chinese government “has always adopted a prudent and responsible attitude in the export of military products and strictly implements China’s military export management laws and regulations as well as its international duties.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has hailed “very serious potential” for collaboration with Pakistan on defense projects, and top defense officials have met in recent months. Pakistani Defense Secretary Mian Muhammad Hilal Hussain met with top Turkish officials including Defense Minister Hulusi Akar in December, and discussed defense industry cooperation, the people familiar said. Akar has also met with Pakistan’s defense minister, military chief and air force chief, and accompanied Erdogan on a visit to Pakistan over the past year.

The countries already have some cooperation in the defense industry, including co-producing warships Turkey has sold Pakistan.

Turkish adoption of Chinese military technology could cause new frictions with the U.S., which would be loath to see Ankara move further away from the Western military alliance. Washington is already sanctioning Turkey for buying a missile-defense system from Russia, and has suspended Turkish companies from participating in the development of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 stealth fighter jet.

The Turkish officials who spoke on the contacts with Pakistan said the outreach meshes with Ankara’s aspiration to become a power center in an increasingly multipolar world.

Pakistan to Arm Super Mushshak Aircraft for Counterinsurgency Operations
Pakistan Aeronautical Complex is tailoring the Super Mushshak training aircraft for counterinsurgency operations.

https://thediplomat.com/2017/05/pakistan-to-arm-super-mushshak-airc...

Pakistan is in the process of retrofitting its fleet of MFI-395 Super Mushshak military training aircraft with new intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities and light-weight laser guided munition, IHS Jane’s reports. State-owned Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) is upgrading the training aircraft for use in counterinsurgency (COIN) operations.

The MFI-395 Super Mushshak is a PAC license-built variant of the Saab MFI-17 Supporter aircraft, which Pakistan acquired from Sweden in the 1980s. As I explained elsewhere:

In comparison to its Swedish predecessor, the upgraded MFI-395 variant features a new engine and a new flight control system, among other things.

Fitted with six hardpoints under the wing pylons, the aircraft can be armed with rockets and missiles. The MFI-395 entered service in 2001. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is currently operating around 300 Super Mushshaks at various training facilities.

It is unclear how many of the 300 training aircraft will be reconfigured for COIN operations. According to IHS Jane’s, the aircraft could possibly be armed with the Chinese-built 25 kg FT-10 precision-guided bomb.

“Complete integration of the weapons is expected to take another three to four months, which will also cover the design and manufacture of the pylons, quality checks, flight test, and eventually a test drop,” the report notes.

PAC is also outfitting the aircraft with an L3 Wescam MX-10 electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) pod following an inquiry by international customers as to whether the aircraft could be used as an ISR platform. “We have had several customers inquiring about integrating an ISR system, so we are looking at options,” PAC chairman, Air Marshal Arshad Malik, said in an interview with IHS Jane’s.

“While sitting in the cockpit’s right seat, the turret operator would control the camera and watch the video feed on the glass screen. At the same time the imagery could be downlinked to the battle commander on the ground. It’s a very simple system,” Malik added. One training aircraft has reportedly already been equipped with a L3 Wescam MX-10.

According to Malik, “PAC is in the process of incorporating servos for the autopilot, too,” in order to ease the pilot’s workload and to help control the aircraft following.

PAC has exported the MFI-395 Super Mushshak to a number of countries including Nigeria and Qatar. Earlier this month, it scored its biggest export order so far when the Turkish Undersecretary for Defense Industries (SSM) awarded PAC a contract for the sale of 52 Super Mushshak aircraft. PAC won the competitive bidding process in July 2016.

Nigerian Air Force using Pakistan-made JF-17s and Super Mushshak aircraft for counter-insurgency ops.

https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2021/07/25/fg-procures-32-fig...

The (Nigerian COIN) platforms include 10 Super Mushshak aircraft, five Mi-35M helicopter gunships, two Bell 412 helicopters, four Agusta 109 Power attack helicopters, two Mi-171E helicopters, three JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft, which were delivered and inducted in May 2021.

China will deliver 25 J-10C fighter jets to Pakistan within weeks as part of a deal that will bolster Islamabad’s military capabilities against mutual rival India.

https://www.ft.com/content/b505d504-6447-4ffb-bb7d-3a33db837c9a

Beijing’s first export of the advanced jets marks a big step-up in its decades-old arms relationship with Islamabad and entails providing its ally with some of the latest equipment that China’s own armed forces are using. China will also broaden its support to Pakistan’s navy.

