Pakistan Air Power -- General Discussion.

**xinhui** · 04 Jun 09,, 17:19

Bloomberg.com
June 3, 2009

U.S To Ship Russian-Made Helicopters To Pakistan

By Tony Capaccio, Bloomberg News

The U.S. military plans to lease four of its Russian-made transport helicopters to the Pakistan army to bolster its fight against the Taliban in the nation’s ungoverned northwest territories , according to U.S. and Pakistani officials.

The helicopters were among the top items that Pakistan Army Chief of Staff General Ashfaq Kayani has requested in continuing talks with U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen, and that Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari sought during his meeting last month with U.S. President Barack Obama, the officials said.

The MI-17 is a medium-weight helicopter, capable of carrying troops, performing medical evacuations and carrying out ground attacks. The four helicopters may be delivered as soon as June 8, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Pakistan ’s military already is using MI-17s and “has found these platforms to be very useful in their current counter-insurgency operations,” said Alan Kronstadt, a Pakistan expert with the non-partisan Congressional Research Service.

Pakistan ’s leaders “urgently requested” that the U.S. provide more “to fill the gap created by the ongoing refurbishment” of its existing fleet, he said in an e-mailed statement.

Pakistani security forces say they are close to driving militants from the Swat Valley and neighboring districts in the nation’s northwest after the Taliban flouted a February peace accord that introduced Islamic law in the region. The fighting has forced 3 million people to flee their homes, according to local authorities.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman confirmed the broad outlines of the U.S. action and said details of the final delivery date are being worked out.

“We are supporting Pakistan in its efforts against violent extremism,” Whitman said in a telephone interview. “The support includes various defense articles, services and training.”

“Helicopters with the capacity to operate in Pakistan ’s rugged terrain are a high priority for the Pakistani Army, and we are pursuing numerous options to provide that capability, including the MI-17 option,” Whitman said.

White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said the helicopters are an indication “the president is moving aggressively to provide the needed resources to address the humanitarian situation in Pakistan .”

Obama has pressed the government in Islamabad to wrest control of the northwest area from extremists. The insurgency threatens the nuclear-armed country’s stability and hampers the war effort by the U.S. and NATO in neighboring Afghanistan .

The four Russian-made helicopters are owned by the U.S. Army. Two are at Ramstein Air Base in Germany and two are in Slovakia . They will be flown to Pakistan on a Russian-made AN- 124 aircraft, one of the world’s largest transports, according to the officials. They said they didn’t know who owned this plane, a model used by private transport companies worldwide.

Pakistan also has about 32 U.S. Cobra gunships in its inventory. The MI-17 can perform more missions than the Cobra, which is primarily designed to fire air-to-ground missiles, the officials said.

The operation is being organized by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which manages Pentagon foreign military sales.

**kuku** · 04 Jun 09,, 18:09

Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Sounds like the russian hardware is coming real handy for the americans.
Especially as these nations have operated the type before.

**Parihaka** · 04 Jun 09,, 22:51

As long as these are going to the FC.....

**Skywatcher** · 04 Jun 09,, 23:16

Wouldn't it be more convenient to ask the Chinese?

**xinhui** · 04 Jun 09,, 23:29

Skywatcher

what do you call a "lease" that has no dollar value/return data attached to it?

I need to go to my local BMW dear and ask the same lease package.

**Skywatcher** · 05 Jun 09,, 02:42

Well, I guess that we Americans apparently no longer have a use for the Mi-171s. Might as well make sure that someone gets mileage out of them.

**Deltacamelately** · 05 Jun 09,, 11:27

Xinhui,

When and how did the US procure these M-17s?

**Maxor** · 05 Jun 09,, 13:15

In the late 80's early 90's there was a fairly large number of states with alot of russian hardware laying about that they weren't sure of what to go with. The US realized that 1. These states want money and 2. some of the users of this equipment will probably sooner or later end up being threatening or hostile. So alot of different systems were bought from a large number of eastern block countries.

**Deltacamelately** · 05 Jun 09,, 14:56

Smart act, indeed. Plus the Yanks also come to know about the tech and the choppers abilities.

**Officer of Engineers** · 05 Jun 09,, 16:48

Or did the Pakistanis really need spare parts.

