Pakistan In Negotiations For More F-16s

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http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/gene...dline=Pakistan In Negotiations For More F-16s


Pakistan is in negotiations with the U.S. to get more Lockheed Martin F-16s beyond those it has on order, while at the same time it is developing its defense manufacturing capability to reduce its reliance on the U.S.

Pakistan air force Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman disclosed this, though no firm numbers were given. Qamar spoke to Aviation Week in Melbourne, Australia, where he was attending an air chiefs' conference.

In 2006 the U.S. Congress agreed to give Pakistan 28 F-16C/Ds under an excess defense articles initiative. The first 14 aircraft were recently delivered. Qamar says negotiations are ongoing for the remaining 14.

Pakistan has a total of 63 F-16s—45 A/Bs and 18 C/Ds. Qamar says all the A/Bs are to undergo a mid-life upgrade and become C/D aircraft "close to Block 50" standard by 2013-14. The first three A/Bs are being upgraded at Turkish Aerospace Industries.

Pakistan is also an ally of China, and the countries are jointly developing the JF-17 fighter, which is being produced at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra. Qamar says the second squadron of JF-17s will go into operation in late March, and at that time the Chinese Nanchang A-5, a ground attack aircraft, will begin to be phased out.

Qamar says he has made a concerted effort to increase the manufacturing capability of Pakistan's defense industry because the country has, in the past, been subject to sanctions and embargoes.

Chengdu F-7s and Dassault Mirages will be phased out as we get JF-17s," says Qamar. "Some of our Mirages are the oldest in the world," dating back to 1967. Phasing these out is a top priority because they are difficult and costly to maintain; no one is producing spare parts for them anymore. "We are getting second-hand parts, but we don't know" their provenance. "It's a flight-safety issue and a nightmare for me," he adds.

When asked about data links to tie F-16s to JF-17s, Qamar says Pakistan is working to develop its own solution. "We have Link 16 on the F-16s. We will not fiddle with Link 16 and not have direct linkages [between the JF-17s] with the F-16" He says an indigenous tactical data link is being worked on. It will send information from the JF-17 to a ground station where there will be an interface, he says, adding there will be a short delay, and then the information will be sent to the F-16s.

Pakistan also has different types of airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft. Pakistan has three Saab Erieyes and will receive its fourth mid-year, says Qamar. This is its last Saab Erieye on order. Pakistan is also due to receive mid-year its first Shaanxi ZDK-03. Four are on order and the first rolled out of the Shaanxi Aircraft factory last November.

Besides AEW&C aircraft, Qamar says, "we are talking to some Western companies about tankers." The country now has four Ilyushin Il-78s.

And UAVs are eagerly sought. They already have Selex Galileo Falco UAVs, and Qamar says an agreement has been reached with the Italian company to allow some Falco UAVs to be made in Pakistan both for the local market and for export. Production will start this year, he says. In the past, Pakistan reportedly wanted to have the Falco armed, a request that Italy rejected. Qamar says the Falco UAVs made in Pakistan will carry no weapons and will be used for reconnaissance and surveillance, mostly of areas where terrorists may be entrenched.

A longer-term issue is whether Pakistan needs a fifth-generation fighter. Rival India, is teaming up with Russia to develop a fifth-generation fighter based on Russia's T-50. When asked if Pakistan would like to be part of the Chengdu J-20, fifth-generation fighter program, Qamar says: "We don't have any involvement in this development so far. This seems to be an indigenous effort and we will keenly watch it. Obviously, China is a very good friend." But it will be years before the J-20 becomes operational in the Chinese air force, he adds.

Photo: Pakistan Air Force
 

A.V.

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Its no surprise that the J10B order of 36 has been put on hold last year.
 

Blackwater

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India should seriously Think of revamp Indo-US relation , if U.S go ahead with F16 to pak
 
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Why did we work on mid air refuellers with Lockheed Martin?? This is still a mystery??
 