The first batch of the combat aircraft is being tested in Chengdu, the base of its manufacturer Chengdu Aerospace Corporation, according to a journalist at a Chinese military publication.

“They will be transferred to Pakistan once Pakistan air force pilots and technicians have completed an introduction to the aircraft,” he said.

Senior officials in Islamabad said the jets would be delivered before the end of the month.

Last week, Chinese and foreign military watchers posted photos and a video showing several J-10C aircraft flying the colours of the Pakistan air force on social media.

China is also selling Pakistan four Type 054A frigates, the first of which began service in November, and is expected to begin delivery of up to eight Type 041 submarines, its quietest attack submarine, this year.

India, which has been engaged in a stand-off on its Himalayan border with China for nearly two years, believes the arms deliveries to Pakistan are an attempt to amplify the threat from Islamabad. India shares long land borders with both Pakistan and China.

“There’s a clear strategic nexus between China and Pakistan,” said Brahma Chellaney, a professor of strategic studies at the Centre for Policy Research, a New Delhi think-tank. “That nexus is clearly designed to contain India, to pin India down and keep it preoccupied. That’s the Chinese strategic aim.”

He described the latest arms deals as a significant shift, adding that “China is now selling or transferring its top of the line weapons systems to Pakistan”.

The J-10C aircraft will help Pakistan close the air-power gap with India following New Delhi’s acquisition of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France. “This is our response to [India’s] Rafale,” Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, Pakistan’s interior minister, said when he revealed the J-10C agreement in December.




The new Chinese ships would boost Pakistan’s capabilities in the Indian Ocean, an area of strategic importance for Beijing.

“They want Pakistan to have naval bases ready that China could also use, and to be able to protect them,” said Siemon Wezeman, an arms trade expert at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

“The Chinese have shown that they will sell to Pakistan when others won’t. I suspect that China is very easy to persuade [to sell], not only for commercial but also for political reasons,” he said.

India is also planning a naval expansion. The navy’s deputy chief said late last year that it aimed to increase the size of its fleet from 130 vessels to 170 by 2027, including four frigates being developed in partnership with Russia.

Despite the upgrades, Chellaney said the Himalayan stand-off was draining India’s defence resources. “The Indian navy is supposed to be undergoing modernisation, but the modernisation is happening at a relatively slow pace, largely because of the land military confrontations that India faces,” he said.

Unsurprisingly, much of the attention from the media has focused on how the latest acquisition of the supersonic jets could boost Pakistan's military and national defense, but it is worth noting that closer defense cooperation between China and Pakistan is always of great significance to the advancement of their manufacturing ability.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202202/1252785.shtml

While it is unknown whether the J-10C deal will involve supply chain transfer or other areas of cooperation, the jets' usage and maintenance will have the potential to accelerate an upgrade of Pakistan's defense industry.

Take the bilateral cooperation over the Xiaolong fighter as an example. China and Pakistan have a long history of cooperation when it comes to joint development and manufacturing of the light fighter project. In fact, the JF-17 Thunder, also known as FC-1 Xiaolong, which was jointly developed by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group of China, has already become a good example as to how defense cooperation between the two friendly peoples has enhanced the manufacturing strength in Pakistan.

After years of research and development partnership with Chinese peers, Pakistan's aviation industry has registered a considerable improvement. Now Pakistan has the capability to independently manufacture the Xiaolong fighter aircraft, which is uncommon among developing countries.

While there are no statistics available on how many JF-17 Thunder jets Pakistan has exported so far, it is no secret that the country has become a defense exporter with JF-17 being the mainstay of its arms exports. The development is sufficient to demonstrate the rapid development of Pakistan's aviation industry aided by China's assistance.

As the aviation industry has always been regarded as representing a country's high-end equipment manufacturing strength, it can be said that China-Pakistan cooperation in the aviation area is of great significance to Pakistan's manufacturing sector progress.

Meanwhile, China has also benefited from the close defense collaboration with Pakistan. Pakistan is the first foreign buyer of China's J-10C fighter jet, which is equipped with China's domestically developed WS-10B Taihang turbofan engines.

Therefore, the exports of the first batch of J-10C fighter jets will reassure all the potential buyers that the aircraft model has overcome all technical difficulties.

The export of military equipment is closely related to the development of a country's manufacturing power, as the manufacturing of military equipment belongs to a high-end category. In other words, if China can continue to achieve constant progresses in military equipment manufacturing and export, which indicates that the country's overall manufacturing strength has reached a new and high level.

