PAC Kamra set to participate in IDEAS 2006
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- Start date
POF, French GEAT ink MoU on defence production
KARACHI: November 21, 2006: President Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday witnessed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF), Wah and GEAT Industries of France for co-production of 150mm artillery ammunition of extended range and reactive armour bricks for tanks.
The co-production will start early next year at POF, Wah. Both sides also agreed for joint marketing of these defence products.
Chairman POF Board, Lt. General Syed Sabahat Hussain and Chief Executive Officer GEAT Industries of France L Pascal signed the MoU at ceremony during fourth International Defence Exhibition & Seminar IDEAS 2006 in Expo Centre, Karachi.
KARACHI: November 21, 2006: President Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday witnessed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF), Wah and GEAT Industries of France for co-production of 150mm artillery ammunition of extended range and reactive armour bricks for tanks.
The co-production will start early next year at POF, Wah. Both sides also agreed for joint marketing of these defence products.
Chairman POF Board, Lt. General Syed Sabahat Hussain and Chief Executive Officer GEAT Industries of France L Pascal signed the MoU at ceremony during fourth International Defence Exhibition & Seminar IDEAS 2006 in Expo Centre, Karachi.
Pakistan exhibits defence equipment at IDEAS 2006
KARACHI: November 21, 2006: Pakistan on Tuesday for first time demonstrated its indigenous Armed Personnel Carrier (APC) Saad at fourth International Defence Exhibition & Seminar IDEAS 2006 at Expo Center, here.
Saad is equipped with battle field management system, featuring arrangements for computerised command, control, communication, intelligence and information.
The advanced version of Al Khalid main battle tank and Super Mushak single piston engine aircraft are also displayed at IDEAS in which 80 top defence manufacturing companies of the world from 70 countries including USA, UK, Canada, Germany Italy, China are participating.
Pakistan Defence Organisations including Dara Adam Khel are also displaying locally manufactured arms and ammunition.
:flag: :flag: :flag:
KARACHI: November 21, 2006: Pakistan on Tuesday for first time demonstrated its indigenous Armed Personnel Carrier (APC) Saad at fourth International Defence Exhibition & Seminar IDEAS 2006 at Expo Center, here.
Saad is equipped with battle field management system, featuring arrangements for computerised command, control, communication, intelligence and information.
The advanced version of Al Khalid main battle tank and Super Mushak single piston engine aircraft are also displayed at IDEAS in which 80 top defence manufacturing companies of the world from 70 countries including USA, UK, Canada, Germany Italy, China are participating.
Pakistan Defence Organisations including Dara Adam Khel are also displaying locally manufactured arms and ammunition.
:flag: :flag: :flag:
NESCOM achieved minimum level of strategic defence for Pakistan
KARACHI : November 21, 2006: Pakistan's prestigious National Engineering & Scientific Commission (NESCOM) has achieved "minimum level of strategic defence" for the country - a total indigenous effort with no transfer of foreign technology.
The Nescom exported conventional defence products worth US$500 million in last three years to friendly countries and signed $50 million defence sale MoU on Tuesday with Muslim & African states.
MoU was signed at International Defence Exhibition & Seminar IDEAS 2006 at Expo Centre in Karachi.
"We are already exporting combined effect munitions to United Arab Emirates and currently having talks in this regard with Saudi Arabia," Pakistan's internationally renowned scientist Dr Samar Mubarakmand told newsmen at NESCOM's stall at IDEAS 2006 at Expo Centre.
"NESCOM has a role in strategic defence of Pakistan and doing its very best to meet national defence requirements. We are proud of our engineers and technicians for production of reliable accurate weapons and also their mass production."
"We indigenously produced weapon system of Shaheen 1 & Ghaznavi 1 missiles, co-produced Ghauri missile weapon system and twice test fired Babar 600km plus cruise missile. We handed over all these weapons to the armed forces, including conventional anti personnel pounds bombs, fuses for all types of bombs, radar integration system for civil, air defence and air force in one console," said Dr Mubarakmand.
