sir i have same qes to you what is your source ??????? that its damaged destroyed ?
well i am still on that statment yes one of them was damaged and we give a contract of 200mn$ to recover it
same as it i will say were are pics they were damaged ? we both are on same boat you have doubts and i have no very simple logic
200 million dollars questions for PAF
Farrukh Saleem
Friday, September 07, 2012
ISLAMABAD: In October 2005, Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget or Saab, the Swedish manufacturer, agreed to sell us the most modern airborne tactical surveillance system — a high-speed turboprop that uses 4,591 shp Rolls-Royce AE 2100 turboprop engines and is equipped with Ericsson Microwave Systems’ Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&C) based on the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA).
In 2009, we got the best and the most cost-efficient air policing platform but paid through the nose a wholesome Swedish krona 8.3 billion or an equivalent of $1.2 billion — $800 million for Saab and $400 million for the Erieye.
Saab 2000 Erieye was built to specifications of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) with a 450-km Erieye radar range. The Erieye is not only data-linked to the PAF command and control infrastructure but links up with our F-16 Fighting Falcons as well.
PAF Base Minhas has two fighter squadrons. On December 10, 2007, a suicide bomber attacked a PAF employees’ bus. On January 18, 2008, four rockets were fired one of which landed on the “roof of the NCO mess and two rockets inside the Mirage Rebuild Factory.” On October 23, 2009, a “suicide bomber killed eight people on a check post outside the base.” That’s a total of three attacks on the same PAF Base.
In between, PNS Mehran’s principal assets the Lockheed P-3 Orions, the $36 million four-engine turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft, also came under attack and were severely damaged.
On August 16, 2012, PAF Base Minhas came under a serious attack yet again. The attack was targeted and the target was Saab 2000 Erieye. Rocket propelled grenade(s) were fired at the Orions and rocket propelled grenade(s) were fired at the Saab 2000. According to some reports, one Saab 2000 was destroyed and two others were damaged. Other reports claimed one destroyed and one damaged. All said and done, that’s at least a $200 million loss, if not a lot more.
Is the PAF unaware of the fact that Pakistan is in a state of war? How can rocket propelled grenades penetrate hangars that house the Orions and the Saab 2000? Why was more than one Saab in one location? Hasn’t the PAF built Hardened Aircraft Shelters (HAS), Kevlar deployable shelters or underground shelters for the most prized of our aircraft? How did the intruders know the exact location of the Orions and the Saabs? Why can’t we have buffer zones around facilities that store Orions and Saabs? Why did the base commander himself jump into the firefight? We are at war and the PAF ought to be practicing dispersal at bases as well as dispersal between bases.
Ejaz Haider, in his column titled ‘Analysis: the bigger questions surrounding Kamra’, calls P-3 Orion as Pakistan Navy’s (PN) eyes and Saab 2000 as Pakistan Air Force’s eyes. Imagine; our enemy is taking out our eyes — one at a time — and PAF was caught catnapping. An experienced aviator once said: “There are only two types of aircraft — fighters and targets.”
200 million dollars questions for PAF - thenews.com.pk