This interview with
ACM (retd.) Shahzad Choudhary illustrates my point (shared by
@Raider 21 and
@Hodor ) that F-16 just can't be replaced, discredited or looked down upon because we're finally getting the JF-17 Block III.
The Block III is going to be a great jet and a game-changer for us in many ways with the AESA Radar & PL-15's, but is that all that will be needed to match a Rafale. Yes, we crack jokes that a 4th/4.5 Generation jet at the hands of the IAF is like giving a ricshaw driver an F1 on Silverstone. But in the end, its still a Rafale.
Some of the fellow members have repeatedly insisted that the F-16 is a thing of the past, but its clear that there are somethings that just can't be replicated by even a Block III.
In 17 Days, the new President of the United States will be sworn in. We'll find out within the first 30 Days where Pakistan stands...
The train may have already left the station on us getting a few used-Vipers, but one thing about Politics is that -
you never know.