He said Nescom provided ground weapon system for Al Khalid, a top main battle tank in the world and was now doing same for Al Zarrar MBT. Al Khalid is equipped with night vision, satellite image stored in tank, computerised anti aircraft gun to shoot enemy aircraft.
The Commission also provided radar integrated system and batteries to the armed forces.
"We are entering into more sophistication of our products. With efforts of our engineers and technicians and prayers of the nation, Inshallah we will give good news shortly," Dr Mubarakmand remarked.
KARACHI : November 21, 2006: Pakistan's prestigious National Engineering & Scientific Commission (NESCOM) has achieved "minimum level of strategic defence" for the country - a total indigenous effort with no transfer of foreign technology.
The Nescom exported conventional defence products worth US$500 million in last three years to friendly countries and signed $50 million defence sale MoU on Tuesday with Muslim & African states.
MoU was signed at International Defence Exhibition & Seminar IDEAS 2006 at Expo Centre in Karachi.
"We are already exporting combined effect munitions to United Arab Emirates and currently having talks in this regard with Saudi Arabia," Pakistan's internationally renowned scientist Dr Samar Mubarakmand told newsmen at NESCOM's stall at IDEAS 2006 at Expo Centre.
"NESCOM has a role in strategic defence of Pakistan and doing its very best to meet national defence requirements. We are proud of our engineers and technicians for production of reliable accurate weapons and also their mass production."
"We indigenously produced weapon system of Shaheen 1 & Ghaznavi 1 missiles, co-produced Ghauri missile weapon system and twice test fired Babar 600km plus cruise missile. We handed over all these weapons to the armed forces, including conventional anti personnel pounds bombs, fuses for all types of bombs, radar integration system for civil, air defence and air force in one console," said Dr Mubarakmand.
He said Nescom provided ground weapon system for Al Khalid, a top main battle tank in the world and was now doing same for Al Zarrar MBT. Al Khalid is equipped with night vision, satellite image stored in tank, computerised anti aircraft gun to shoot enemy aircraft.
The Commission also provided radar integrated system and batteries to the armed forces.
"We are entering into more sophistication of our products. With efforts of our engineers and technicians and prayers of the nation, Inshallah we will give good news shortly," Dr Mubarakmand remarked.
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Hello to all. This is my first post on the active forum (second if you count my member introduction). Has anyone seen the pictures of the models of the Block 52 Vipers (in the picture gallery) in PAF colors? What do you think of the layout?
Regards,
Falcone
Hello to all. This is my first post on the active forum (second if you count my member introduction). Has anyone seen the pictures of the models of the Block 52 Vipers (in the picture gallery) in PAF colors? What do you think of the layout?
Regards,
Falcone
Pakistan, South Korea sign defence co-operation accord
KARACHI: November 22, 2006: The Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) on Wednesday signed a defence co-operation agreement with South Korean Poongson Corp. for joint production and marketing of artillery 155mm ammunition.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz witnessed signing of co-operation accord.
The production of artillery 155mm ammunition with joint POF and sophisticated Poongson technology will start at the POF, Wah in January 2007.
The POF on Tuesday signed similar agreement with leading French GEAT Industries.
Speaking after signing ceremony at International Defence Exhibition IDEAS 2006 at Expo Centre, Karachi, Chairman POF Board Lt. General Sabahat Hussain said Pakistan will earn foreign exchange by export of this ammunition.
Lee Moon Won President of Poongson Corp. said he was happy to sign co-operation agreement with the POF.
"We will extend co-operation to POF step by step."
Lt. General Sabahat Hussain said the POF will sign more such accords in view of good response which shows capability and key role of POF in defence exports of the country.
KARACHI: November 22, 2006: The Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) on Wednesday signed a defence co-operation agreement with South Korean Poongson Corp. for joint production and marketing of artillery 155mm ammunition.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz witnessed signing of co-operation accord.
The production of artillery 155mm ammunition with joint POF and sophisticated Poongson technology will start at the POF, Wah in January 2007.
The POF on Tuesday signed similar agreement with leading French GEAT Industries.
