Pakistan air force has been dominated by the fighter pilot mafia for the longest. It shows in their attitude---it shows in the decisions that they make---it shows in their management style---it shows how they comprehend the current and future threats---it shows in what their current and future plans are for aircrafts to be inducted and procured in the near and future.
Dear sir,
Being from a potentially adversarial country, let me point out among the three services of pakistan, PAF has been the most stellar i strategic planning.
Traditionally the fighter pilots gets the glory while the bomber pilots are ploughing thru the enemy forces on the ground---a job most consider worthless but is as glorifying and rewarding. If you could compare a fighter pilot to a race car driver speeding his car on the race track---then the bomber pilot would be like the heavy equipment driver that laid down that road.
The example would have been valid 5 decades ago and the associated planning would have been apt for fighting a like sized adversary in WWII, but times have changed, today's there is no fighter pilot, there is no bomber pilot, all that remains is a monolithic networked entity with multiple tools like the offensive, defensive, elint platforms to best achieve it's needed objectives.
This fighter pilot mindset has been dominant for decades over PAF and in its current form and inventory---since the last A5 Fantan retired---this air force does not have a dedicated bomber aircraft in its inventory and neither does it plan to get one.
true, it doesn't. Pakistani Airforce does have F16's Multirole aircrafts along with JF17's which can carry standoff munitions, which gives the ability to a sinngle platform to deal the same damage that a A5 squadron could...
If the PAF was facing a smaller enemy---it would be an acceptable error---but when the enemy has intentions of deploying 35 + division across the border from it case of a war---the current or the upcoming inventory has no heavy bombers to do strike missions on enemy forces---it does not even have medium range bombers either, to make massive strikes on the ground forces and armored columns of enemy vehicles.
It comes down to investment and threat assesment, the divisions that your enemy intends to deploy are mostly without any geographical cover, if you can detect at the right time, the roles of heavy bombers can be easily augumented by cruise missiles and SRBM's at a fraction of the cost, leading to freeing up the valuable capital for procurement of game changing platforms such as submarines, SLBMS and hyper sonic CM's.
All it has is small aircraft like the F16's, the JF 17's and the Mirage aircraft which do not carry a heavy load---. They need an aircraft---a fighter bomber that can carry a load of 15-20000 lbs at least and is also capable of firing Bvr missiles as well---on naval strike missions---this aircraft could take on a load of at least 6 to 8 air to ship missiles as well as a couple of Bvrs---on ground strike mission with a load 8 one thousand lbs bombs at a minimum or a configuration of smart bomb load.
That is the nature of wishlists, if you did get one that can carry your wishlist, you would then want one that can carry 20-30K lbs, and then stealth and sensor fusion and then autonomous flight AI, etc etc. Pakistanis official line of strategic rationale is minimum credible deterrence, once your economy stabilizes you will be able to get nicer goodies for your military. Until then then priorities needs to remain absolutely resolute, PAF is focussing of denying air superiority to IAF, along with that the multirole options give the ability to the platforms to mount offensives on key military installation within enemy lines. Without securing it's own defenses if PAF wants to gamble all in then it just doesn't risk loosing a war, but it's existence too.
If cost is a concern----Paf should look at the upcoming JH 7B---the other option is off-course the J11 series.
The most important part of the buying the aircraft----Paf should only be used as a consulting firm---the civilian defence minister needs to take into consideration what the air force says it needs are and what other independent sources are saying what the air force needs.
That is a very interesting line of thought. While buying a car you must have certain requirements that you know of, assuming you are an expert in the field and have had the higher experience in operating maintaining manufacturing and developing cars for last 60 years, do you go buy what suits your need or what your relatives and independent sources have told you?
As far as JH7B is concerned, if PAF has had the due diligence to evaluate rafale, m2k, efts,J10, and even the tigershark back in the day, what makes you think it hasn't evaluated JH7 with it's premier defence partner?
The minister should make a decision independent of air force fighter pilot mafia---he must and he should look at the broader picture in balancing out the air superiority to the use of a sledge hammer.
Musharraf did a great job of diversifying the air surveillance aircraft much to the dislike of the air force---and over the time---his decision proved to be right---even though the air force fought tooth and nail against it.
And musharraf's job was based on his expertise as an air combat tactician? buying chinese awacs that can only communicate on air with chinese platfoms nd SAAB platforms which can communicate with F16's was a good move? without ground relay station half of your ELINT is paralysed?
RIght people for the right job, If there are inadequacies in the defence procurement, the right way to deal is to fix it not, change it's nature. Instead setting up a defence procurement committee headed by all three services, with budget allocations made in your by a parliamentary committee would be more apt. don't ever let guys who dont know the difference between a bullet and cartridge into a room on making decisions o what to buy.
Its only 426 km from lahore.JFT`S LOADED WITH raad alcM
