Pakistan's Major Aircraft Upgrades

[fatman17]

starting a thread on aircraft upgrades of Army, Airforce & Navy aircraft over the years.

Keep you posted......

 

[fatman17]

Pakistan

Pakistan Aeronautical Complex

Works:- F-6 Rebuild Factory; Mirage Rebuild Factory; Kamra Avionics & Radar Factory;Aircraft Manufacturing Factory (all at Kamra)

Chairman: Air Marshal Khalid Chaudhry
Chief Test Pilot: M Saghir Maan

Background:- Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) is the headquarters of the aeronautical industry in Pakistan. Its professional standards and reliability enables domestic customers and foreign agencies alike to undertake joint production with PAC in various fields. PAC Kamra comprises four factories: The Mirage Rebuild Factory (MRF), operational since May 1978, F-6 Rebuild Factory (F6-RF), Aircraft Mamufacturing Factory (AMF) and Kamra Avionics and Radar Factory (KARF). All four are ISO 9000 certified.

Aircraft Manufacturing Factory (AMF): In operation since mid 1981, the AMF spearheads the aircraft manufacturing industry in Pakistan. It is the only aircraft manufacturing concern in Pakistan and is at present engaged in the manufacture of the Mushshak basic trainer - cum - surveillance aircraft; the Super Mushshak - a variant with a more powerful engine, cockpit air conditioning, electric instruments and several other improvements; the Baaz and Ababeel low-speed target drones for anti-aircraft gunnery training; and component manufacture for HIAC (Hongdu) of China of the K-8 (Karakoram) jet trainer aircraft, 28 of which are already flying with the Pakistan Air Force. Manufacture of parts for Chengdu FC-1/JF-17 (eight of first 16 production aircraft) began in 2005. Kamra co-production of the JF-17 was launched formally on 22 January 2008. In addition, the AMF has excellent facilities to rebuild and repair the Mushshak at factory level, along with after-sales spares support to existing Mushshak operators.

Kamra Avionics and Radar Factory (KARF): KARF the fourth factory at PAC, came into operation in 1987. it is an electronics center with proven capabilities for rebuilding of radars, control and reporting centers (CRC), generators, and manufacture and repair of avionics systems. Currently it is producing ESM equipment and airborne radar systems. All production activities are carried out in large, spaciously built shops equipped with state-of-the - art machinery. Apart from the production of BMJK/8602 RWR and Fiar Grifo-7 radar systems and the over hauling of pulse-Doppler radars , control and reporting centers, generators, KARF offers services in many fields such as surface mount technology, cable repair and manufacturing, inspection/testing of microwave components, testing of gears and synchro bridge, environmental testing, testing hydraulic components, rebuilding of three-phase air conditioning systems and general engineering and painting facilities.

Programmes:
a- Dassault Mirage III - Pakistan AF upgrades.
b- Guizhou FT-5 - Pakistan AF upgrades.


details to come...

 

[fatman17]

AUGUSTAWESTLAND (WESTLAND) SEA KING
Sea King Mk 45 ASW/ASV version in service with the Pakistan Navy(6).
ARMAMANT UPGRADE: Sea King operates the French Exocet ASM.

BELL 209 (AH-1) HUEY COBRA
TYPE: two seat close support and attack helicopter.
First flown on 7th September 1965. Only the AH-1F remains in service with the US Army. US supplied upto 40 surplus ex-army AH-1F to Pakistan from 2003, including batch of eight announced in 2008 stocks under USD 115m deal with US Helicopter in Ozark completing the pre-delivery and upgrade work. additionally, the US provided 12 ex-US army AH-1F equipped with infra-red day/night vision equipment C-NITE,that are now in service with Pakistan's Combat Group.

UPGRADES:
Pakistan:- Pakistan Army received 20 AH-1S from 1984.Upgraded to AH-1F standard and equipped with C-NITE (Cobra Night Imaging Thermal Equipment) and TOW missile day/night capability. Some 12 AH-1F delivered from ex-US army stocks in 2006/7 are in the process of upgrade with the C-NITE.

A total of 50 AH-1F are in service.


CAC (Chengdu Aircraft Industrial Corporation)
CHENGDU JJ-5
TYPE: Two seat trainer aircraft.
Pakistan was one of the few countries that purchased the export JJ-5; developed in co-operation with Guizhou, and designated FT-5. Pakistan procured 65 FT-5 aircraft from 1975 as an advanced fighter trainer. Pakistan is now conducting a modest upgrade for these aircraft.
UPGRADES:- The Pakistan AF is carrying out a service life extension (SLEP) for 25 FT-5s under a programme being led by the PAC. The aircraft are expected to stay in service until 2012.

