PAF Combat Fleet numbers dwindling

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

Don't worry we always have stuff for our enemies

 

[Asian.Century]

Not sure about J-10.

If EFT is inducted, it will start with small numbers and then swell up gradually over a decade or two.

Pakistan has no experience of maintenance of stealth aircraft so it will be challenge when J-31 or TFX is inducted.

So what better capable options PAF have....very limited looks like.....other than new JF17 B III & F16 used?

we must need 20-30 more latest agile massive range, agile fighters ???

J10? Already rejected and not massive leap forward from Jf17s.

Mirage 2009? Mig 35? F18s? Gripen NG? J31? J15s? EFs, will it be allowed by 5 countries, affordable that is = 5th Gen j31 price tag, so y not go for stealth j31?

 

[Signalian]

So what better capable options PAF have....very limited looks like.....other than new JF17 B III & F16 used?

we must need 20-30 more latest agile massive range, agile fighters ???

J10? Already rejected and not massive leap forward from Jf17s.

Mirage 2009? Mig 35? F18s? Gripen NG? J31? J15s? EFs, will it be allowed by 5 countries, affordable that is = 5th Gen j31 price tag, so y not go for stealth j31?

Honestly, i have had this discussion with Mastan Khan, Irfan baloch and the likes a long time back. Its circling around and zeroing in on same issue always.

My interaction with PAF officers serving and retired started when i was kid uptil now where I have colleagues and managers who are ex-PAF officers in IT/communications/radars sector working in companies like Nortel,Ericsson, Siemens, Nokia, Alcatel etc.
Whenever i have talked to them about a long range strike fighter (F-18/F-15E/SU-35/J-11 etc) and PAF's take on it, they all say one thing, long range? Thats the job of surface to surface missiles.
Next question i throw is then whats the use of likes of JF-17/F-16/Mirage-V for long range strike role, the reply is , PAF conserves its aircrafts for air defence role due to IAF numerical superiority. We need to keep our own air space clear of IAF fighters.

For PAF, the JF-17 is a an extremely potent aircraft. For the rest of the world, its a light weight fighter. JF-17 offers capabilities lesser than F-16 but higher than 300 other aircrafts of PAF.
In my opinion J-10 is a great aircraft and could be first AESA radar equipped aircraft of PAF but if money is directed towards it then any other option of aircraft gets less chances of acquisition.

Gripen was out long ago.
Mirage 2000 will always be a second hand acquisition and will need to be replaced again within 10-20 years. Doesnt make sense to spend money on an aircraft that will be retired within a decade or two after induction.
The J-11 series aircrafts acquisition is highly dependent upon Chinese-Russia license deal.
PAF had evaluated Mig-29 and SU-27 in the past, In any case the SU-series is a bigger plane for longer range and bigger payload.
F-18's will start the same problem of USA dictation of F-16's, but its a highly capable aircraft.

Whats left is EFT and the interest shown in SU-35. Theres been lots of discussions on both types already. EFT can hold edge in lower RCS, but capabilities of both aircrafts are great. If PAF starts procuring EFT, and raise a squadron every 5 years, it can have atleast 50 aircrafts till the stealth aircrafts like J-31 or TFX can become formidable to be considered for procurement. At that stage, second hand acquisition of F-16 would have stopped completely.
The stealth aircraft acquisition will probably be J-31 or TFX at some stage. Stealth aircrafts have their own limitations of carrying limited internal payload but they are excellent as force multipliers.
A combination of JF-17, F-16, EFT and J-31 would open many combat strategies for PAF.