Images emerge of J-10C fighters for Pakistan

A CAIG J-10C fighter aircraft on display at the China Airshow 2021. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has been identified as the first export customer of the J-10C, after images emerged on 15 February of at least two aircraft in PAF markings. (VCG via Getty Images)

Images have emerged of two Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) J-10C ‘Firebird' multi-role fighter aircraft in Pakistan Air Force's (PAF's) markings, suggesting that a contract is in place and deliveries will start soon.

The images, which emerged on social media on 15 February, show two aircraft (serial number 22-102 and 22-106) equipped with a single Chinese-made Shenyang-Liming WS-10B ‘Taihang'-series turbofan engine, undertaking test flights at an undisclosed location in China – likely the manufacturer's factory in Chengdu.

The recent images confirm that a procurement programme is progressing, although no information is available on the value of the contract and the number of aircraft involved. Janes assesses that the PAF will receive at least two squadrons of J-10C fighters, although past reports have mentioned as many as 36 aircraft.

The latest development comes after Pakistan Interior Minister Skeish Rashid Ahmed told the media in December 2021 that a first batch of J-10Cs will be introduced during the fly past that will be held for the commemoration of Pakistan's Republic Day on 23 March 2022.

Pakistan is the first confirmed export customer of the J-10C, and these aircraft are likely an export derivative of the J-10C currently in service with the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PAAF).

The J-10C deal builds upon past collaboration between China and Pakistan in the manufacturing of the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex/Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (PAC/CAIG) JF-17 Thunder/FC-1 Xiaolong light fighter aircraft.

China’s J-10C secures Pakistan as its first export market

https://www.flightglobal.com/defence/chinas-j-10c-secures-pakistan-...

A Pakistani J-10 buy has been rumoured for over a decade. It is not clear how many examples Islamabad will obtain, but reports have placed the number in the 25 to 36 range. So far, two distinct serial numbers have been spotted, with the aircraft apparently conducting flight tests.

Judging from the aircraft’s thrust petals, the Pakistani J-10s use are powered by the Shenyang WS-10B engine, as opposed to the Saturn AL-31F. It was only in May 2021 that the first clear images emerged of a Peoples’ Liberation Army Air Force J-10Cs powered by the WS-10B.

Mounted inside the J-10, the WS-10 can be identified by a few subtle features. One is that the afterburner nozzle petals are notably wider on the WS-10 than on the AL-31. The WS-10 also has a ring structure around the interior of the nozzle that is absent on the AL-31.


A Pakistani J-10 buy has been rumoured for over a decade. It is not clear how many examples Islamabad will obtain, but reports have placed the number in the 25 to 36 range. So far, two distinct serial numbers have been spotted, with the aircraft apparently conducting flight tests.

Judging from the aircraft’s thrust petals, the Pakistani J-10s use are powered by the Shenyang WS-10B engine, as opposed to the Saturn AL-31F. It was only in May 2021 that the first clear images emerged of a Peoples’ Liberation Army Air Force J-10Cs powered by the WS-10B.

Mounted inside the J-10, the WS-10 can be identified by a few subtle features. One is that the afterburner nozzle petals are notably wider on the WS-10 than on the AL-31. The WS-10 also has a ring structure around the interior of the nozzle that is absent on the AL-31.

Compared with previous versions of the J-10 – the J-10A and J-10B - the J-10C is equipped with an active electronically scanned array radar and an updated cockpit. It carries a broader array of weapons, including the long-range PL-15 air-to-air missile, which is believed to have a range greater than 107nm (200km).

According to AVIC, the export version of the J-10C is designated J-10CE. It claims that the aircraft has several advanced capabilities, including the ability to carry advanced beyond visual range missiles, and that it can also operate in a challenging electromagnetic environment. Moreover, it can perform a range of ground attack missions.

#China Says #Pakistan First Country To Receive 'Bigger, Better' J-10 Series Of Fighter Jets. J-10C can carry more advanced, fourth-generation air-to-air #missiles including the short-range PL-10 and the beyond-visual-range PL-15. #J10 #PAF #Rafale https://eurasiantimes.com/china-says-pakistan-receive-bigger-better...


Powered By Indigenous WS-10 Engines, China Says Pakistan First Country To Receive 'Bigger, Better' J-10 Series Of Fighter Jets

https://eurasiantimes.com/china-says-pakistan-receive-bigger-better...