CESSNA 305A BIRD DOG
Military Designation: O-1
TYPE: Two seat liaison, observation and forward air control aircraft.
First flown in 1949.
Licence built by Dhamial Army Aviation Base in Pakistan. A further 100 aircraft were built in 1962.

CESSNA 318 (T-37)
TYPE: Two seat primary trainer.
MODEL 318B T-37B: Supplied to Pakistan.
MODEL 318C T-37C: Supplied to Pakistan.

UPGRADES:- The Pakistan AF has received spares and engines from retired South Korea's T-37Bs. Up to USD 1.4m of parts thought to have been acquired. In 2008 US government announced plans to transfer 20 ex-USAF T-37B trainers to Pakistan. The costs to Pakistan will be those associated with shipping the aircraft.
A total of 80 T-37B/C were supplied.

DASSAULT AVIATION
DASSAULT (BREGUET) 1150 ATLANTIC
TYPE: Twin engined Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA)
In 1976 the French Navy sold three of its aircraft to Pakistan.
CURRENT VERSION: Atlantic 1, in service with Pakistan Navy.
UPGRADES:- Pakistan/Thales:- The four Pakistan Navy Atlantic 1 aircraft were upgraded to carry the Thales AMASCOS mission system. Equipped to carry the AM39 Exocet ASM.

DASSAULT MIRAGE III
TYPE: Single-seat fighter-bomber aircraft.
First flew on 17 November 1956.
Variants in service: Mirage IIIEP, Mirage IIIRP.
UPGRADES:- Pakistan: Total of 50 ex-Australian Mirage IIIOs acquired in 1990 for re-work at the PAC Mirage Rebuild Factory, Kamra. Sagem Defense Securite has also had responsibility for upgrading part of the Pakistan AF Mirage III fleet. The programme was originally to have involved 36 aircraft but plans were revised due to a US arms embargo. First production order issued in 1993. Two versions were initially retrofitted. Trainer/Strike and Multi-role fighter. By November 1998, the two versions had been fully qualified and installation of a pulse-Doppler radar, providing air-to-ground and air-to-air capabilities. The control of the radar modes is available via HOTAS, in consistancy with the nav/attack unit modes (UNA 928).
A total of 95 Mirage IIIs supplied to Pakistan.

DASSAULT MIRAGE 5
TYPE: Single and Two-seat ground attack aircraft.
Flown for the first time on 19 May 1967.
Variants: Mirage 5D export version based on Mirage 5 airframe.Radar omitted.Remains in service with Pakistan AF.
Mirage 5F. Air Defence version in service with Pakistan AF.
Mirage 5PA/PA2. Ground Attack version in service with Pakistan AF.
UPGRADES:-Pakistan/Sagem:-Pakistan AF acquired 33 Mirage 5EF from France in 1996.Sagem Defense Securite conducted a rolling process of upgrades as well as the general overhaul of all airframes. The initial avionics upgrade was for 20 aircraft with the SAGEM MAESTRO package. This was completed in 2000. A further upgrade was undertaken under the Retrofit Of Strike Element (ROSE) programme run by Sagem Defense Securite for 14 Mirage 5EF and completed by mid 2006. MAESTRO upgrade by SAGEM incorporated Modular Avionics Enhancement System Targeted for Retrofit Operations (MAESTRO) into its Pakistan AF Mirage 5EF upgrade. MAESTRO can be tailored to specific requirements. The upgrade features full inertial and GPS performance provided by SAGEM navigation and mission computer systems implementing the Embedded GPS-inertia (EGI) concept;wide field of view FLIR (Sagem IRIS)-compatible HUD;glass cockpit;Hands On Throttle And Stick (HOTAS) interface; air-to-ground and air-to-air fire control, including multi-mode pulse Doppler radar and/or laser range-finder; full EW suite comprising radar warning, missile launch detection, chaff and flare self-protection and/or jamming systems; and the all-digital CIRCE 2001 mission planning system; ROSE III: Latest upgrade standard for 14 Mirage 5EF with new Radar Warning Receiver (RWR);new Head-Up-Display (HUD); Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) and new mission computer (Dynamics).

