Slightly off topic...
There was news earlier that PAF was looking to acquire LIFT(Lead In Fighter Trainer) aircrafts. So now with JF17B is there such a need(considering that Pak isn't flush with money)? With Mushshak, K8, simulators, and the JF17B...doesn't it cover all areas?
I would love the input of some knowledgeable members.
@Quwa @denel @HRK @airomerix
Yep so in the interview where the CAS said they're getting 26 JF-17Bs, he also said they're looking for a separate LIFT aircraft. They just want a subsonic aircraft with a radar and a data-link system. The exact quote is as follows:
Moreover, the service is set to receive 26 new two-seat JF-17Bs, which will enable training for young pilots to take place “without first putting them through the F-16, Mirage or F-7P/PG as they are now”, ACM Khan disclosed, noting that the JF-17 Thunder programme “continues to impress, and during the recent confrontation with our neighbours, it performed well against the threat of India’s Mica and R-73 air-to-air missiles”.
Looking to the future, the ACM said he is pushing for the PAF to develop a fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) capability. “I am trying to build a new-generation PAF … and the FGFA figures highly in that vision,” he said. “We can’t afford to lag behind others.” He cited regional stability as the main driver for that effort, maintaining that “the geopolitical and geostrategic situation means that we have to maintain a strategic balance in the region and we need to build it up now”.
Outlining some of the specifications the PAF is looking for in these new fighters, ACM Khan said, “We hope it will be a twin-engine single-seater, boasting the likes of super cruise and laser weapons”. He also noted that the service would not rule out developing the aircraft as part of a collaborative effort with allied countries.
However, he admitted, “Realistically, I don’t believe the aircraft will be operational with the PAF for another decade,” adding that “it will, of course, have to be ITAR free because Pakistan has suffered so many times in the past from US-led sanctions”.
Before its FGFA capability comes online, ACM Khan said the PAF must acquire a new trainer and that the Leonardo M-346, Hongdu L-15, and KAI T-50 have all been evaluated. “It doesn’t have to be supersonic, but will need to have an air interdiction radar and a datalink training system,” he said.
JDW. May 2019.