“The J-10C is larger and can be equipped with bigger active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar than the one used by the JF-17 Block 3,” Shi said, noting that the J-10C can carry more advanced, fourth-generation air-to-air missiles including the short-range PL-10 and the beyond-visual-range PL-15.

“The J-10C is also significantly more powerful than the old US-made F-16 fighter jet of the Pakistan Air Force and can rival the Rafale fighter jet that recently entered service with the Indian Air Force,” Shi said, adding, “Pakistan’s J-10C will not replace the JF-17, but form a combination, leading to higher combat capabilities.”

The assertion of Chinese analysts about J-10C responding to “regional security objectives” could be seen as a veiled reference to the common adversary of both states in the region i.e. India.

Previous reports had indicated that Pakistan wanted to acquire the Chengdu J-10 to counter the Indian 4.5th generation Rafales. In December last year, Pakistani Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed had stated that the J-10C fighters would counter the 36 Rafales that India is receiving from France.


India recently received its batch of Rafales with customized, India-specific enhancements that are to fly to India soon, as previously reported by the EurAsian Times. As the delivery of Rafales nears completion, there could be a strong India factor involved in Pakistan’s acquisition of the aircraft.

“If confirmed, this could be the first time China has exported the J-10 series fighter and also the first time it has exported the WS-10 series engine,” observers told Global Times.

“The J-10C is a 4.5-generation medium-sized fighter jet and is more powerful than the China-Pakistan jointly developed lightweight fighter jet, the JF-17, which is currently in service with the Pakistan Air Force,” Shi Hong, Executive Chief Editor of the Chinese magazine, Shipborne Weapons, told the Global Times.

There have been speculations about why the Pakistani Air Force felt the need to buy additional fighters from China when it already has a large fleet of JF-17s. According to some reports, Pakistan has been disenchanted with the existing JF-17s because of engine inefficiencies that China is yet to address.

The Russian-built RD-93 engines of the JF-17 fighters generate black smoke, which makes it an easy target for the opponent in case of a close aerial battle. Some analysts believe the JF-17 would be easily shot down by Indian jets in any potential conflict.

Despite the fact that China has acknowledged the engine-related difficulties and attempted to upgrade it, spare parts and other support from Russian manufacturers have remained unavailable. However, Pakistan is also in the process of acquiring the Block III variant of JF-17s.

Turkey Widens War Tech Hunt by Tapping Pakistan’s China Tie


https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-02/turkey-expands-w...

Turkey Widens War Tech Hunt by Tapping Pakistan’s China Ties
Turkey wants to produce fighter jets, missiles with Pakistan
Pakistan makes jets with China, said to use its missile design


Turkey is pushing to co-manufacture warplanes and missiles with Pakistan, a hookup that could also give it access to prized war technology from China.

Turkish defense and government officials have held periodic talks with Pakistani counterparts -- the last high-level discussion was in January -- about developing and manufacturing military hardware with Pakistan, according to people from both countries who are familiar with the negotiations. The people didn’t say when they’ll meet again or how close they are to an agreement.

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Why Turkey wants tie-up with Pakistan to build '1st big fighter jet of Muslims'The TF-X project is considered cornerstone of Turkey's defence modernisation plans

https://www.theweek.in/news/world/2021/03/03/why-turkey-wants-tie-u...

Bloomberg noted the apparent aim of the cooperation with Pakistan was to bring "Turkey closer to some of China’s military technology". China has been Pakistan's main strategic benefactor for decades, helping Islamabad build fighter aircraft, missiles, warships, tanks and submarines.

In 2013, Turkey announced a Chinese company had been selected to develop a long-range surface-to-air missile system. However, in 2015, Turkey announced the cancellation of the deal with China, apparently over Beijing's reluctance to transfer technology for the project as well as pressure from NATO allies.

China already has two stealth fighter projects: The J-20 fighter that is in service and the lighter J-31 fighter that is still in development. While China has also faced obstacles in developing aircraft engines, Beijing is beginning to make progress in building indigenous propulsion systems for its warplanes.

Interestingly, Pakistan also has a 'fifth-generation' fighter project under development referred to as 'Project Azm'. However, little is known about progress on the project and given Pakistan's economic and technological limitations, an indigenous project of this magnitude is unlikely to see the light of day. Hence, the offer of cooperation from Turkey may turn out to be appealing to Pakistan.

How China and Pakistan Built a Rival to the F-16
It is yet to be seen whether it can actually perform at its price point in combat, but Pakistan seems to be satisfied with what the JF-17 can do in trials.


https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/how-china-and-pakistan-bui...


