Alpha BeeTee
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Thanks for detailed response.Time passes and things change. In my view, JF-17 is no longer just a replacement of Mirages, A-5s, & F-7s. Its a platform, and a pretty good one that fits PAF doctrine very well.
All of your statements above are opinions, not facts. You are basically thinking out loud and needed a nudge to make you realize that JF-17 is not being hyped or made to be something that it is not. Its just that you think of it in those terms.
PAF does not own anything that could be termed a brute. A brute would cost a lot more to own & operate. JF-17 is a brute-killer. I hope you read the Hush Kit interview of JF-17 pilot. The lowly, small, & non-brute JF-17 locked on SU-30s across the LOC many times. So, being small and having a nasty punch is actually a good thing. We need medium weight fighter to compensate, but do not underestimate JF-17 & the unique mix of features it brings.
Look, PAF has a certain budget and Pakistan has a certain size of economy. Is it possible to afford expensive brutes in the current circumstances? In the past Pakistan had assistance due to its joining the Western camp against the USSR & its allies. WoT made it easier to procure F-16s and suitable armament. But that is past and can not be counted upon. China has done enough favors and it is time to come to terms with stark realities. Continuing to pump resources to maintain a certain parity vis-a-vis Indian forces will mean continuing to neglect HDI (Human Development Index) and to keep making Pakistan's economic, strategic, & social situation worse. Remember that everything boils down to strength of institutions (not just army) & productivity. Spending on defense does not help us improve either. Take a look at Turkey to understand this.
The best course of action for Pakistan is to maintain deterrence by promising unacceptable losses on the enemy if attacked. JF-17 helps us do this very well (in addition to saving on foreign exchange, earning via export, & improving strategic importance by creating useful linkages). For the next few years we must focus on JF-17 & its future iterations (Block-IV) and build local industry & expertise. This would provide multiple dividends in future.
However, I would still say that we are loosing that minimum deterrence capability fast with the induction of newer platforms in India i.e Rafale and s400. And for that, medium category fighters are required in the short term. All of this is just to maintain that minimum detrrence. Being at par with India is a dream that is far from being realized and nobody is chasing that dream either.
JF-17 program will progress and project Azm will kick in as well in the future but a dire need for a stop gap solution cannot be forgotten. On that we see no visible activity from the PAF.