JF-17 Thunders galore, Stealth ones now
Other than the simple fact that Beijing is investing $30 Billion in Pakistan in the next fie years. That amount is real with solid infrastructure development projects like dams, power-plants, freeways, and housing. To boot Beijing and Islamabad will now be jointly upgrading the Block 2 version of the JF-17 Thunders which have stealth capability, that knowledge recently boosted by studying the downed US chopper. After US sanction on Beijing and Islamabad, China and Pakistan began developing the relatively cheap multipurpose fighter in 1999 and Pakistan. Pakistan is planning to build 500 of these fighters, and keep 250 of them for itself. The rest will be exported. Pakistan already has two squadrons of the fighters–the second one inculcated earlier this year. A news report recently did mention that Pakistan’s production facilities have been boosted to allow the rapid production of the 50 fighters. The PAF will produce 50 fighters per year–though additional production lines are planned. The technology is also being used for a commercial aircraft manufacturing. Both the governments are keeping the information very close to their chests so as not to alarm Delhi and Washington.
The defense manufacturing is going beyond the basic JF-17 Thunders. Plans are already underway for the manufacture of the next generation of fighters, the FC-20s which will eventually become the mainstay of the PAF.
There are discussions going to for the Chinese JX fighter and how to include the stealth technology into the FC-20s.[/QUOT]