In 1998 China and Pakistan recommenced serious development of the Super 7. Costs were split 50/50 between the Pakistani government and CAC and the aircraft was renamed JF-17 As Grumman had dropped out, the fighter needed a new powerplant. A solution was found in the Russian Mikoyan design bureau, which offered the Klimov RD-93 engine which was originally designed for the canceled MiG-33 fighter jet. The RD-93 was an advanced version of the RD-33 used on the MiG-29, however, only one RD-93 is used on the JF-17 in contrast to two RD-33s in a MiG-29.

Another key innovation that occurred during the development process was the inclusion of diverterless supersonic intakes (DSI) on the JF-17 design. The design went through several iterations but is seen on current JF-17 production aircraft. In 2003 the first prototype took to the air. By 2006 the JF-17 was finalized and ready to enter serial production. It was formally adopted in 2007. The first fully Pakistani-manufactured JF-17 was created in 2008.

The JF-17’s designers have proven adept at keeping up with the times following its entry into service. The initial run of fighters for Pakistan have been referred to as Block I JF-17s. Block II JF-17s introduced a multitude of new capabilities and upgrades, including composites in the airframe for reduced weight, air to air refueling, a full fly-by-wire system, and a better radar. China offered to replace the Russian RD-93s with their own WS-13 in Block II JF-17s, but Pakistan opted to stick with the Russian engine.

For the Block III, China hopes to add an AESA radar to the JF-17 and further improve the avionics and weapons compatibility of the JF-17. The standard JF-17 features the MIL-STD-1760 databus in some implementations, allowing for compatibility with Western and Eastern weapons. One potential weakness of the JF-17 is its internal cannon, which is still the double-barrel GSh-23, a legacy of its MiG-21 heritage. This cannon is outperformed by practically any other autocannon mounted on a modern combat aircraft. However, given the relative infrequency of cannon usage in modern air combat, this is not a big issue.

The largest advantage of the JF-17 is its cost. At only 15 million per plane in its most basic configuration, the JF-17 is far cheaper than any of its competitors, even used. Block II JF-17s cost around the same margin, with Myanmar buying them for only 16 million per unit. This has been the key to the JF-17’s export success. A poor nation can field a relatively modern fighter for a very low price. It is yet to be seen whether it can actually perform at its price point in combat, but Pakistan seems to be satisfied with what the JF-17 can do in trials. In many ways, China has updated the budget fighter of the last generation, the MiG-21, for the modern era with the help and additional design cues from the F-16.

In Pakistan Air Force (PAF) service, the JF-17 Thunder has accumulated about 20,000 operational flying hours since its official introduction to service in 2011. Fifty Block I aircraft were delivered before production switched to the improved Block II in December 2013. The 62 Block II aircraft introduced improved avionics, a new datalink, and improved electronic warfare capabilities as well as increased weapons-carrying capacity. All but the first 24 or so also incorporated an air-to-air refueling capability. Deliveries of the Block II variant ended in June 2019, by which time the PAF had equipped five front-line JF-17 squadrons.

https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2020-01-02/more-thu...

The PAF will also receive 50 more single-seat JF-17s, to be delivered in a new Block III configuration. The Block III prototype made its first flight on December 15, 2019, at Chengdu, and the first two production aircraft are already “in build” at Kamra. The remainder will follow at a rate of 12 per year from 2021 onwards.

The Block III features an Aurora EHUD-2 wide-angle holographic head-up display as used in the new J-20, and a new electronic warfare system incorporating an S740 Airborne Missile Approach Warning System from the J-10C, with relocated infrared missile approach warning sensors. An air-to-air refueling probe light is fitted, and the aircraft has new LED landing lights. Some sources suggest that the airframe is strengthened and that there are further cockpit and avionics improvements (possibly including a single, large-area head-down display), but this cannot be confirmed. The aircraft may have a revised flight management system and a new fly-by-wire flight control system.

Early reports predicted that the aircraft would have a new Chinese-made active electronically scanned array radar to replace the mechanically-scanned KLJ-7V2 X-band multifunction pulse-Doppler radar. There are two options: the Nanjing Research Institute of Electronics Technology’s KLJ-7A and the Leihua Electronic Technology Research Institute’s LKF601E. Reports that the aircraft might be fitted with a Leonardo (Selex) Vixen 1000E seem unlikely.