DASSAULT MIRAGE 2000
TYPE: Multirole Fighter.
Provisional agreement signed with Pakistan in January 1992 for 44 Mirage 2000Es; under further discussion in 1994-95, quantity having being revised to 36, including nine two-seat aircraft, all to 2000-5 standard. No further progress made.

FOKKER AEROSPACE BV
FOKKER F27 FRIENDSHIP
TYPE: Twin-turboprop short range transport.
First flown on 24 November 1955.
UPGRADES:- Pakistan:- Contract awarded by the Pakistani government through Fokker (prime contractor) to Thales in mid-1993 to modernise Pakistan Navy maritime patrol aircraft and frigates. Peogramme involved installing a new radar and ESM system into its three Fokker F27 200s. The programme was completed in mid-1999. Aircraft are based at PNS Mehran and in 2008 the Pakistan Navy announced that it had modified an additional example drawn from the grounded ex-Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) fleet. The contract with the PIA included an additional two F27s for spares support. Total cost of programme including frigates and aircraft was approximately USD 100m. Installation includes Thales/EADS OceanMaster radar and the Thales (Thompson-CSF) DR3000A electronic warfare ESM system.
A total of 5 F27s supplied to the Pakistan Navy.

GIAC GUIZHOU AVIATION INDUSTRY GROUP
GIAC JJ-7
Westernised designation:FT-7
FT-7P:Stretched version of FT-7 for Pakistan lengthened by insertion of 0.80m (1ft 11-1/2 in) fuselage plug behind rear cockpit, allowing increased fuel load(for 25% improvement in operational range). additional avionics and one internal 30mm cannon; AoA sensor on port side of nose. Imported fire-control systems; HUD and air-data computer;Improved instrument layout; two underwing pylons each side.
FT-7PG: Trainer equivalent of F-7PG (but without double delta-wings) for Pakistan AF. First flight 2002.
15 FT-7P and six FT-7PG delivered to Pakistan.

 

[truthseeker2010]

Sir can i contribute?

 

[DV RULES]

Kamra - Pakistan Special Weapons Facilities

 

[DV RULES]

F-6 Rebuild Factory (F-6 RF): Established in 1980 primarily for overhauling Pakistan's Shenyang F-6s and their accessories; has expanded its role by undertaking overhaul of F-6, FT-6, A-5III, FT-5 and F-7P aircraft along with its components and accessories. FT-7P aircraft and accessories overhaul programme has recently commenced production.

F-6 RF authorised to manufacture over 11,000 spares parts for F-6/FT-6, A-5III/FT-5 and F-7P aircraft and production of 500 and 800 litre (132 and 211 US gallon; 110 and 176 Imp gallon) supersonic drop tanks for F-7P; 1999 workforce approximately 2,400.

F-6 RF possesses modern technical facilities for various engineering processes such as guns overhauling, surface treatment, heat treatment, forging, casting, non-destructive testing, canopy bubble forming and machine tools required to manufacture items from raw materials. Both conventional as well as modern machines such as CNC lathe, CNC machining centre, EDM die-sinking and EDM wire-cutting are utilised for various engineering processes. Precision casting facility and advanced metrological centre have been established recently.
In February 1997, F-6 RF was certified to the ISO 9002 Quality Management System.


Mirage Rebuild Factory (MRF): Began operating in 1978; has site area of 249 acres, approximately 1,600 engineers and technicians; can accomplish complete overhaul of Mirage III/5, ATAR 09C engine, and all associated aircraft components and engine accessories; can overhaul/rebuild third country Mirage III/5s, engines, components and accessories; has overhauled eight United Arab Emirates Air Force Mirages and 42 Dassault/Commonwealth Mirage IIIOAs and eight IIIDs, bought from Australia in 1991. Structural repair facility for Mirage fuselage and wings has been established.

Facilities are now fully upgraded to undertake Increased Life Core (ILC) modification, overhaul and upgrade of Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-200E turbofans and F-16 engine jet fuel starters. The limited capability to service and overhaul F-100 engine accessories has also been established. This facility is in use for overhauling and upgrading PAF F100 engines.

On 14 September 1995, MRF was officially notified of being awarded certification to ISO 9002 standard. MRF is the first defence organisation in Pakistan to gain certification to the International ISO 9000 series of Quality Management Systems.

http://www.aero.pub.ro/wp-content/t...AIRCRAF/JANE_S_AIRCRAFT_UPGRADES/jau_0992.htm

 

[WAQAS119]

Wasn't F-6 RF converted to JF17 Manufacturing Factory??? Atleast this is what we use to hear when I was studying in F-6 RF Degree College Kamra aka Fazaia Degree College!

