FuturePAF
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Welcome. The delta conundrum needs to be seen in the perspective of PAF's quest to acquire the M2Ks. We made 3 attempts and the best one was in the 90s when our friend MuradK was involved. Had it not been for Zardari sticking his dirty fingers along with the French Sarkozy we might have even acquired it. In the early 2000 as a sign of desperation we approached the French again for 59 units but the offer was withdrawn by them and we were pushed toward the really expensive Rafale which was beyond our means. I guess we were too far advanced in the JFT project to consider buying the whole M2K assembly line in one big deal which might have been cost prohibitive but have given us the French version of the JFT experience. The M53 were old and cost prohibitive but could we have negotiated for M88s on the M2ks and more importantly would the Ffrench have agreed? I dont know the answer to that. I do however think PAF contiues to look for 3 squadrons of Deltas/Multirole platforms.
A
If the PAF is looking for 3 Squadrons (~51 aircraft) of Delta, why not acquire the J-10CE? In all aspect, a superior aircraft then the Mirage 2000 (arguably equal to the Rafale), and the PAF could customize it as it has when every other Chinese platform it has acquired. When the WS-15 matures, it would theoretically allow the plane to super-cruise and be as efficient to operate, if not more so, then the Eurofighters the PAF was considering a while back, but at a fraction of the price.
BTW, If Pakistan acquires 3 squadrons of J-10CE, it should also add a clause into the purchase to be able to emergency lease with the option to buy a further 3 squadrons of J-10's. A wartime resupply option could ease the burden on the PAF to have as many fighters, if they have the knowledge they can be resupplied in a matter of days, with a fresh batch of J-10s.
Something akin to the wartime resupply in the 1973 mid east war.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Nickel_Grass
P.S. The planned purchase of 36 J-10B in 2006 was approximately $1.4 Billion or $39 million each. How much do you think the J-10CE in 2019 dollars would cost? The J-10 has a larger flight envelope then the JF-17 and is finally a mature design in the form of the J-10CE with AESA (although that fan art J-10D looked great ). 50 J-10CE would allow the PAF to break its dependence on the F-16, and for a relatively reasonable price.
Also with the added thrust planned on the WS-15 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xian_WS-15), it could allow the J-10 to carry 2 of a smaller version of the CX-1 Missile per aircraft, far out to sea, to defend against any possibly blockade in time of crisis.
something akin to the Brahmos NG
https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-cc39f8933cc739c8167fa58b4d59e5e8.webp
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chengdu_J-10#Pakistan
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