The aircraft is expected to incorporate a helmet-mounted display (possibly of South African origin, and perhaps to be used in association with the Denel A-Darter high off-boresight within visual range air-to-air missile). It is also expected to be fitted with an additional fuselage hardpoint intended to carry a WMD-7 targeting pod (a Chinese equivalent to the Lockheed Martin sniper pod).

The Thunder has already been used operationally by the PAF, participating in operations against militants in North Waziristan. The PAF also claims that its JF-17s shot down an Indian Air Force MiG-21 and a Su-30MKI on February 27, 2019.

The JF-17 secured its first export contract from Myanmar in June 2015. The first of 16 JF-17Ms (to Block II standard) made its first flight at Chengdu on June 13, 2017, and the type entered service in 2018. The Myanmar order included at least two two-seat JF-17Bs. The prototype JF-17B made its first flight from Chengdu on April 27, 2017, and the Myanmar trainers were delivered by late March 2019.

PAC completed eight two-seat JF-17Bs at Kamra in 2019 and it will produce 14 more in 2020 and four in 2021 to meet PAF requirements. The first batch of eight JF-17Bs was ceremonially rolled out at Kamra on December 27, 2019, in the presence of Air Chief Marshall Mujahid Anwar Khan.

#WorldDefenceShow in #Riyadh: #Pakistan strengthens #intelligence cooperation with #SaudiArabia, and achieving more #Saudi #investments in the #defense industry. The #Arab kingdom is the largest POF (Pak Ordnance Factories) customer, beating the #UAE. https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220319-world-defence-show-pakis...

Pakistan is strengthening its intelligence cooperation with Saudi Arabia and achieving more Saudi investments in the defence industry, as discussed at the first World Defence Show earlier this month. Pakistan is also intensifying its partnerships with China.

The first World Defence Show was launched in Riyadh between 6-9 March and received a great reception. It hosted the Pakistan Pavilion, which displayed equipment from the Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF), the Ministry of Defence Production's largest defence complex in the country.

The kingdom is the largest POF customer, beating the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Pakistani government, led by Imran Khan, is looking to attract more Saudi investments after obtaining a $4.2 billion loan from the Saudi Fund for Development. It relies on its defence industry to attract new capital.

The POF, headed by Ali Amir Awan, has factories in the Wah Cantonment in Punjab, whose pavilion in Riyadh was visited by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. Partnership agreements were signed with CEO of Saudi Arabia Military Industries (SAMI) Walid Abukhaled and Governor of General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) Ahmed Bin Abdulaziz Al-Ohali.

At the defence exhibition, the Pakistani military revealed its new BW20 assault rifle and promoted its work with the Pakistan Machine Tool Factory (PMTF), which assembles US, French and Chinese weapons.

Chinese help
Led by retired Army Chief of Staff Raheel Sharif, who now heads the Riyadh-based Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition, the Pakistan Defence Industry delegation showcased its latest products, including the JF-17 fighter jet.

The aircraft was developed in partnership with China's Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group and is not the only Pakistani equipment that China has participated in manufacturing.

With Chinese assistance, the Pakistan Air Force has also developed the Burraq drone, derived from the Uqab drone.

The Chinese Norinco Company for General Defence also participated in the exhibition in Riyadh. It regularly attends the Dubai Airshow and IDEX UAE.

Saudi Ambassador to Islamabad Nawaf Bin Saeed Al-Maliki and Chairman of the Pakistan Investment Council Mohammed Azfar Ahsan discussed increasing economic cooperation between the two countries last month, with the negotiations continuing at the World Defence Show.

The only tangible deal was the Saudi Telecom Company's investment in Pakistan's Awal Telecom.

Riyadh and Islamabad also continue their security cooperation, with the head of Saudi Arabia's General Intelligence, Khalid Bin Ali al-Humaidan, entering into an agreement with the head of Internal Intelligence (ISI), Nadim Ahmed Anjum, in Islamabad in December.

Pakistan showcased its latest defense equipment at its annual Pakistan Day Parade on Wednesday, highlighting ongoing efforts to maintain a credible conventional deterrent against India.

https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2022/03/23/see-paki...

One notable element of the parade including aerial displays, which this year began with an F-16C Block 52 escorted by a pair of newly inducted Chinese J-10C Firebird fighters. Three Firebird fighters from an initial order of 25 are believed to be in Pakistan.


Kaiser Tufail, an analyst who previously flew the F-16 during his military career, thinks the Firebird was a good choice for the Pakistan Air Force.