SHASH2K2

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kick backs my friend lolllllllllllllllllllllllllll
Mid Air refuelling probe is not a cutting edge technology and is not an offensive systems. Main reason behind giving contract can be cost cutting .
 

smartindian

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Mid Air refuelling probe is not a cutting edge technology and is not an offensive systems. Main reason behind giving contract can be cost cutting .
they why we cant manufacture ourself , if it was not so cutting edge. if it was purely cost effectiveness we could have purchased it from russia
 

Daredevil

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Why is PAF going for F-16 when they have super-duper JF-17 which many Pakistanis claim will give a run for money to F-16?? :D

Also, it is interesting to note that JF-17 and F-16 will not have common data links to communicate. What a tragedy!!!.
 

smartindian

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Why is PAF going for F-16 when they have super-duper JF-17 which many Pakistanis claim will give a run for money to F-16?? :D

Also, it is interesting to note that JF-17 and F-16 will not have common data links to communicate. What a tragedy!!!.
more our they can get junk fighter -17 on soft loans ,

pakistani's are just milking american , only question is how much more they can milk the american
 
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Why is PAF going for F-16 when they have super-duper JF-17 which many Pakistanis claim will give a run for money to F-16?? :D

Also, it is interesting to note that JF-17 and F-16 will not have common data links to communicate. What a tragedy!!!.
Does EERYIE have enough range to make the F-16's effective?? (Israeli's use Phalcon)
 

SHASH2K2

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they why we cant manufacture ourself , if it was not so cutting edge. if it was purely cost effectiveness we could have purchased it from russia
For India It may be something new and thats th3e reason we participated in it. Also it will help us to integrate such systems in LCA . For US of A its just an Ordinary technology . Thats the reason we were allowed to work on it .
 

anoop_mig25

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well make a hay while the sun shines is pakistans mooto for last 63 years
 

JBH22

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I think its a great news since this will increase the pressure on our desi gadhas to increase and speed up IAF acquisition process.
 

intelarpit

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In my opinion an unstable pakistan is always good for India. It is known fact that economy of pakistan is in worst ever form and new procurements will have a more adverse effect. This will create more problems in pakistan(lack of funds)....thus will help to keep pakistan in its current unstable form.

We must appreciate this :D
 

ganesh177

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I think its a great news since this will increase the pressure on our desi gadhas to increase and speed up IAF acquisition process.
mmrca result is due in july anyways.
 

civfanatic

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Guys, how many F-16s do you think Pakistan will get in total?

I'm thinking around 100.
 

Atul

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Its a Good time that Pakistan is requesting for Lockheed Martin F-16, finally they must have realized that the Chinese jets are no good.

Secondly, the US government & Lockheed Martin must be in jeopardy, Coz this request will marginalize all what little chances the US jets have had in the MMRCA...

We must Infact be thankful to the Pakistani Government that this move of theirs might force our Babus not bend on to the American Pressure...:namaste:
 
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Its a Good time that Pakistan is requesting for Lockheed Martin F-16, finally they must have realized that the Chinese jets are no good.

Secondly, the US government & Lockheed Martin must be in jeopardy, Coz this request will marginalize all what little chances the US jets have had in the MMRCA...

We must Infact be thankful to the Pakistani Government that this move of theirs might force our Babus not bend on to the American Pressure...:namaste:
The Pakistani purchases kept the Texas Lockheed Martin plant open.
 

Atul

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The Pakistani purchases kept the Texas Lockheed Martin plant open.
Agreed, but how long do you expect the F-16 plant to be open on the balance 14 no's that Pakistan is requesting for, Viz-a-Viz the 126++ (+ Billions of Dollars) Jets the MMRCA has to offer.

One must remember some 30k jobs are at stake in US which are directly related to the MMRCA deal. (F-16 & F/A-18 production lines)....

This double play by USofA must not work, there must be a Clear NO to both the American Jets in the MMRCA...
 

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