Speaking after signing ceremony at International Defence Exhibition IDEAS 2006 at Expo Centre, Karachi, Chairman POF Board Lt. General Sabahat Hussain said Pakistan will earn foreign exchange by export of this ammunition.
Lee Moon Won President of Poongson Corp. said he was happy to sign co-operation agreement with the POF.
"We will extend co-operation to POF step by step."
Lt. General Sabahat Hussain said the POF will sign more such accords in view of good response which shows capability and key role of POF in defence exports of the country.
Thursday, 23 November 2006
Pakistan holds 'arms for peace' fair
By Syed Shoaib Hassan
BBC News, Karachi
Missiles are the most common Pakistani exhibit in the fair
Pakistan is bolstering its position as a trading zone for small arms and military hardware through arms fairs that have become a regular feature in recent years.
The International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (Ideas) fair, held every
two years in the southern port city of Karachi, provides a platform for Pakistan to display its products, ranging from light arms to tanks and missiles.
The fair also attracts major manufacturers of arms and military support equipment from around the world.
Since 2000, when the first Ideas fair was held, the number of participants has grown both in number and prestige.
This year's participants include, among others, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Saab, Rolls Royce and Thales.
Some governments also have an official presence. The UK is represented by the Ministry of Defence.
'Global security'
"We are looking to promote industrial cooperation in products which are geared towards the war on terror and humanitarian operations," the press secretary at the UK High Commission, Adam Thomas, told the BBC.
The theme of the five-day fair, which was inaugurated by President Pervez Musharraf on Monday, is Expanding Global Security.
Mike McCarthy says Colt's assault rifle can win customers
Arms for Peace is the official slogan of the fair.
On show are products ranging from rifles and bullets to ballistic missiles, pilot less drone aircraft and fighter jets.
Lockheed Martin Corp (LMC) has put its Hellfire missiles on display.
"Pakistan is interested in buying these missiles and we are definitely going to work out a deal," said Doug Terrell, LMC's manager for international business development.
The missiles became famous during the war on terror and are known to have hit many targets in Afghanistan and the Pakistani tribal areas.
LMC is also promoting its coveted F-16 Fighting Falcon as well as the more affordable P-3C Orion and C-130 aircraft.
"We have (displayed) a limited range in view of the customers who would be here," says Dexter Henson, the communications director of LMC.
Old and new
The buyers, as in any arms fair around the world, are mostly from Asian and African countries that have low budgets and, as many anti-weapons campaigners would allege, poor human rights records.
Buyers were crowding to the American manufacturer Colt's small arms stall where the company's manager of international sales, Mike McCarthy, explained the virtues of a Colt M4 carbine, "the assault weapon of the US army".
Pakistan says its drone spy aircraft is as good as any
"We hope to offer it for sale to the Pakistan government," he said.
Pakistan has showcased its usual products, such as long range missiles and two battle tanks, al-Khalid and al-Zarrar.
But it has also displayed some new items, such as a locally manufactured pilot less drone aircraft.
It has also displayed the prototype of JF-17 Thunder jet, manufactured jointly with China.
There is also a variety of electronic warfare devices and small arms made in Pakistan which some visitors described as "impressive".
How much of a boost they will prove to Pakistan's arms trade remains to be seen.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6170172.stm
Pakistan holds 'arms for peace' fair
By Syed Shoaib Hassan
BBC News, Karachi
Missiles are the most common Pakistani exhibit in the fair
Pakistan is bolstering its position as a trading zone for small arms and military hardware through arms fairs that have become a regular feature in recent years.
The International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (Ideas) fair, held every
two years in the southern port city of Karachi, provides a platform for Pakistan to display its products, ranging from light arms to tanks and missiles.
The fair also attracts major manufacturers of arms and military support equipment from around the world.
Since 2000, when the first Ideas fair was held, the number of participants has grown both in number and prestige.
This year's participants include, among others, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Saab, Rolls Royce and Thales.
Some governments also have an official presence. The UK is represented by the Ministry of Defence.