“The J-10, being in the class of the F-16C Block 52 in terms of range and weapons payload, it was the obvious choice for adding to the numbers of PAF’s [fourth-generation-plus] fighters,” he said.

However, he added, “any acquisition from [the United States] under the current ‘cold’ relationship was neither possible nor feasible.”

He also believes the acquisition was an “appropriate response” to India’s Rafale purchase. Although Pakistan has historically been a committed French customer, the high costs of that country’s hardware encouraged Islamabad to look to Beijing, “an old and trusted friend.”

He also said the J-10C and Rafale are comparable due to the former’s active electronically scanned array radar and PL-15 beyond visual range air-to-air missile.

“While the radar and [beyond visual range] missile capabilities of the Rafale and J-10 are highly classified, it is fair to say that they have broadly similar capabilities,” he noted. “With no possibility of [the Pakistan Air Force] being able to upgrade its [advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles] to the longer-ranged versions, the PL-15 is considered the right antidote to the Rafale’s Meteor.”

The Firebird is also a high-end complement to the more numerous JF-17 jets.

“The J-10 is by no means a substitute to the JF-17, as it is in a different class altogether. With more range and weapons payload, the J-10 forms the ‘high’ end of the high-low mix, with the JF-17 workhorse performing the bulk of ‘routine’ operations. Both types can also be perfectly ‘paired,’ as both share many avionics, data link and [electronic warfare] capabilities,” Tufail explained.

Other new equipment showcased during the parade included the Chinese-supplied SH-15 155mm truck-mounted howitzer and HQ-9P long-range air defense system, as well as the indigenous Shahpar-2 combat drone.

The SH-15 has a maximum reported firing range of about 53 kilometers, making it Pakistan’s longest-range tube artillery system, and helping the country standardize on a single caliber along with its U.S.-supplied M109 and M198 howitzers.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, a think tank that tracks arms sales, has not listed the HQ-9P in Pakistan’s inventory, and the Asian nation has not officially confirmed its acceptance into the military. SIPRI does, however, list the CH-3.

Raja Khan, who leads drone-maker Integrated Dynamics, previously told Defense News the Burraq was locally developed based on the configuration of a 1970s kit plane designed by Burt Rutan. China helped rig the finished product with missiles, but then copied and exported it as the CH-3.

The Shahpar-2 is a larger and more heavily armed combat UAV based on the same design lineage.

Despite Pakistan’s ability to domestically develop UAVs, the country still purchases Chinese and Turkish drones. None were on display.

The parade was witnessed by foreign ministers from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, who are attending a conference in Islamabad.

China ramps up arms exports to Pakistan, aiming to squeeze India
Beijing and Islamabad grow closer with eye on mutual rival

https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/China-ramp...

BEIJING/NEW DELHI -- From the sale of stealth fighters to submarines, China is accelerating its defense cooperation with Pakistan in a bid to exert pressure on India, a rival in border disputes with both.

China is believed to want to expand its influence in South Asia while the U.S. and Europe are focused on the war in Ukraine. Beijing "stands ready to provide assistance within its capacity for Pakistan to overcome difficulties and recover its economy," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in a Tuesday meeting, according to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Khan expressed hopes for joint achievements and cooperation "in all fields," the ministry said. Ukraine was among the other topics discussed.

China this month delivered six J-10CE fighter jets to Pakistan, the Communist Party-affiliated Global Times has reported. An update to China's homegrown J-10s, they are a key part of the Chinese air force and often fly into Taiwan's air defense identification zone.

The J-10CE is a so-called 4.5-generation fighter, placing it somewhere between the F-15s used widely by Japan and the U.S. and F-35 stealth fighters in terms of capability. The delivered jets later took part in a military parade in Pakistan.

Pakistan this month is also adding 50 new JF-17 fighters, which were developed jointly with China. They do not match the performance of the J-10CE but do come with near-stealth capability.

India recently deployed the Russian S-400 missile defense system with an eye toward Pakistan. China looks to bolster its response to potential Indian air operations through greater cooperation with Pakistan.

China is actively contributing to improvements in Pakistan's navy as well, concerned that the Indian military could wield greater clout in key Indo-Pacific sea lanes. Pakistan in January inducted a Chinese-built Type 054 frigate, which is designed for anti-surface, anti-air and anti-submarine warfare.

"Pakistan is reportedly also planning to purchase from China eight submarines, which Pakistan is positioning as the 'backbone of the Navy,'" Japan's Ministry of Defense said in its 2021 white paper. "Four will be built in China, with the remainder to be built in Pakistan."

