PM hands over Pak-made JF-17 aircraft to PAF

**xinhui** · 24 Nov 09,, 05:37

PAKISTAN
PM hands over Pak-made JF-17 aircraft to PAF

Monday, 23 Nov, 2009 | 09:38 PM PST |

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday formally joined the international community of fighter aircraft manufacturers as JF- 17 Thunder, the first ever multi-role state of the art fighter jet, rolled out of Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, Kamra and was included to the fleet of Pakistan Air Force.

Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani was the chief guest at the ceremony that marked a milestone in the Sino-Pak joint venture in air defense system.

Senate Chairman Farooq H. Naik, Federal Minister for Information Qamar Zaman Kaira, Defense Minister Ch Ahmed Mukhtar, Chinese ambassador to Pakistan Luo Zhaohui, Pakistan’s ambassador to China Masood Khan and three services chiefs attended the ceremony.

The sophisticated JF-17 Thunder, painted green in the color scheme of national flag appeared with grandeur as the Prime Minister unveiled the fighter jet before the audience.

Manufactured with the cooperation of China, the event has been termed as a beginning of new era of Pak-China friendship.

Addressing a select gathering of local and foreign dignitaries and PAF officials, the Prime Minister said the goals of progress and prosperity could not be achieved without achieving self-reliance in defense production.

He termed the manufacturing of JF-17 Thunder aircraft as the ‘achievement of an important milestone’ in the government’s ongoing efforts to attain self-reliance.

The Prime Minister assured full cooperation, support and patronage to the PAF in its projects and congratulated the entire nation, adding that the national project would be remembered as a landmark in the country’s history.

Referring to present challenges, the Prime Minister said the fast changing technology-intensive battle arena required intense involvement of air power which had emerged as a major player in conflict scenarios.

He said the role of the air force also becomes vital in tackling the threat posed by the forces of extremism and militancy.

Under these circumstances, he said, a modern air force was a national requirement adding the government was making sincere efforts for a strong and well equipped Pakistan Air Force.

In the recent drive against militants, the PAF was endeavoring side by side with the Pak Army to root out terrorism from the country, he added.

The Prime Minister said that the PAF has been able to achieve both, the demands of meeting its operational requirements by co-developing a fighter aircraft and developing Pakistan’s Aviation Industry.

He said following the example of Kamra, there should be more such centers of excellence in other fields to attract youth towards a more constructive approach to life.

He appreciated that the JF-17 programme had provided employment to about 5,000 people.

Referring to long and trust worthy relations between Pakistan and China, the Prime Minister thanked the Chinese for providing PAF the required technical assistance for the programme.

He also mentioned the Chinese cooperation in many other projects in the country and said it was a pride for the nation.

He especially highlighted the projects including Gwadar Deep Sea Port, Korakoram Highway, Heavy Mechanical Complex, Heavy Electrical Complex and Saindak Copper Project where China is helping the country.

Chief of the Air Staff Rao Qamar Suleman highlighted the efforts of Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Kamra in establishing itself as a hub of the aviation industry.

He lauded the support of Chinese government and Aviation Industries of China without which, he said the project would not have succeeded.

He said that 40 JF-17 Thunder aircraft would be produced by PAC Kamra within the next three years and would be inducted into the PAF replacing the existing aircrafts.—APP
DAWN.COM | Pakistan | PM hands over Pak-made JF-17 aircraft to PAF

**Chogy** · 24 Nov 09,, 13:31

"SIR! Do NOT pull on that yellow and red striped handle! Sir... "

**xinhui** · 26 Jul 10,, 08:52

Confirm.... the FC-1/JF-17 is for export only. The PLAAF will not buy it (OOE could have told you that five years ago)

This Is Not The Last Chinese Aircraft We Will Buy: Pakistan

Jul 22, 2010

This Is Not The Last Chinese Aircraft We Will Buy: Pakistan | AVIATION WEEK

By Reuben F. Johnson
FARNBOROUGH

Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman is here at this year’s Farnborough International Airshow inspecting the two Joint Fighter (JF)-17 Thunder fighter aircraft, initially designed and produced at Chengdu Aerospace Corp. in China’s Sichuan province.

The JF-17s are now being produced at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra, and according to the PAF chief, cooperation with China is likely to increase.