'Global security'
"We are looking to promote industrial cooperation in products which are geared towards the war on terror and humanitarian operations," the press secretary at the UK High Commission, Adam Thomas, told the BBC.
The theme of the five-day fair, which was inaugurated by President Pervez Musharraf on Monday, is Expanding Global Security.
Mike McCarthy says Colt's assault rifle can win customers
Arms for Peace is the official slogan of the fair.
On show are products ranging from rifles and bullets to ballistic missiles, pilot less drone aircraft and fighter jets.
Lockheed Martin Corp (LMC) has put its Hellfire missiles on display.
"Pakistan is interested in buying these missiles and we are definitely going to work out a deal," said Doug Terrell, LMC's manager for international business development.
The missiles became famous during the war on terror and are known to have hit many targets in Afghanistan and the Pakistani tribal areas.
LMC is also promoting its coveted F-16 Fighting Falcon as well as the more affordable P-3C Orion and C-130 aircraft.
"We have (displayed) a limited range in view of the customers who would be here," says Dexter Henson, the communications director of LMC.
Old and new
The buyers, as in any arms fair around the world, are mostly from Asian and African countries that have low budgets and, as many anti-weapons campaigners would allege, poor human rights records.
Buyers were crowding to the American manufacturer Colt's small arms stall where the company's manager of international sales, Mike McCarthy, explained the virtues of a Colt M4 carbine, "the assault weapon of the US army".
Pakistan says its drone spy aircraft is as good as any
"We hope to offer it for sale to the Pakistan government," he said.
Pakistan has showcased its usual products, such as long range missiles and two battle tanks, al-Khalid and al-Zarrar.
But it has also displayed some new items, such as a locally manufactured pilot less drone aircraft.
It has also displayed the prototype of JF-17 Thunder jet, manufactured jointly with China.
There is also a variety of electronic warfare devices and small arms made in Pakistan which some visitors described as "impressive".
How much of a boost they will prove to Pakistan's arms trade remains to be seen.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6170172.stm
Sino-Pakistani JF-17 jet fighter
could become a big-ticket sales item
The IDEAS 2006 international defence exhibition, which opens at the Karachi Expo Centre
tomorrow, will include a presentation on the supersonic JF-17 aircraft
By Kaleem Omar
The acronym IDEAS stands for International Defence Exhibition and Seminar. IDEAS 2006 is the fourth such exhibition to be organised by Pegasus Consultancy (Pvt) Limited and coordinated by the Defence Export Promotion Organisation (DEPO) - an agency set up by the Musharraf government six years ago to promote sales of indigenously produced military equipment, munitions and other defence-related products to friendly countries.
IDEAS also serves as a showcase for defence equipment manufactured by other countries. Chinese, Turkish, American and European companies are among the 165 foreign and Pakistani exhibitors that will be displaying their products at IDEAS 2006 in six halls at the Karchi Expo Centre. Military equipment will also be on display outdoors, in the grounds of the Expo Centre.
According to DEPOââ¬â¢s director-general, Major-General Syed Absar Hussain, 109 high-level delegates from 95 countries have been invited to this yearââ¬â¢s exhibition. More than 75 delegates from 70 countries have so far confirmed their participation. Thousands of other visitors are also expected to attend the 4-day exhibition.
To coincide with the exhibition, an international defence seminar on the ââ¬ÅExpanding Global Security Environmentââ¬Â is being held at the Marriott Hotel in Karachi. The seminar is expected to be attended by 500 participants, will feature speakers from eight countries: China, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Britain, Sweden, Norway and Turkey.
DEPOââ¬â¢s first director-general was Major-General Syed Ali Hamid. He headed DEPO for nearly six years, during which period DEPO coordinated IDEAS 2000, IDEAS 2002 and IDEAS 2004. When he retired from the army last December, the government appointed Major-General Syed Absar Hussain to succeed him as DEPOââ¬â¢s director-general. IDEAS 2006 is the first defence expo to be coordinated by DEPO under its new chief. Like his predecessor, Major-General Hussain has done an excellent job.