Sino-Indian relations have deteriorated since the deadly 2020 border clash in the Himalayas. India also announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics at the last minute after a Chinese soldier who had been involved in the fighting was chosen as a torchbearer.

Chinese President Xi Jinping invited Khan to the Olympics' opening ceremony. At a Feb. 6 summit, Xi told Khan that bilateral ties had gained greater strategic significance amid global turbulence and transformation. He expressed firm support for Pakistan's sovereignty -- a likely signal that China stands with Pakistan in the latter's own border dispute with India.

Khan expressed hopes for greater cooperation with China. No force can stop China's advance, he said.

AEROSINT Division PSF
@PSFAERO
#Pakistan has inducted state-of-the-art, “game changer” EW systems from a friendly strategic partner and has already successfully built an integrated offensive+defensive ECM and electronic warfare force by early 2022.
The capability is simply unrivalled in the region and beyond.

https://twitter.com/PSFAERO/status/1507392943467995167?s=20&t=c...

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AEROSINT Division PSF
@PSFAERO
These systems are mostly ground based & were inducted in 2021. They represent the Pakistan Air Force’s renewed focus on smart inductions, with EW playing a big role meant to significantly erode the adversary’s capability to operate near Pakistan’s borders and deny tactical space.

https://twitter.com/PSFAERO/status/1507393865686392864?s=20&t=c...

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AEROSINT Division PSF
@PSFAERO
These systems are highly mobile, and rapidly deployable to the front lines and consist of multiple jammers for different bandwidths, comprising an integrated electronic air defence system.

https://twitter.com/PSFAERO/status/1507414566992416771?s=20&t=c...

#Pakistan #PAF to Unveil Locally Made #AESA radar sending radio waves of multiple frequencies in different directions without moving the antenna. Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) #radar to be deployed in both ground-based and airborne roles. https://propakistani.pk/2022/03/24/paf-to-unveil-locally-made-steal...

AESA is a second-generation phased radar in which radio waves of multiple frequencies can be sent in different directions without moving the antenna. AESA radars allow aircraft and ships to send powerful signals while remaining stealthy and resistant to jamming.

According to details, Pakistan’s local AESA radar is being developed by the Air Weapon Complex (AWC), an R&D facility of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), in collaboration with the National University of Science and Technology (NUST).

Although complete details of the radar are unavailable at the moment, sources have claimed that the indigenously developed AESA radar will use the latest gallium nitride (GaN) transmit and receive modules that are owned by only a few countries.

AWC reportedly designed two types of GaN transmit and receive modules- S-band and X-band- in late 2019 and early 2020 respectively.

Both modules have different functionalities. The S-band module is used in ground-based and airborne search radars for target search and detection. On the other hand, the X-band module is associated with fire control due to its superior resolution.

The indigenous AESA radar is expected to officially make its debut in the JF-17 Block 4 fighter jet or the fifth-generation stealth fighter jet being developed under Project Azm.

Turkey and Pakistan have joined forces in the development and production of a new fifth-generation fighter aircraft.

https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/turkey-pakistan-to-j...

“This is a Turkish-Pakistani fighter programme,” said Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ) CEO, Temel Kotil, while holding a scale model of the Turkish Fighter Experimental (TF-X)/National Combat Aircraft (MMU) single-seat, twin-engine fifth-generation fighter aircraft in an interview with a Pakistani TV channel on 18 February.

“This is a fifth-generation fighter aircraft in which Pakistan and Turkey are now collaborating,” Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Air Vice Marshal Rizwan Riaz, pro-rector for Research, Innovation & Commercialisation (RIC) at National University of Science and Technology (NUST), said during the same interview.

The new fifth-generation fighter aircraft will be developed to meet the operational requirements for a fifth-generation aircraft of both countries and will replace the existing Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter aircraft fleets in service with the Turkish Air Force and the PAF.

According to the interview, the aircraft development will be conducted jointly, with TUSAŞ leading the programme and employing engineers from Pakistan's NUST. Kotil said that some of TUSAŞ's operations will move to Pakistan in 2022, as part of a series of activities to further bilateral defence industry co-operation between the two countries.

Both Pakistan and Turkey had begun development activities in the mid-late 2010s for their respective indigenous fighter aircraft programmes – the Next Generation Fighter Aircraft (NGFA) programme under the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex's (PAC's) Project AZM and Turkey's TF-X programme.