Islamabad, May 8, IRNA javascript:history.back();
China-Pakistan-Air Force chief
Pakistan Air Force (PAF) chief Air Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed will pay a five-day official visit to China from Monday (today), official sources said on Sunday.
During the visit, he will witness the first operational flight of the JF-17 Thunder (FC-4) fighter scheduled to take place in Chengdu in southwest China's Sichuan province.
The JF-17 thunder is a joint venture between Pakistan and China.
It is being jointly manufactured by China's Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex.
Formal production of the new aircraft will start soon after the flight which is considered a major leap forward in bilateral cooperation of the two countries in the defence sector.
President Pervez Musharraf, during a state visit to China last February, had availed of the opportunity to visit the Chengdu aircraft factory during which he inspected design and research institutes of the facility and its avionics laboratory.
Based on previous models, the plane is equipped with advanced electronics and weapons systems which improve its combat
capabilities, say experts.
Official have said the first formal flight ceremony of the fighter aircraft will be a historic event and will go a long way in developing the country's indigenous capability to meet the requirements of the armed forces and achieve its goal of self- reliance.
In 1999, Chengdu Aircraft Industry Company (CATIC) signed an agreement with the Pakistan Air Force for joint production of JF-17s.
Since then, CATIC, Chengdu Aircraft Designing Institute and the PAF have been working successfully on the project.
They rolled out the prototype of JF-17 on September 3, 2003, the test flight of which satisfied both Chinese and Pakistani pilots.