Chinese President Hu Jintao is paying a 4-day state visit to Pakistan beginning on November 21 - the same date on which IDEAS 2006 opens. It is fitting, therefore, that this yearââ¬â¢s defence expo includes a presentation on the JF-17 Thunder jet fighter aircraft, which has been jointly developed by China and Pakistan.
The supersonic JF-17 is being built by Chinaââ¬â¢s Chengdu Aircraft Group Corporation in collaboration with China Aero Technology Import & Export Company, with manpower, aircraft components and other inputs from the Pakistan air forceââ¬â¢s aeronautical complex and aircraft factory at Kamra, near Rawalpindi.
Serial production of the JF-17 began at Chengdu in China in January 2006. PAF plans to induct 150 JF-17s into its combat fleet, at about $ 15 million per copy, for a total price tag of $ 2.25 billion. The first batch of aircraft is expected to be inducted into PAFââ¬â¢s fleet in the second half of 2007.
From Pakistanââ¬â¢s point of view, the good news is that the Chinese air force reportedly now also plans to buy 200 JF-17s, in a deal that could be worth up to $ 3 billion.
Under the income-sharing formula agreed between the two countries, up to 50 per cent of the revenue from all JF-17 sales will accrue to Pakistan, with the other 50 per cent going to the Chinese manufacturer.
So Pakistanââ¬â¢s share of revenue from the sale to the Chinese air force could total as much as $ 1.5 billion, making the planned deal an important new source of foreign currency earnings for this country.
Moreover, the sale to the Chinese air force is expected to greatly boost the prospect for the JF-17 on the world market. Sales to other countries would substantially add to Pakistanââ¬â¢s foreign currency earnings in the years ahead, which would help to reduce its trade gap and improve its balance of payments.
China and Pakistan tested the first prototype of the JF-17, also known FC-1 or the Super-7, on August 25, 2003. A publicly held test flight was made in Chengdu, capital of southwest Chinaââ¬â¢s Sichuan province, on September 3, 2003, with Pakistanââ¬â¢s then-air force chief of staff Air Chief Marshal Kaleem Saadat attending the ceremony.
PAFââ¬â¢s cuurent boss. Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mehmood Ahmad, has also been actively monitoring progress on the JF-17 project and is pushing for the aircraftââ¬â¢s speedy induction into Pakistanââ¬â¢s combat fleet.
The Chinese news agency Xinhua reported that the maiden eight-minute flight of the plane, named Xiaolong (or Fierce Dragon), proved highly successful at Wenjiang Airport in Chengdu.
During the test flight, the plane demonstrated its outstanding mobility, and good interception and ground attack capability. With its advanced design and state-of-the-art manufacturing technology, the JF-17 has the combat capability of a third-generation fighter plane and is on par with the worldââ¬â¢s most advanced light fighter aircraft.
With its small size and relatively low cost, the plane is suitable for modern combat operations and ideal for sales to developing countries that cannot afford to pay the much higher prices of western jet fighters in the same category.
While the JF-17 may not be a match for fourth- and fifth-generation western fighter aircraft, it is more than a match for the Indian Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), which is expected to form the backbone of the Indian air force in future.
The JF-17 has some features like advanced avionics and cost effectiveness that give it an edge over the LCA. From Pakistanââ¬â¢s perspective, this will make the JF-17 an attractive option to replace its ageing fleet of Mirages, F-7s and A-5s.
The JF-17 is a light weight, all-weather, multi-role aircraft with a speed of Mach 1.6-Mach 2 and a high thrust-to-weight ratio. It has the ability to engage targets at all speeds and altitudes within the conventional flying envelope. In surface attack and interdiction roles, the aircraft can strike at long distances.
It can also carry high- and low-drag bombs, laser-guided bombs, runway-penetration bombs and cluster bombs.
Its engine is of Russian origin, and is being made in China under licence. China and Pakistan have invested more than $ 500 million in the development of the aircraft. The JF-17 project has been completed in a record time of four years.