“This is not the last Chinese aircraft that we are going to buy,” he told Show News in response to questions about Pakistan’s reported plans to purchase another Chengdu-built aircraft, the Jian-10 (J-10) fighter.

The J-10 would be an important acquisition for Pakistan. The JF-17 (designated as the FC-1 in China) is an “export only” aircraft for the Chinese and is not in used with their armed forces, but the J-10 has become one of the mainstays of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force.

In the meantime, Suleman has called the development and production of the JF-17 in cooperation with China a “success story,” and he said the two countries will continue their mutual work in the aviation field. Part of his itinerary here at Farnborough has involved discussions with top officials from China Aviation Technology Import-Export Corp. and Aviation Industries of China.

JF-17 Photo: PAF

**Zaitsev** · 26 Jul 10,, 11:23

Originally Posted by xinhui

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday formally joined the international community of fighter aircraft manufacturers

But dose not being called 'aircraft manufacturer' actually requires you to design and build an aircraft independently or make a significant change so as to put it in a different class from the parent design,and not just building it from blueprints provided by others????

Oh of course,they co developed it right.

)

**xinhui** · 26 Jul 10,, 16:15

Zaitsev

Seriously, no need to take cheap shots, it will not make you look good.

**Blademaster** · 26 Jul 10,, 17:25

What is wrong with this bird that the PLAAF hate so much?

**bigross86** · 26 Jul 10,, 17:51

Originally Posted by Zaitsev

But dose not being called 'aircraft manufacturer' actually requires you to design and build an aircraft independently or make a significant change so as to put it in a different class from the parent design,and not just building it from blueprints provided by others????

Oh of course,they co developed it right.

)

The IAI Kfir is an Israeli developed and manufactured aircraft, though in reality it's an almost identical copy of the Mirage 5, having been built with stolen Mirage plans and designs.

**BenRoethig** · 26 Jul 10,, 18:05

Originally Posted by Blademaster

What is wrong with this bird that the PLAAF hate so much?

Nothing. Its a lot like the F-5, too small and short ranged for our needs, but we sold a crap load of them in export.

**Officer of Engineers** · 26 Jul 10,, 18:37

Originally Posted by Blademaster

What is wrong with this bird that the PLAAF hate so much?

It was a bird the CCP tried to shove down the PLAAF's throat that the PLAAF had no requirements for, could not come up with requirements for it (there is nothing this bird can do that the J-10s and the SUKHOI variants cannot do and do better). About the only thing this bird has going for it is its electronic suite but only because it's a newer plane which would have been rectified by any mid-life upgrade program.

In short, the requirements written by the PLAAF were met by the SUKHOIs and the J-10s. The FC-1 could not meet them. I strongly suspect the PLAAF just sucked the costs for those birds that the CCP committed to rather than being saddled with an inferior bird with its own logistical nightmares.

**xinhui** · 26 Jul 10,, 18:37

Originally Posted by Blademaster

What is wrong with this bird that the PLAAF hate so much?

They don't want to keep two birds with similar roles around. The JF-17 uses RD93 engine where as all the current PLAAF birds (J-10, J-11, etc) are using Saturn AL-31 based engines.

**Maxor** · 26 Jul 10,, 22:51

Ben the US bought a crap ton of F-5's we called them T-38's. Nice little airplanes to. We also flew a decent number of them around as aggressor aircraft. I'm willing to give Pakistan the credit for this one as the plane builder as long as they do serial production there.

As for why china didn't want a bunch of them, I'd guess they already have significant enough airframe numbers of light fighters with limited payloads and range, and that the avionics and other internals of this one aren't a big enough upgrade to be worth supporting a new aircraft type and training.

I'm kind of interested in how this will impact future f-16 purchases by Pakistan and what both will do to future Pakistan Indian military parity. How does it compare to the Tejas (is the Tejas dead?) and when / if will it be available in large numbers. (If available in 3 or 4 years great it will be somewhat useful for Pakistan for the next 15 to 20 years if it takes 8 to 10 to reach wide spread adoption then the nearby countries will have aircraft that don't compare to it at all and you are looking at a very expensive light ground attack aircraft for a comparatively poor country that can't really defend itself in large numbers. unless you want to build a 17 million dollar plane with a 8 to 10 year service life).