**xinhui** · 03 Aug 09,, 17:27

France Preps Arms Package for Pakistan - Defense News
France Preps Arms Package for Pakistan

By USMAN ANSARI
Published: 8 Jul 2009 17:49

ISLAMABAD - France is preparing a comprehensive defense package to offer to Pakistan for its counterterrorism operations in the North West Frontier Province bordering Afghanistan , according to a spokesman at the French defense section at Paris ' Embassy here.

Local media had reported a possible Franco-Pakistani defense deal in early July.

The spokesman said that the deal would include weapons and training, but gave no further details..

"Nothing has been agreed, but a lot of things have been discussed. The main issue is to help Pakistan in the area of counterterrorism," he said.

As for media reports that an agreement had been reached to sell the Franco-German Tiger attack helicopter to Islamabad , the spokesman dismissed them as "a media buzz."

The spokesman said the larger deal might be concluded when French President Nicholas Sarkozy visits sometime after Sept. 21.

France is already working to remedy a shortage of helicopters that has hindered the Pakistan Army during its counterterrorism operations in the North West Frontier Province . The French have returned Pakistan 's Puma transport and utility helicopters to full operational status. They are also providing the armed variant of the AS550 Fennec light helicopter, which will join the unarmed Ecureuil variant that is in service with Pakistan Army Aviation.

However, the Tiger gunship, if it is included in the package, may not be suitable for Pakistan 's needs, said defense analyst Haris Khan of the Pakistan Military Consortium.

Khan said the Pakistan Army needs extra gunships "immediately," but he noted that the most obvious source, Washington , is unable to meet the need. Pakistan had hoped to acquire the AH-64 Apache, but no funds are available for the purchase.

Additional AH-1F Cobras are also unlikely to materialize soon because, he said, "it takes close to 24 to 36 months to refurbish a stored AH-1 S/F and make it fully combat-operational."

However, a spokesman for the defense section in the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad said Pakistan had previously declined an offer of further refurbished Cobras.

"Through Foreign Military Financing [FMF], the U.S. provided 12 refurbished AH-1Fs to Pakistan in 2007. Pakistan used U.S. grants to pay for the refurbishments. Also through FMF, the U.S. offered to refurbish an additional eight Pakistan Army AH-1F Cobras; however, Pakistan decided not to pursue this course of action," he said.

Khan said the only other U.S. option also comes with a considerable time delay.

"The U.S. has indicated that they are willing and able to release close to 14 AH-1W Super Cobras immediately, but first Pakistan Army pilots and technicians would need to be trained. Therefore, the Pakistan Army would be looking at another 10 to 12 months before it wears Pakistani colors," he said.

Khan said Pakistan 's needs would best be met by the South African AH-2 Rooivalk.

"It is hard-hitting, rugged, needs little support, the Pakistan Army is familiar with the Puma platform [upon which it is based] and has expertise with it, and it suits Pakistan 's industrial base to a large degree."

But he said the Rooivalk program is now all but at a premature end, and Islamabad lacks the finances to revive and purchase it from the South Africans.

E-mail: uansari@defensenews.com.

**Laufer** · 30 Sep 09,, 20:00

One condition should be to force the Pakistanis to export about five million rounds of surplus .303 (Lee-Enfield) ammo to US importers, and at no cost.

Any LE owners might understand, although the POF ammo is often not the best (misfires or 'click-bangs'), it is usually the only cheap surplus ammo to be found in the US, and difficult to locate.

**xinhui** · 14 Oct 09,, 19:01

Lockheed Martin Unveils First New F-16 for Pakistan in Ceremony Attended by Air Force Chiefs

(Source: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company; issued October 13, 2009)

FORT WORTH, Texas --- Lockheed Martin unveiled the first of 18 new F-16s being produced for Pakistan in ceremonies today at its Fort Worth, Texas, facility. Officials including the Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. and Pakistan Air Forces were on hand to witness the event.

Air Chief Marshal Rao Quamar Suleman, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force (PAF), accepted the first F-16 Block 52 aircraft on behalf of his nation. Also present were Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States, and other senior officials.