The project initially suffered a setback due to the imposition of sanctions on Pakistan in 1999, which had hindered the acquisition of avionics and weaponry for the aircraft from western sources. As a result, the acquisition of avionics had to be delinked from airframe development in 2001. But the problem was resolved after sanctions on Pakistan were lifted in October 2001, allowing the avionics package for the JF-17 to be firmed up.
Following the September 3, 2003 maiden test flight of the JF-17, the aircraft began undergoing a validation process, which took two-and-a-half years. Serial production of the aircraft began in January 2006.
The JF-17 has an advanced flight control system, which is a mix of conventional and fly-by-wire controls, making it highly agile and manoeuvreable. It is capable of carrying a variety of weapons systems including short-range missiles, beyond-visual-range missiles, anti-ship missiles and anti-radiation missiles.
The proposed induction of 200 JF-17s into Chinaââ¬â¢s Peopleââ¬â¢s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) would increase the presently planned production run by 200 planes, raising the total to 350 (150 for the PAF and 200 for the PLAAF), thus reducing the aircraftââ¬â¢s unit cost due to economies of scale. Future sales to other countries would further increase the production run.
China and Pakistan, which have a 50:50 share in the JF-17 project, plan to also target markets in the Middle East, Africa and South America for sales of the plane, which is expected to be sold for about $ 15 million per copy. Any reduction in the aircraftââ¬â¢s unit cost due to an increase in the production run would make it an even more attractive proposition for overseas buyers.
The fighter would also be attractive for overseas buyers due to its advanced avionics and high manoeuvreability.
China is Pakistanââ¬â¢s main defence supplier. The two countries have cooperated on a number of defence projects, including joint production of the K-8 jet trainer aircraft.
The K-8 has already been inducted into the Pakistan air force and has also been sold to several other countries, including a $ 40 million deal for the sale of 10 planes to Saudi Arabia finalised in September 2003.
The K-8, a new generation jet trainer, has been co-developed by China National Aero Technology Import & Export Corporation, China Nanching Aircraft Manufacturing Company, and the Pakistan air forceââ¬â¢s aeronautical complex at Kamra.
As a low-cost jet trainer with a price tag of $ 4 million per copy, the K-8 is considered the optimum cost-effective solution for the training role, and will eventually replace the entire fleet of T-37 jet trainers at the PAF Air Academy, Risalpur. The K-8 has also been inducted into the Chinese air force, as well as into the air forces of Myanmar and Zambia.
Egypt, too, has reportedly decided to induct the K-8 into its air force. It plans to buy 80 K-8s, in a deal worth $ 347 million, including the cost of crew training and logistic support.
Between 25 to 45 per cent of this $ 347 million would come to Pakistan, under the terms of its joint manufacturing agreement with China. Several other countries, including Zimbabwe and Namibia have also shown interest in buying the K-8.
Pakistanââ¬â¢s and Chinaââ¬â¢s happy experience in jointly developing the K-8 and selling these jet trainers to a number of countries augurs well for marketing efforts aimed at selling the new JF-17 jet fighter to overseas buyers.
http://jang.com.pk/thenews/nov2006-weekly/busrev-20-11-2006/index.html#1
could become a big-ticket sales item
The IDEAS 2006 international defence exhibition, which opens at the Karachi Expo Centre
tomorrow, will include a presentation on the supersonic JF-17 aircraft
By Kaleem Omar
The acronym IDEAS stands for International Defence Exhibition and Seminar. IDEAS 2006 is the fourth such exhibition to be organised by Pegasus Consultancy (Pvt) Limited and coordinated by the Defence Export Promotion Organisation (DEPO) - an agency set up by the Musharraf government six years ago to promote sales of indigenously produced military equipment, munitions and other defence-related products to friendly countries.
IDEAS also serves as a showcase for defence equipment manufactured by other countries. Chinese, Turkish, American and European companies are among the 165 foreign and Pakistani exhibitors that will be displaying their products at IDEAS 2006 in six halls at the Karchi Expo Centre. Military equipment will also be on display outdoors, in the grounds of the Expo Centre.
