Pakistan reveals plans for JF-17 and J-10 fighters
Farhan Bokhari JDW Correspondent - Islamabad
Key Points
Pakistan is starting domestic production of the JF-17 fighter, with the first aircraft expected to fly before the end of 2009
The PAF is also expecting to take delivery of Chinese J-10 fighters by about 2014
Pakistan's key aircraft manufacturing facility, the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, and China's CATIC (China Aviation Technology Import-Export Corporation), signed an agreement on 7 March for the serial production of 42 JF-17 'Thunder' fighter aircraft in Pakistan.
The announcement came as the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) chief, Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mehmood Ahmed, confirmed that Pakistan expected to start taking delivery of the more advanced J-10 fighter aircraft from China by 2014-15.
ACM Ahmed, whose tenure as PAF chief ends on 18 March, said the PAC in Kamra would initially produce 15 JF-17s annually, raising its production capacity to 30 aircraft a year. He said the "programme will be carried out in phases", but did not specify the timeframe in which the production capacity would be increased. Pakistani defence ministry officials said the first of the 42 JF-17s to be produced in Pakistan would be manufactured and airworthy before the end of 2009.
The PAF intends the JF-17 to become the main backbone of its fleet and it plans to acquire up to 250 of the aircraft by 2013-2015. The PAF has so far acquired eight JF-17s, all of which were manufactured in China.
Western defence analysts in Islamabad said the agreement suggested that China had given financial credit to cash-starved Pakistan, giving a lift to the south Asian country's defence procurement plans as it battles economic difficulties.
"I estimate the 42 JF-17s are worth over USD1 billion," one Western official told Jane's . "As Pakistan faces economic difficulties, China must have agreed to give either long-term credit or some other arrangement for this programme to be launched."
Meanwhile, ACM Ahmed - who told Jane's in December that the PAF was interested in purchasing 36 J-10s - has now revealed that the cost of purchasing the J-10s (which will be known as FC-20s in Pakistani service) along with support systems would be in the region of USD1.5 billion.
According to the Associated Press of Pakistan, ACM Ahmed also disclosed that delivery of the first of four airborne early warning and control system aircraft that Pakistan has ordered from China is due in 2010. He added that Pakistan would pay 10 per cent of the cost of that deal upon receipt of the first aircraft, while the rest of the payments would be made in "easy instalments". No details of the timeframe were given.
When ACM Ahmed retires later this month, he is due to be replaced by Air Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, the PAF's Deputy Chief of Air Staff for operations.
Pakistan will start taking delivery of the Chinese J-10 fighter aircraft in 2014-15.