JF-17 Block-3 -- Updates, News & Discussion

[The Terminator]

What amuses me here is how many on this forum keep asking "why can't JF-17 do this or that?"

All along JF-17 was designed as a F-5/MIG-21/F-7/Mirage III replacement. Not a F-16/Mirage 2000/Gripen/MIG-29 replacement.

Capabilities like IFR, BVR, LGBs, etc were never designed for light fighters. The fact JF-17 can do all of these is amazing and puts it leagues ahead of the types it was supposed to replace.

On the IFR probe front, an internal retractable probe (as opposed to a detachable one) takes up precious internal space and you only get these on a few large types F-18, Tornado etc.

The fact such a small fighter will have an AESA and the possibility to launch 4 PL-15s and 2 PL-10s gives us a light fighter with medium fighter capabilities.

Roles such as recce, deep strike, air superiority (as opposed to air defence) are the domain of medium/heavy types such as F-16/J-10/F-15/SU-30.

I find we often mingle light v medium capabilities when talking about JF-17. The plane was designed to help us get rid of F-6/F-7/Mirage III and give us a decent light fighter in affordable numbers, we will probably have close to 190-200 in service by 2025 and a few export orders.

J-10/AZM may well fully replace F-16s by 2030-2035 and I would not be surprised if the JF-17 is the very last light fighter PAF ever operates and switches to medium/large only fleet post 2035-2040

You don't replace the half a century old fighters with similar capabilities fighter. Then there isn't any point left to replace the old ones in the first place. And the capabilities like BVR, IFR and LGB etc are pretty much standard basic for today's 4th Gen fighters

 

[TigerOfMysore]

Has anyone ever wondered what it would take to have rear fining missiles. Why has this never been attempted

I'll take a stab at it.
If you have a detected threat within range at your 6, you do everything to shake it off and get a change of positions. So you'd not continue in your flight if that threat persisted within range, due to the dangers. Second if the threat is out of range at your 6 - then there is not point in engagement since both are likely mutually out of range. Third if rear facing threat needs to be engaged with a rear facing missile you'd need rare facing radar. That would require some significant change in plane rear control surfaces/areas, which makes it an aero-dynamic challenge. I do think however with DLink capability with Awacs such an option should today be thought of, but then again a forward facing engagement even in those circumstances makes more sense. So in pure cost benefit analysis it is a luxury that might be impractical.

 

[TheSolution]

Is there any information on if we'll be upgrading our existing aircraft to Block 3 standard?

 

[The Eagle]

Can we please move J-10 and AL31 related discussion to particular thread.

Regards,

 

[Aesterix]

Can we please move J-10 and AL31 related discussion to particular thread.

Regards,

Or just leave it until 23rd of March.
دودھ کا دودھ اور پانی کا پانی

 

[The Eagle]

Or just leave it until 23rd of March.
دودھ کا دودھ اور پانی کا پانی

I have moved the relevant discussion to other thread with all respect to members including very seniors as well, so that particular thread may contain and continue with relevant topics.

 

[Yasser76]

You don't replace the half a century old fighters with similar capabilities fighter. Then there isn't any point left to replace the old ones in the first place. And the capabilities like BVR, IFR and LGB etc are pretty much standard basic for today's 4th Gen fighters

I ma not disputing these capabilities are not standard, my point was a medium/heavy fighter will always have much better capabilities in these areas then a light fighter

 

[Windjammer]

 

[Trango Towers]

I'll take a stab at it.
If you have a detected threat within range at your 6, you do everything to shake it off and get a change of positions. So you'd not continue in your flight if that threat persisted within range, due to the dangers. Second if the threat is out of range at your 6 - then there is not point in engagement since both are likely mutually out of range. Third if rear facing threat needs to be engaged with a rear facing missile you'd need rare facing radar. That would require some significant change in plane rear control surfaces/areas, which makes it an aero-dynamic challenge. I do think however with DLink capability with Awacs such an option should today be thought of, but then again a forward facing engagement even in those circumstances makes more sense. So in pure cost benefit analysis it is a luxury that might be impractical.

Very good.
I was thinking the pretty much the same in terms of read facing radar and weight penalty but certainly AWACs now can play that role.
But there must be a reason why no one has done it

 

[ghazi52]

¶ PL-12/SD-10A (BVRM).
¶ PL-15E (BVRM).
¶ PL-5DE (VWRM).
¶ PL-10E (VWRM).

 

[Dil Pakistan]

 

[The Eagle]

Inverted Shot

 

[untitled]

Has anyone ever wondered what it would take to have rear fining missiles. Why has this never been attempted

The IRIS-T missile is propelled by a solid propellant motor, developed by Nammo.The propulsion mechanism provides the missile with a maximum speed of Mach 3 and the thrust vector control module enables the missile to engage targets behind the firing aircraft.

IRIS-T Air-to-Air Guided Missile - Airforce Technology

IRIS-T (infra-red imaging system – tail / thrust vector controlled) is an air-to-air guided missile manufactured by Diehl BGT Defence…

www.airforce-technology.com

 

[Pakistan Space Agency]

Has anyone ever wondered what it would take to have rear fining missiles. Why has this never been attempted

I used to play a PC game called Fighters Anthology which was based on real life fighter aircrafts.

In that game, there was 1 aircraft or a particular missile that could be fired backwards. I don't know how accurate that was.

 

[MIRauf]

I used to play a PC game called Fighters Anthology which was based on real life fighter aircraft.

In that game, there was 1 aircraft or a particular missile that could be fired backwards. I don't know how accurate that was.

Based of Eastwood's movie, "Firefox."