According to DEPOââ¬â¢s director-general, Major-General Syed Absar Hussain, 109 high-level delegates from 95 countries have been invited to this yearââ¬â¢s exhibition. More than 75 delegates from 70 countries have so far confirmed their participation. Thousands of other visitors are also expected to attend the 4-day exhibition.
To coincide with the exhibition, an international defence seminar on the ââ¬ÅExpanding Global Security Environmentââ¬Â is being held at the Marriott Hotel in Karachi. The seminar is expected to be attended by 500 participants, will feature speakers from eight countries: China, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Britain, Sweden, Norway and Turkey.
DEPOââ¬â¢s first director-general was Major-General Syed Ali Hamid. He headed DEPO for nearly six years, during which period DEPO coordinated IDEAS 2000, IDEAS 2002 and IDEAS 2004. When he retired from the army last December, the government appointed Major-General Syed Absar Hussain to succeed him as DEPOââ¬â¢s director-general. IDEAS 2006 is the first defence expo to be coordinated by DEPO under its new chief. Like his predecessor, Major-General Hussain has done an excellent job.
Chinese President Hu Jintao is paying a 4-day state visit to Pakistan beginning on November 21 - the same date on which IDEAS 2006 opens. It is fitting, therefore, that this yearââ¬â¢s defence expo includes a presentation on the JF-17 Thunder jet fighter aircraft, which has been jointly developed by China and Pakistan.
The supersonic JF-17 is being built by Chinaââ¬â¢s Chengdu Aircraft Group Corporation in collaboration with China Aero Technology Import & Export Company, with manpower, aircraft components and other inputs from the Pakistan air forceââ¬â¢s aeronautical complex and aircraft factory at Kamra, near Rawalpindi.
Serial production of the JF-17 began at Chengdu in China in January 2006. PAF plans to induct 150 JF-17s into its combat fleet, at about $ 15 million per copy, for a total price tag of $ 2.25 billion. The first batch of aircraft is expected to be inducted into PAFââ¬â¢s fleet in the second half of 2007.
From Pakistanââ¬â¢s point of view, the good news is that the Chinese air force reportedly now also plans to buy 200 JF-17s, in a deal that could be worth up to $ 3 billion.
Under the income-sharing formula agreed between the two countries, up to 50 per cent of the revenue from all JF-17 sales will accrue to Pakistan, with the other 50 per cent going to the Chinese manufacturer.
So Pakistanââ¬â¢s share of revenue from the sale to the Chinese air force could total as much as $ 1.5 billion, making the planned deal an important new source of foreign currency earnings for this country.
Moreover, the sale to the Chinese air force is expected to greatly boost the prospect for the JF-17 on the world market. Sales to other countries would substantially add to Pakistanââ¬â¢s foreign currency earnings in the years ahead, which would help to reduce its trade gap and improve its balance of payments.
China and Pakistan tested the first prototype of the JF-17, also known FC-1 or the Super-7, on August 25, 2003. A publicly held test flight was made in Chengdu, capital of southwest Chinaââ¬â¢s Sichuan province, on September 3, 2003, with Pakistanââ¬â¢s then-air force chief of staff Air Chief Marshal Kaleem Saadat attending the ceremony.
PAFââ¬â¢s cuurent boss. Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mehmood Ahmad, has also been actively monitoring progress on the JF-17 project and is pushing for the aircraftââ¬â¢s speedy induction into Pakistanââ¬â¢s combat fleet.
The Chinese news agency Xinhua reported that the maiden eight-minute flight of the plane, named Xiaolong (or Fierce Dragon), proved highly successful at Wenjiang Airport in Chengdu.
During the test flight, the plane demonstrated its outstanding mobility, and good interception and ground attack capability. With its advanced design and state-of-the-art manufacturing technology, the JF-17 has the combat capability of a third-generation fighter plane and is on par with the worldââ¬â¢s most advanced light fighter aircraft.
With its small size and relatively low cost, the plane is suitable for modern combat operations and ideal for sales to developing countries that cannot afford to pay the much higher prices of western jet fighters in the same category.
While the JF-17 may not be a match for fourth- and fifth-generation western fighter aircraft, it is more than a match for the Indian Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), which is expected to form the backbone of the Indian air force in future.
