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Lol - talk about timing. One of the articles I published today on my site argued ... "License-manufacturing the KMDB 6TD-2 1200hp diesel engine or perhaps even getting KMDB to develop a new 1500hp engine uniquely applied to Pakistan’s conditions would not be an inherently bad idea."...

Forget Su-35, I'd be impressed if we just stand by the JF-17 Block-III in absolute and uncompromising terms. Why not spend the $270mn towards actually getting a very good AESA radar and EW/ECM package?

The White House understands that the F-16 is a key foreign policy tool for maintaining influence in Pakistan. In the end, I think the FMF will come through, there's a lot at stake in terms of the long-term.

FK-3 is a medium-to-long range system, but can reach 100km too.

Only if Poland goes through a massive austerity cut whereby some of their F-16s end up getting grounded.

Poland is unlikely, they operate fairly new Block-52. Unless they're planning to store some planes, those F-16s won't be coming to Pakistan for a long time, at best. Our best source for used F-16C/D will be the U.S.

That completely missed my mind - FK-3 would be a good option too.

Yep - you can carry more 6.8mm rounds in a single magazine, thereby enabling you to carry less mags. The 6.8 also offers more punch than the 5.56. So it is a good round, no one was ever disputing that fact. But it comes at a cost. For Pakistan, the cost is to basically switch out the bullets...

Is the added benefit of the 6.5mm worth the cost? Remember, POF already produces 7.62x51mm and 7.62x39mm, and it is a tried and tested caliber, such that even new rifle designs (such as the SCAR, BREN and ARX) are retaining them.

Aren't chaffs meant for radars, and laser alert warning is similar to RWR, to alert the pilot of a laser lock. Flares are key against IR, but DIRCM is another measure which could help. HEWS doesn't include it, its primary focus is in spoofing radars.

HEWS is self protection against radar guided missiles, not IR seekers found on MANPADS. IR and especially IIR are relatively tricky to deal with.

One way to start is by requiring defence imports to come with offsets that feed directly into Pakistan's private defence industry. For example, if we were to buy ECM/EW equipment from Leonardo (Finmeccanica), then we should require Finmeccanica to allocate a portion of the contract to enabling a...

"ToT" is a catch all term that could mean anything. The Spada 2000 Plus deal came with a maintenance centre and testing facility, and that was phrased as "ToT." Then the assembly of the Falco at PAC was described as "co-production." That said, Usman Shabbir from PakDef noted at the MAR-1 deal...

Would be nice if the PAF could secure the J-15 and/or J-16. China would have to be delicate with its ties with Russia, but I think Pakistan could make a play to offer a licensing fee to Russia (or Russia can just sell the Su-35).

Does the PAF have plans to stock up on enough spare parts to make due in case of sanctions? Or does it have enough today to stock it up for a decade or two?

If you haven't already, I recommend you read some of my articles on the JF-17. It'll give you some background on why it was pursued, what it is capable of, and where it's going in terms of upgrades and changes in the coming years. You'll find an answer to your question...

The most I can see in terms of upgrading the JF-17's airframe is to follow the example set by the Gripen in its transition from the C/D to the E/F. But it won't be nearly as significant. Some weight reduction via composites, some possible work in reducing the empty weight (e.g. swapping out the...

Would seem that the Umkhonto would fit with LOMADS (lo-medium air defence system). Even though Umkhonto IR has a range of 20km, the system is scalable, Denel is working on an active radar homing (ARH) version that could reach 30km and an extended-range version touch 60km.

If the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Interior order lots of sights and optics, they can ask the manufacturer to invest in the Pakistani private sector as a means of getting those sights made. In other words, commercial offsets: $1bn is spent on the sights, $350mn comes back into Pakistan...

I reckon the new POF rifle will ultimately be a license built copy of whatever the Army chooses as part of its next standard rifle program. Even the Turkish MPT-76 and UAE CAR-816 are based on the AR-15 platform to some extent, so there aren't many uniquely new designs coming out outside of...