 

[Donatello]

Wasn't F-6 RF converted to JF17 Manufacturing Factory??? Atleast this is what we use to hear when I was studying in F-6 RF Degree College Kamra aka Fazaia Degree College!

That might be true, because there are still some F-6 serving in the training role. Maybe they expanded it??

 

[ghazi52]

That might be true, because there are still some F-6 serving in the training role. Maybe they expanded it??

No,
JF17 Manufacturing Factory is attached to AMF.
Different location and complete new facility.

 

[cross1993]

Last year, I received the news of stealth edition FC-1.
It is YFC-1E.
But It's photo unlike the stealth fighter.

 

[truthseeker2010]

Project ROSE (Retrofit Of Strike Element) was a programme initiated by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in 1992 to modernise a number of its Dassault Mirage III and Mirage 5 fighter aircraft with new avionics, some of which were supplied by European companies including SAGEM of France and FIAR (now SELEX Galileo) of Italy. Most of the aircraft were retrofitted at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) in Kamra, Pakistan, others being upgraded in France. Further upgrades were under consideration but Project ROSE was cancelled due to a combination of high costs and ageing Mirage III/5 airframes.

33 Mirage III fighters, designated ROSE I, were upgraded to perform multiple mission types including air superiority and strike missions. 34 Mirage 5 fighters were configured to specialise in the night time surface attack role, the first 20 designated ROSE II and the last 14 aircraft ROSE III. All ROSE-modified aircraft are expected to remain in service with the Pakistan Air Force beyond 2010, being replaced by the JF-17 multi-role fighter by 2015.

 

[truthseeker2010]

Newer Mirage airframes in good condition and with low flight hours were sought from various sources to supplement the PAF's own fleet of 34 Mirage IIIEP/DP/RPs and 32 Mirage 5PA/DPAs acquired directly from France between 1967 and 1982. Mirage III/V were bought from the air forces of Australia, Lebanon, Libya and France. The ROSE project was set up to reclaim as many aircraft as possible and to upgrade them with the latest avionics and other modern systems.

The project team formed to manage the project held review meetings frequently in both Pakistan and France where problems were discussed. PAC and its technical personnel were involved with parts manufacture and quality control. PAF test pilots validated performance of the new equipment during test-flights.

On 5 July 2004 it was reported that a total of 50 Mirage III and Mirage 5 fighters (Mirage 5DE and Mirage 5D), along with 150 engines still in sealed packaging and a huge quantity of spare parts, had been bought from Libya for the PAF. Most of the ex-Libyan aircraft were to be broken up for spare parts required by the Mirage fleet already in PAF service. With this purchase, the PAF was to become the largest operator of Dassault Mirage III/Mirage 5 fighters in the world.

 

[truthseeker2010]

Mirage IIIO ROSE I

33 of the ex-Australian Dassault Mirage IIIO/D aircraft of the PAF were modified to ROSE I standard. The cockpit was modernised with a new head-up display (HUD), "hands on throttle and stick" (HOTAS) controls and new multi-function displays (MFD). New navigation systems, including an inertial navigation system and GPS system, were also installed. Defensive systems upgrades consisted of a new radar warning receiver (RWR), electronic countermeasures (ECM) suite and counter-measure dispensing system, dispensing decoy flares and chaff to confuse enemy missiles and radar.

In 1991, the PAF bought 50 Australian Mirage IIIO/D, 45 of which were refurbished and put into PAF service. The FIAR Grifo M3 radar was then to be fitted to 33 of the Mirage IIIEA/DA fighters which were procured from Australia, following on from the earlier ROSE avionics upgrade integrated by Sagem. It was stated that ROSE I fighters could easily be in service beyond 2010. In early 1999 it was stated that problems in "certain parameters - and errors in certain modes" had surfaced during flight trials of the Grifo M radar in the Mirage III, but these were later solved.