The JF-17 has some features like advanced avionics and cost effectiveness that give it an edge over the LCA. From Pakistanââ¬â¢s perspective, this will make the JF-17 an attractive option to replace its ageing fleet of Mirages, F-7s and A-5s.
The JF-17 is a light weight, all-weather, multi-role aircraft with a speed of Mach 1.6-Mach 2 and a high thrust-to-weight ratio. It has the ability to engage targets at all speeds and altitudes within the conventional flying envelope. In surface attack and interdiction roles, the aircraft can strike at long distances.
It can also carry high- and low-drag bombs, laser-guided bombs, runway-penetration bombs and cluster bombs.
Its engine is of Russian origin, and is being made in China under licence. China and Pakistan have invested more than $ 500 million in the development of the aircraft. The JF-17 project has been completed in a record time of four years.
The project initially suffered a setback due to the imposition of sanctions on Pakistan in 1999, which had hindered the acquisition of avionics and weaponry for the aircraft from western sources. As a result, the acquisition of avionics had to be delinked from airframe development in 2001. But the problem was resolved after sanctions on Pakistan were lifted in October 2001, allowing the avionics package for the JF-17 to be firmed up.
Following the September 3, 2003 maiden test flight of the JF-17, the aircraft began undergoing a validation process, which took two-and-a-half years. Serial production of the aircraft began in January 2006.
The JF-17 has an advanced flight control system, which is a mix of conventional and fly-by-wire controls, making it highly agile and manoeuvreable. It is capable of carrying a variety of weapons systems including short-range missiles, beyond-visual-range missiles, anti-ship missiles and anti-radiation missiles.
The proposed induction of 200 JF-17s into Chinaââ¬â¢s Peopleââ¬â¢s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) would increase the presently planned production run by 200 planes, raising the total to 350 (150 for the PAF and 200 for the PLAAF), thus reducing the aircraftââ¬â¢s unit cost due to economies of scale. Future sales to other countries would further increase the production run.
China and Pakistan, which have a 50:50 share in the JF-17 project, plan to also target markets in the Middle East, Africa and South America for sales of the plane, which is expected to be sold for about $ 15 million per copy. Any reduction in the aircraftââ¬â¢s unit cost due to an increase in the production run would make it an even more attractive proposition for overseas buyers.
The fighter would also be attractive for overseas buyers due to its advanced avionics and high manoeuvreability.
China is Pakistanââ¬â¢s main defence supplier. The two countries have cooperated on a number of defence projects, including joint production of the K-8 jet trainer aircraft.
The K-8 has already been inducted into the Pakistan air force and has also been sold to several other countries, including a $ 40 million deal for the sale of 10 planes to Saudi Arabia finalised in September 2003.
The K-8, a new generation jet trainer, has been co-developed by China National Aero Technology Import & Export Corporation, China Nanching Aircraft Manufacturing Company, and the Pakistan air forceââ¬â¢s aeronautical complex at Kamra.
As a low-cost jet trainer with a price tag of $ 4 million per copy, the K-8 is considered the optimum cost-effective solution for the training role, and will eventually replace the entire fleet of T-37 jet trainers at the PAF Air Academy, Risalpur. The K-8 has also been inducted into the Chinese air force, as well as into the air forces of Myanmar and Zambia.
Egypt, too, has reportedly decided to induct the K-8 into its air force. It plans to buy 80 K-8s, in a deal worth $ 347 million, including the cost of crew training and logistic support.
Between 25 to 45 per cent of this $ 347 million would come to Pakistan, under the terms of its joint manufacturing agreement with China. Several other countries, including Zimbabwe and Namibia have also shown interest in buying the K-8.
Pakistanââ¬â¢s and Chinaââ¬â¢s happy experience in jointly developing the K-8 and selling these jet trainers to a number of countries augurs well for marketing efforts aimed at selling the new JF-17 jet fighter to overseas buyers.
http://jang.com.pk/thenews/nov2006-weekly/busrev-20-11-2006/index.html#1
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