The U.S. government was represented by Rep. Kay Granger, Texas 12th District, and Gen. Norton Schwartz, Chief of Staff of the Air Force.

"Peace Drive is the flagship of modernization for Pakistan's Air Force. It is the latest configuration of the best 4th generation multirole fighter available in the world today," said John Larson, vice president of F-16 programs for Lockheed Martin.

The aircraft order is designated as "Peace Drive I," continuing a long tradition of naming F-16 international sales programs with the word Peace. The program raises the total number of F-16s ordered by Pakistan to 54. The Pakistan Air Force received its first F-16, in the Block 15 F-16A/B configuration, in 1982. Pakistan has been operating Lockheed Martin aircraft since 1963, when it received C-130B airlifters.

The Peace Drive I order is for 12 F-16Cs and six F-16Ds, all powered by the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 engine. The first aircraft - a two-seat F-16D model - will be delivered to the U.S. government (as agent for Pakistan in the Foreign Military Sales process) in December, with the remainder following in 2010.

**xinhui** · 10 Nov 09,, 22:42

Looks like the deal is final.

Pakistan in Chinese fighter jet deal

By Farhan Bokhari in Islamabad

Published: November 10 2009 08:16 | Last updated: November 10 2009 09:57

China has agreed to sell Pakistan at least 36 advanced fighter jets in a landmark deal worth as much as $1.4bn, according to Pakistani and western officials.

Beijing will supply two squadrons of the J-10 fighter jet in a preliminary agreement that could lead to more sales to Pakistan in the future, said a Pakistani official.

The official said Pakistan might buy “larger numbers” of the multi-role aircraft in the future, but dismissed reports that Pakistan had inked a deal to buy as many as 150 of the fighter jets.

Defence experts described the agreement with China as a landmark event in Pakistan’s defence relationship with the growing military power. China’s transition from a manufacturer of low-fighters to more advanced jets comparable to some western models is seen as evidence of Beijing’s growing strategic clout in Asia.

“This agreement should not simply be seen in the narrow context of Pakistan’s relations with China,” said Abdul Qayyum, a retired Pakistani general.

“There is a wider dimension. By sharing its advanced technology with Pakistan, China is ... also saying to the world that its defence capability is growing rapidly.”

China has supplied Pakistan with fighter jets for more than three decades. But Beijing has seldom supplied Pakistan’s air force with advanced fighter aircraft. Islamabad turned to France for Mirage fighter jets in the 1970s and to the US for F-16s in the 1980s.

Pakistan has a fleet of 45 F-16s, which are built by Lockheed Martin. The Pakistani air force is using the fighter jet in its campaign against militants in South Waziristan. The US has agreed to sell Islamabad another 18 new F-16s and about a dozen older versions of the aircraft.

Over the past decade, China and Pakistan have collaborated on building their first jointly produced advanced fighter jet, known as the JF-17, or “Thunder”. Pakistan is expected to roll out the first domestically built version of the Thunder within weeks.

Pakistan’s air force plans to purchase at least 250 of the Thunder fighters over the next four to five years. Experts see the new Pakistani focus on China as a supplier of advanced fighters as evidence that Beijing is trying to expand its military power.

“Countries like Iran and possibly some of the Middle Eastern countries would be keen to deal with China if they can find technology which is comparable to the west,” said one western official in Islamabad.

“Pakistan will work as the laboratory to try out Chinese aircraft. If they work well with the Pakistani air force, others will follow.”

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**xinhui** · 10 Nov 09,, 22:51

Statement Before the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South Asia by Donald Camp, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian affairs
Washington, DC, September 16, 2008

Chairman Ackerman, Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for inviting me to address you today on Pakistan’s F-16 program. …/…

During Prime Minister Gillani’s visit to Washington in late July, you saw the United States and Pakistan committed to maintaining and strengthening our broad-based partnership, and the United States committed to steps that can help Pakistan deal with economic problems and increase its effectiveness in countering the extremist threat. The Administration’s request to re-direct Foreign Military

Financing in 2008 and beyond to support F-16 Mid-Life Updates speaks directly to these two commitments. Updates to Pakistan’s F-16s will make these aircraft far more effective against terrorist targets, while helping with these payments will provide the newly-elected Pakistani government valuable fiscal flexibility as they deal with rising food and fuel prices.

