16 Refuelers in Paf modernization plan ?

[Vasily Zaytsev]

Instead of 16 have 6 refuellers and invest the money of 10 refuellers to purchase additional fighter planes or SAMs.

This makes sense since PAF's main doctrine is defensive.

On the other hand if PAF has changed to offensive doctrine then PAF needs to induct a lot more fighter planes and refuellers.

 

[fatman17]

The supposed and rumored figure of 250 JF-17s and 150 or lets suppose 100 FC-20s give you the 350 figure, add to it the F-16s which we are gonna keep having and who knows how many more we may get in future, the figure stops at 90 or so, or it increases.

So i believe the PAF has already started its homework about increasing its strength and is looking at around 400+ combat strength by end of this decade.


i have serious doubts abt achieving 250 thunders until or unless there is a 'technological innovation' in the later blocks.

upto 2015 look for PAF to have

100 F-16s
150 Thunders
40 FC-20s
40 Mirage (Rose survivors)
40 F-7PGs

370-400 is the max range - beyond that $$$ restrictions will pre-emp any plans of expansion - expansion is also directly proportional to the health of the economy. if we r still fighting WoT in 2015, then forget expansion - remember the army gets the bulk of the defence budget (~40-45&#37 - the balance is split between the airforce and navy.

India always endeavours to hold a 3:1 superiority in numbers - its budget is 40-43 sqdns - twice the number!!!

in the 60s, 70s and 80s the PAF depended on 'force multiplyers'. can it revert to that 'advantage' it previously had - i am not sure, but this is the area it shd concentrate on - not sheer numbers!!!

 

[TaimiKhan]

Instead of 16 have 6 refuellers and invest the money of 10 refuellers to purchase additional fighter planes or SAMs.

This makes sense since PAF's main doctrine is defensive.

On the other hand if PAF has changed to offensive doctrine then PAF needs to induct a lot more fighter planes and refuellers.

Refuellers can be as good in defensive role as its in offensive role.

More refuellers will let us have more number of aircraft in the air and the time of reaction to any intruding aircraft would be reduced to nearly zero.

And as discussed, PAF will gradually increase its combat strength also, so with more fighters, more tanker required, as these would not be just tankers, they will be transport aircraft too, the way the current IL-78s are.

Tankers are as important to an offensive airforce as its to a defensive one.

 

[fatman17]

When needed change it to tanker, when needed change it to transporter.

IL-78P can also do this!

 

[TaimiKhan]

The supposed and rumored figure of 250 JF-17s and 150 or lets suppose 100 FC-20s give you the 350 figure, add to it the F-16s which we are gonna keep having and who knows how many more we may get in future, the figure stops at 90 or so, or it increases.

So i believe the PAF has already started its homework about increasing its strength and is looking at around 400+ combat strength by end of this decade.


i have serious doubts abt achieving 250 thunders until or unless there is a 'technological innovation' in the later blocks.

upto 2015 look for PAF to have

100 F-16s
150 Thunders
40 FC-20s
40 Mirage (Rose survivors)
40 F-7PGs

370-400 is the max range - beyond that $$$ restrictions will pre-emp any plans of expansion - expansion is also directly proportional to the health of the economy. if we r still fighting WoT in 2015, then forget expansion - remember the army gets the bulk of the defence budget (~40-45%) - the balance is split between the airforce and navy.

India always endeavours to hold a 3:1 superiority in numbers - its budget is 40-43 sqdns - twice the number!!!

in the 60s, 70s and 80s the PAF depended on 'force multiplyers'. can it revert to that 'advantage' it previously had - i am not sure, but this is the area it shd concentrate on - not sheer numbers!!!

Agreed about the 2015 figure, but i had talked about the 2020 figure, don't you think more FC-20s as well as JF-17s would be inducted.

We can't defend with just 100 F-16s and 40 FC-20s all the way through 2020 against much superior IAF strength of 4th gen+ aircraft, we would be needing more of these.

I believe the target is for 400 or so by 2020 and then as per what you said, economic viability is there and we have $$$s more will get added.

 

[TaimiKhan]

When needed change it to tanker, when needed change it to transporter.

IL-78P can also do this!

Yeah Sir, its a MRTT platform, and a very good one in my view as per our requirements and land mass.

 

[ejaz007]

Come on man....Look at the source....its 110MB.com .looks like a free hosting site...

This is not a valid reason to judge someones work. Even if it is a free web site this does not mean the author has not put in hard work to research and publish his work.

Perhaps it is a typing error or he knows what we do not? I have gone through the rest of the article and it seems to be pretty much OK. He should have mentioned the sources of his work that would have given more respect to the article.

 

[fatman17]

Agreed about the 2015 figure, but i had talked about the 2020 figure, don't you think more FC-20s as well as JF-17s would be inducted.

We can't defend with just 100 F-16s and 40 FC-20s all the way through 2020 against much superior IAF strength of 4th gen+ aircraft, we would be needing more of these.

I believe the target is for 400 or so by 2020 and then as per what you said, economic viability is there and we have $$$s more will get added.

u envision addition of ~200 a/c of the front-line type from 2016-2020 (4 years) at 50 a/c per year - this seems like a 'stretch' to me, however 'efficient' PAF maybe.

yes indeed more Thunders and FC-20s will be inducted but to replace the 80-100 mirages and F-7PG which will come up for retirement in 2016.(based on our assumption & discussions).

so the figure remains around 400 however one looks at it. we have not even taken into account the normal 'attrition' which will also take place.(unfortunately). so managing and maintaining a front-line fleet of 400 is no easy task!

 

[Frankenstein]

the guy seems to be an experienced air defense analyst, if he says 16 Refuelers in Paf modernization plan, then there shud be 16 Refuelers in Paf soon

 

[Super Falcon]

well only 5 years have left till we have not ordered J 10 if we dont in 2010 it will be hard to get them till 2015