araz
PDF THINK TANK: CONSULTANT
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2006
- Messages
- 9,291
- Reaction score
- 81
??5million a pop and need 2 per plane( one reserve----even if you halve the number of reserve engines) and a fleet strength of 200. You are looking at a 1.5 billion bill. PAF when it went for the 52s did not upgrade the engines of the 15s so what makes you think this-is a viable and logical solution. Pdrhaps an upgrade kit of sorts might be possible but fleet wide engine change would be a hige waste in my humble opinion.There is no reason why the entire fleet of JF17s cannot be upgraded to the RD-93MA. The dimensions will remain the same and to upgrade will mosly likely just require an update to the software of the aircraft. The original JF17 engine has a shelf life of 2,000 hours, after which it needs to be replaced. If you consider how long the JF17 has been in PAF service(from 2008 onwards), it is quite possible that the original JF17 Block 1 engines are now starting to run out of life, and they will need to be re-engined with RD-93MA's once the RD-93MA have been tested.
Additionally, you only have to look at how many Mushtaq's PAA/PAF etc ordered so see that PAF will be keen to keep the JF17 line running for quite some time, and that a fleet of upto 400+ units is now not unimaginable, ie the entire PAF fleet to be composed of JF17s and F16s only with the MiragesIII/Vs, F7&PGs all sent to the recycling bin that they now need to go to.
What ever Induction plans PAF had when the JF17 entered service(ie 150 units was the original plan) will have changed, due to the circumstances around those decisions having also changed. ie lack of new F16s availability, increasing Indian threat with Rafales, results of airwar in Feb 2019 which it shot down an Su30MKI, and a Mig21 will factor into the decision making cycle. PAF will see the need for more new planes now in 2020, then it did before Feb 2019 as the threat of confrontation has increased so much.
This site is pretty accurate for Chinese Aviation news : http://chinese-military-aviation.blogspot.com/p/fighters-ii.html
They predicted the form and function of the J20 perfectly a decade before it was unveilev officially.
Secondly at the expiry of engine life-is-it not-overhauled and reinducted into service? Please correct me if Iam wrong.
Regards
A