Mr. Chairman, my colleagues and I represent the Administration’s commitment to the F-16 program and we ask for your support to approve the Administration’s request to re-direct the remaining $110 million in 2008 Foreign Military Financing for the Mid-Life Update and an additional $142 million in the future. The new Government of Pakistan stands behind these requests and has committed to assume subsequent payments with national funds beginning in December 2009.

F-16s Defined U.S.-Pakistan Engagement

The sale of F-16s to Pakistan became a transformative element of the U.S.-Pakistan bilateral relationship over 20 years ago, and this historical context is important to understand and remember as we determine how to handle the questions of F-16 financing today. Not only a component of Pakistan’s national defense, the F-16 has become an iconic symbol of our bilateral relationship and our commitment to each other.

In the early 1980s, the U.S. government initially agreed to sell Pakistan 111 F-16 aircraft. This decision was influenced by our close partnership with Pakistan during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. By October 1990, however, Pressler sanctions were imposed when President (George Herbert Walker) Bush was unable to certify that Pakistan was not developing a nuclear weapon. The Pressler sanctions led to a decade-long suspension of security assistance to Pakistan and a deficit of trust between our two countries that we are still working to overcome.

The suspension of our security assistance programs required under Pressler meant the suspension and eventual cancellation of an additional sale of F-16 aircraft that would have augmented the 40 F-16s Pakistan purchased in 1982. That cancellation has been viewed as a symbol of the collapse of our relationship during the 1990s, a period which remains highly emotional for many Pakistanis.

The suspension of our security assistance also precluded Pakistani military officers from attending U.S. military schools, which has produced nearly a generation of Pakistani military officers who have not traveled to the United States to learn side-by-side with American officers.

September 11 Re-defined Our Relationship

As you know, Mr. Chairman, the September 11, 2001 attacks resulted in a profound shift in U.S. policy towards South and Central Asia. The terrorist attacks on our homeland led to a strategic choice by the Government of Pakistan to support U.S. efforts to remove the Taliban regime from power in Afghanistan. Pakistan’s decision gave us the support of a critical neighbor, enabled us to undertake Operation Enduring Freedom and has helped to sustain coalition operations over the last seven years, with Pakistan’s road networks and port facilities serving as the critical supply line for our military forces in Afghanistan.

In return, after September 11th, the Administration committed to reinvigorating the security relationship between our two countries. This led to Pakistan’s designation as a Major Non-NATO Ally in 2004 and the President’s commitment to provide Pakistan a $3 billion assistance package over five years, evenly divided between security and development. Soon after, the Administration sought to overturn decades of bitterness by agreeing to sell Pakistan a new generation of F-16s and providing it with the ability to upgrade its existing fleet. This agreement was formally codified in September 2006 when Pakistan signed three separate Letters of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) that constitute the core of Pakistan’s F-16 program. Prior to signing the Letters of Offer and Acceptance, the Administration notified Congress that the sale would serve to stabilize the conventional military balance in South Asia, provide Pakistan the ability to conduct Close Air Support in ongoing operations in the Global War on Terror and restore Pakistan’s confidence in the enduring nature of our relationship with them.

The Purchase

Pakistan had originally planned a total purchase valued at $5.1 billion, almost all of it in national funds. The 2005 Kashmir earthquake and subsequent financial constraints caused Pakistan to reduce the number of new planes it wanted to purchase from 36 to 18, which lowered the overall value of the deal to approximately $3.1 billion. The 18 new planes are valued at $1.4 billion, with the remainder of the $3.1 billion dedicated to associated munitions (valued at approximately $641 million) and 46 Mid-Life Update (MLU) kits for Pakistan's existing F-16 fleet (estimated to cost $891 million). Additionally, the United States has provided Pakistan with 14 F-16s designated as Excess Defense Articles (EDA).

