You should Kiss the B/52 Good bye Pakistan is not getting them. The only way we will get them is if Uncle Sam needs us badly for something.
Which they don't If we talk about Air dominance we need to get something big right now to counter not in 2015 or 2018.
Guys
please read the above post again. herein lies the dilemma that PAF might face. if Bl52s are denied to us and thunders are 3 yrs away from maturity(I base this on not only integration date but also having sufficient numbers to count, Plus having enough manpower trained to run the plane), What do we do for now. Even if we get Bl.15s MLUed we wont get it done before 2011. If there is a threat perception, PAF does not deem J10 mature enough to buy straight away, and any new plane will need at least 5 yrs to come on board(knowing you cannot just go out and buy it like a car and contract negotiations take ages). This might be why this topic comes up again and again, and confuses us.
the other thing to consider is are we sending signals to Uncle Sam to keep them on the straight and narrow. Knowing uncle Sam,s tendencies to get distracted and forgetful
, he needss frequent reminders about the promises that he has made.
PAF have flown the Mirage series since the late 60s and have a rich experience of flying deltas. Also think it gives us a boost instantly at a cost which is not prohibitive(the french and even Abu Dhabi will have a hard time selling planes whose assembly line has stopped working___remember Indonesia recently refused M2K5s as a donation citing problems in maintenance).
PAFs future acquisitions are a matter of great fluidityand confusion to all and sundry. For every current on the surface there are 10 under currents that we dont know about.But i feel we should keep an open mind on this issue.
Another thing that comes to mind is the acquisition of M53 rights of production along with the order of Mirages. This in my view would be a magic decision for PAF if it comes about. There are innumerable advantages to this acquisition although it will involve a price that we will have to pay, even if it means buying M2 Ks it would be a stirling buy..
In short there are as many answers as there are questions, just keep your eyes and mind open.
WaSalam
Araz