New PAF Base under construction

[amunhotep]

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where is this new base located ???

i heard that there was an old airbase in PASNI in balochistan.

is that same airbase being upgraded ??? or is thisan entirely new one ???

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[Keysersoze]

correct. Thanks Blain.

It is indeed a way to decrease the chance that Chinese engineers can share some time to look at block 52. And indeed it might have been a point for the Indians to swallow the deal.

I think we should see this selling to Pakistan in a different perspective. They can control the southern oil rich area near Iran cause they will visit the baser as often as needed. And we all know how often unmarked CIA planes are traveling around the globe... And US wil surely go for a base to control Iran, Afghanistan and oil fields and transport routes.

But the more important fact is that by selling this plane they wil gain more control in PAF... Pilots need training and by selling planes and training pilots they will get options to use those pilots if needed... By getting the hands on the best PAF pilots it is a easy way to control PAF.

Besides that we see that China and Russia are developing rapidly and Pakistan get planes from France/China and other nations (like Sweden) so besides they are devloping JF17 they are no longer the beggers of the past... The only reason PAF got AMRAAM was that SD10 was available... Nothing else.

I do see Pakistan getting more Russian parts in the future... Just a matter of a few years.

I find it interesting that you mention the idea that the new F-16's are a control device for the PAF. Whilst it is a interesting idea I personally don't believe it to be the case. For exactly the reasons you state. PAk now has other options the French, the Swedes and the Chinese. So because other options are available it means that The U.S.'s leverage is more limited than in the past. PAK has been stung in the past an I am sure they would not gamble in such a manner again.

 

[fatman17]

i certainly dont like the word control, seperation of the new F-16s from chinese systems seems to be the logical assumption.

 

[Munir]

I find it interesting that you mention the idea that the new F-16's are a control device for the PAF. Whilst it is a interesting idea I personally don't believe it to be the case. For exactly the reasons you state. PAk now has other options the French, the Swedes and the Chinese. So because other options are available it means that The U.S.'s leverage is more limited than in the past. PAK has been stung in the past an I am sure they would not gamble in such a manner again.

There has been literature which explains that by training PAF pilots the US gets inside look of the organization and can use them to achieve certain goals. It is not my idea but purely fact that is already been proven by some examples... You might have other assets (French/Chinese) options but if you control best PAF pilots (elite), you do not need to control others. US will know their names, their ideas and their objectives so hence they will be able to do more then others... You might wonder why some pilots end up in the US after they finished their PAF task...

 

[Munir]

Let me add that certain anti US people are often murdered by their body guards (that are trained by ...)

 

[ejaz007]

No one has so far been able to point the location. So far only agreement seems to be that the base shall be in Balochistan. I doubt any existing base will be upgraded. It should be a new base. Central Balochistan seems to be a good location. The reason is that a base too close to border itself becomes a target. My view is that AEW aircrafts along with new F-16 shall be based in that new base. Since Pakistan is searching for air refueling planes range shall not be an issue.

 

[fatman17]

has anyone noticed (when one comes in for landing) the extensive construction work going on at Risalewala AF Base adjacent to FSD airport?

 

[TexasJohn]

i certainly dont like the word control, seperation of the new F-16s from chinese systems seems to be the logical assumption.

And what would prevent a PAF pilot from flying a shiny new block 52 plane to an airbase in Pakistan that DOES have Chinese engineers??

 

[ejaz007]

We are discussing New PAF Base under construction. Please concentrate on that. As far as handing over F-16 technology to China is concerned I doubt that ever happened. It is pure propaganda. If US had slightest of doubt they would not have sold F-16's to Pakistan or Congress would have blocked it.

 

[Munir]

There is a difference between looking at the aircraft and disassemble and testing... Sometimes it has to go to DT and NDT (destructive testing cycles). And it will cost some time to analyse soure codes... You need more then most assume.

Let me provide a simple example. The IAF got Mig21 from Irac... Some christian Iraci pilot flew it towards Israel and they needed some 150 flights just to see how it performed against Israeili planes. They needed lots of time to test the hardware (went to US). Do you actually think that Chinese testpilots could do those flights or that PAF testpilots would provide all the data and risk everything? One should know that it takes several years 24/7 to understand a plane. The US would see it coming and handle it with pressure...

 

[x_man]

Hi

The most suitable place to raise a new base is Jacobabad! And most likely the new F-16s and even the AEW will be deployed there. Why I said so???…well... Because I know it. All the airforce bases/airfields are broadly divided into two categories: Main Operating Bases (MOBs e.g. Sargodha, Masroor, Shorkot etc) and Forward Operating Bases (FOBs e.g. Risalewala, Jacobabad, Murid, Vihari etc). As I saw few posts that what if F-16s are based in west, well that doesn’t matter. Because before the actual hostilities break, all the squadrons move from MOBs to FOBs, so it does not matter where they are placed in peace. Every squadron has a war time location at some FOB.

I first visited Jacobabad during Hi-Mark 1995 when our squadron was deployed there. If one overlooks the city, surroundings and weather, Jacobabad is an ideally suited (geographically) and almost fully equipped to be converted from an FOB to MOB. The infrastructure in terms of aprons, hangars, all aircraft movement surfaces (runways and taxi tracks) , aircraft hardened shelters, bomb dumps, airmen/officers living facilities, messes, security infrastructure etc etc is all at par with any MOB and better than any other FOB of PAF. Americans too have also contributed a lot towards its refurbishment and up gradation. My latest deployment to Jacobad was in 2006 from Samungli to participate in exercise Falcon Talon and I was surprises to see how it has improved in last few years and it definitely gives you the feel of an MOB.

There are few other candidates also in a race to become FOB e.g. Chander and Nawabshah but J’Bad beats them by miles.

 

[fatman17]

x_man is correct. jacobabad seems to be the most likely choice. it was used by us forces for operations in afghanistan. it is centrally located.

 

[blain2]

Actually I concur as well. JCB is it for the new F-16s. Its been confirmed by some other sources as well.

 

[blain2]

And what would prevent a PAF pilot from flying a shiny new block 52 plane to an airbase in Pakistan that DOES have Chinese engineers??

Nothing. This is the unrealistic part of the deal. US personnel are not going to be located at the PAF bases indefinitely. When aircraft are going to be deployed for training camps across the country, there would be no way to stop that. I think the essential part about the blk-52 basing on a separate base is that inventory can be maintained by lets say some US auditors. So the aircraft, their spares etc. would all be located at this base and not transferred out. The blk-52s, you can rest assured, will be participating in all of the PAF training camps when they are part of those training camps.

 

[Muradk]

When we got Mirages we had french engg working for us at Rafiqui, when we got F-6 we had there people in our bases same as when we got the F-16s we had american engg in Sargodha. With time all left and same will happen here.No big deal