Pakistan will use reprogrammed funds to purchase the Mid- Life Update kits to upgrade the Excess Defense Article F-16s delivered over the last two and a half years. The Mid-Life Update case was written and agreed upon by the U.S. and Pakistan as a "mixed funding" case, allowing Pakistan to use $108.395 million in FY 2006 FMF credits on the overall $891 million case. Pakistan’s subsequent request to use additional Foreign Military Financing has led us to the current request to re-direct funds in FY 2008 and beyond. The Pakistanis have requested that the Administration allow it to use a portion of its FY 2008 and FY 2009 Foreign Military Financing Presidential commitment, totaling $368M, for the Mid-Life Update program. They have also committed to making all additional payments beyond this request with national funds. Even with this Pakistani request, over 83% of the F-16 program will have been funded through Pakistani national funds. It is important to note that Pakistan has a consistent payment record on the three other Foreign Military Sales cases associated with this sale and historically on all other Foreign Military Sales cases.

F-16s and the War on Terror

F-16s provide a critical counterterrorism capability to Pakistan and the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has recently made extensive use of its aging F-16 fleet to support Pakistan Army operations in the Swat Valley and in the Bajaur Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). According to information furnished to us by the Pakistan Embassy in Washington, the PAF flew 93 sorties in August 2008 in operations against the Taliban. However, their current model F-16 can be used for close air support missions only in daylight and good visibility. They cannot be employed at night, a fact not lost on the Taliban and other extremist groups being targeted.

U.S. F-16s use day-night, all weather, air-dropped precision-guided munitions to great effect in Iraq; and we believe Pakistan should be able to use this capability to achieve our shared goals in countering militants along its western border. The new and enhanced F-16s will provide Pakistan the ability to attack fleeing targets with precision during all weather conditions.

The Mid-Life Update will enable the Pakistan Air Force to use an advanced targeting pod that provides the ability to generate ground position data that can then be used to direct guided munitions to a target. In addition, the Mid-Life Update comes with an advanced communications system that enables real time communication with ground forces – a critical capability for Close Air Support missions. Combined, these systems provide Pakistan’s Air Force with the technological capability to conduct precision close air strikes against Al Qaeda, Taliban, and associated terrorist targets in the FATA, as well as provide non-traditional Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (NTISR), a critical enabler in a counterinsurgency campaign.

The Pakistan Air Force will receive considerable training associated with the F-16 cases including specific F-16 pilot and maintenance training for their F-16 technicians. We are currently finalizing a comprehensive training plan with us that will include Close Air Support, Combat Search and Rescue, aerial refueling, and night flying operations. This will also mean an improved ability to limit civilian casualties, which will in turn lead to greater willingness on the part of the Pakistani military to employ the F-16s in a counter-terrorism role.

It is also important to note that Pakistan’s request to use Foreign Military Financing for the Mid-Life Update program will not detract from investments in other equipment that is being employed in direct support of ongoing military operations in the Tribal Areas. Our original congressional notification for the use of $247 million of Pakistan’s Foreign Military Financing allocation stated that Pakistan would use this assistance to finance the refurbishment of Pakistan Navy P-3C aircraft, to purchase Pakistan Air Force Command and Control articles and services, tactical radios for Pakistan’s Army, TOW missiles and to modernize and maintain Pakistan’s Cobra helicopters.

Twenty million dollars of the $247 million will still be used to purchase TOW missiles and tactical radios. In addition, the Cobra helicopters, for which there are signed Letters of Offer and Acceptance, will be financed through Pakistan’s remaining FY 2008 Foreign Military Financing allocation of $50.57 million, which will be released pending expiration of the congressional notification period.

Conclusion

Mr. Chairman, I would like to emphasize the strategic importance of Pakistan to U.S. interests, not just regionally, but globally. While the F-16 plays an important role in Pakistan’s efforts to defeat extremism, it also has achieved strategic importance as a symbolic barometer of the overall state of our relationship and trust between our militaries.

Given the tangible and symbolic importance of Pakistan’s F-16 program we request Congressional support to redirect the remaining $110 million in Foreign Military Financing in Fiscal Year 2008 and up to $142 million in the future.

I thank you for this opportunity to appear before this Committee. My colleagues and I are happy to respond to your questions at this point. Thank you.

-ends-

Defeating al-Qaeda's Air Force: Pakistan's F-16 Program in the Fight Against Terrorism <i>(edited)</i>