45 of the 50 Dassault Mirage III fighters received from Australia were found to be suitable for service with the PAF, 12 of them were overhauled at PAC and made operational. After being inspected, the remaining 33 were selected for upgrade under Project ROSE. In June 1998 the cockpit upgrades for the 33 Mirage III fighters was completed, including installation of multi-function displays (MFD), head-up display (HUD), HOTAS controls, radar altimeter and a Sagem nav/attack system. The Grifo M multi-mode radar was installed later in a second phase of the upgrade project.
The integration of a new Italian fire-control radar, the FIAR (now SELEX Galileo) Grifo M3, gave Mirage III ROSE I fighters the ability to fire advanced beyond visual range (BVR) radar guided air-to-air missiles. PAF's standard short range air-to-air missile at the time, the AIM-9L Sidewinder, was integrated with the Grifo M3 radar.

The Grifo M3 was developed specifically to fit the Mirage III and has been in full operation on the Mirage III since 2001. It has a power consumption of 200 W, operates in the X-band and is compatible with IR guided, semi-active and active radar guided missiles. The circular antenna has a diameter of 47 cm. The radar has over 30 different operational air-to-air/air-to-surface mission and navigation modes. Air to air modes include Single/Dual Target Track and Track While Scan. Air to surface modes include Real Beam Map, Doppler Beam Sharpening, Sea Low/High, Ground Moving Target Indicator, Ground/Sea Moving Target Track. Other optional modes include Raid Assessment, Non Cooperative Target Identification, SAR (synthetic aperture radar) and Precision Velocity Update. Low, medium and high pulse repetition frequencies reduce effects of ground clutter. Digital adaptive pulse compression technology, dual channel receiver, scanning coverage +/-60 degrees in both azimuth and elevation, air cooling, weighs less than 91 kg, MTBF (flight guaranteed) over 220 hours. Extensive ECCM (electronic counter-counter-measures) provisions and built in test equipment (BITE). IFF interrogators can also be integrated.

The PAF is currently installing in-flight refuelling probes to 30 of its Mirage III ROSE I aircraft, stating that it is a pilot programme for the induction of aerial refuelling capability into the PAF.

 

[truthseeker2010]

Mirage 5F ROSE II

40 surplus Mirage 5F/DF from the French Air Force were undergoing delivery to the PAF in February 1999, around 20 of which were upgraded with enhanced night-time surface strike capability.

ROSE II fighters were fitted with a new SAGEM Forward-Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) system, mounted in a pod under the nose. This gave ROSE II fighters the capability to fly safely in the dark at very low level to avoid radar.

The French air force supplied a total of 40 fully overhauled Mirage 5, 34 single and 6 dual seat aircraft. Of the 40, 20 were upgraded to ROSE II standard. Their engines were overhauled for a four year and 300 hour minimum life span. This package included installation of chaff and flare dispenser, radar warning receiver and GPS navigation systems as well as all required ground support, LRU (line replaceable units) and alternate mission equipment.

Systems fitted by SAGEM included parts of the MAESTRO (Modular Avionics Enhancements System Targeted for Retrofit Operations) digital avionics package, including the SAGEM ULISS 92 INS/GPS, TRECOR terrain-matching system, UTR-90 computer, Honeywell radar altimeter. Cockpit upgrades consisted of multi-function displays, wide-angle stroke/raster HUD, HOTAS controls, SAGEM Circe 2001 mission planning system and on-board oxygen generating system (OBOGS). The cockpit was made compatible with night-vision goggles. A ventral fairing under the cockpit section of the fuselage was also fitted, containing a forward-looking infra-red (FLIR) thermal imaging sensor and laser range-finder. An integrated electronic warfare suite and single-point pressure refuelling system were also installed. Delivery of the last aircraft was scheduled for mid-1999.

 

[truthseeker2010]

Mirage 5F ROSE III

In the late 1990s, 33 Dassault Mirage 5F fighters were bought from France, 14 of them upgraded to ROSE III standard with a FLIR and other systems/modifications circa 2004. A follow-up to ROSE II, this upgrade gives an improved night-time precision strike capability to the Mirage with the addition of a new SAGEM navigation/attack avionics suite. A new PAF squadron was raised on 19 April 2007, No.27 Tactical Attack "Zarrar" Squadron, to operate the Mirage 5 ROSE III fighters and specialise in night-time surface strike missions.

Aircraft bought from Lebanon (Mirage IIIEL) were shipped to Karachi in 2002, each having around 600-1000 flying hours on their airframes, stated to be "airworthy and in good shape". These were inducted into PAF service circa 2004. In mid 2004, PAC was in the process of upgrading 14 of 33 Mirage 5F procured from France with FLIR and other modifications, to be known as ROSE III.