IAF gets feel of latest Pak fighter aircraft

[Choppers]

IAF gets feel of latest Pak fighter aircraft​

Posted: Thu Jun 24 2010, 00:09 hrs
New Delhi

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has got a feel of Pakistan’s most modern fighter aircraft during a multi-nation exercise in France even before the aircraft have been delivered to the Pakistani Air Force (PAF).
Later this week, Pakistan will get its most modern fighter aircraft when the US delivers the first four of the advanced Block 52 F 16 aircraft as part of a deal to upgrade its military.

However, the IAF has sparred with the Block 52 version of the fighter — which is considered to be a generation ahead of the existing F 16 fleet of the PAF — during Exercise Garuda that is currently underway at the Istres Air Base in France. The IAF, which has deployed its SU 30MKI fighters for the exercise, has conducted aerial duels and joint missions to fully gauge the capabilities of the ‘enemy’ fighter. Pakistan is to get 18 of the Block 52 versions of the F 16 fighters under a deal with the US.

Sources said not only did IAF pilots get a feel of the operational characteristics of the fighter during the aerial war games but some pilots also got the chance to take sorties in the F 16 Block 52 aircraft of the Singapore Air Force that was part of the multi-nation aerial exercise involving India and France. A senior officer confirmed that this was also the first time that the IAF’s SU 30MKIs were conducting an exercise with three modern fighters — the Rafale, F 16 and the Mirage 2000-5.

“Over 60 missions have been successfully flown during the exercise. The six IAF SU 30MKIs along with the Mirage-2000-5 and Rafale and the F-16 were engaged in various air defence manouvres such as implementation of “no fly zones” and large force engagements during day and night,” IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Mahesh Upasani, who was present at the exercise, said.

The Indian fighters took part in missions to protect high value air borne assets like refuellers and AWACS. The SU 30MKIs also practised aerial refuelling with the French KC 135 aircraft. The multi-role Sukhoi fighters were also simultaneously deployed in defensive and offensive operations — a key capability of the heavy fighter aircraft.

IAF gets feel of latest Pak fighter aircraft

 

[jha]

 

[MZUBAIR]

Good newz, now atleast IAF fear for PAF Block 52 goes down

 

[javaman]

Good newz, now atleast IAF fear for PAF Block 52 goes down

feared when?????????????

 

[Ras]

What a stupid article...the IAF exercises with the Singaporean air force and their Block 52 jets every year.

 

[gogbot]

What a stupid article...the IAF exercises with the Singaporean air force and their Block 52 jets every year.

in fact,

IAF has already evaluated the Technical capability's of the F-16 , during the MMRCA Trials.

IAF has played countless war games against Mirage-2000 and F-16 aircraft , this last 5 years alone.

IAF pilots have hand's on training on how best to engage these aircraft these aircraft.

 

[javaman]

i heard that Israelis have already told enough abt f-16's

 

[Donatello]

Umm, doesn't matter. Pakistan has exercised with various other aircraft as well.

Pakistani pilots, French pilots, Singapore and Indian pilots are all different human beings with different tactics. You cannot predict the outcome of a war based on just the aircraft. There are pilots within the PAF who are better than others within the same group of F-16s.

Just like there are people in your high school who are top 5%, then top 10%, top 20%, even though all of them had the same teacher and same facilites.

What matters is the fact how PAF trains it's pilots and how they actually behave in a war when missiles don't have a dummy warhead and when someone is locked on, the game is over.

Yes, maybe the Israelis can tell that to IAF even better, as the only encounter b/w IDAF and PAF was when IDAF had 4 of its planes shot down.

 

[Kompromat]

IAF can get sneak peak into the Air Craft but it cannot get the most important factor - The home grown tactics developed by war hardened pilots specially the combat experience PAF has against enemy aircrafts is vital.

We have been flying these birds for over 30 years and there are dozens of pilots who have crossed 5000 hours mark on F-16's .

Just for the record PAF has evaluated MIG-29 , SU-30MKK , Mirage-2k and practiced against these air crafts which leaves nothing for IAF to be happy about.

 

[Dark Angel]

in fact,

IAF has already evaluated the Technical capability's of the F-16 , during the MMRCA Trials.

IAF has played countless war games against Mirage-2000 and F-16 aircraft , this last 5 years alone.

IAF pilots have hand's on training on how best to engage these aircraft these aircraft.

I think thats the important point, when we have access to F-16 IN why get so pumped up about some BLK-52

 

[Donatello]

I think thats the important point, when we have access to F-16 IN why get so pumped up about some BLK-52

First, the the f-16IN would be the biggest blunder you could put yourself in. F-16 IN is not vitally superior in anyway, the plane has not even flown yet and you want to compare it to the battle proven blk52?

By the way Pakistan is getting BLK 52+ with latest APG 68(v9) radar. Search range of more than 250km, i don't see how the F-16IN could pull ahead.

Unless and until Lockheed can bribe IAF, F-16 would be the biggest blunder. By 2015 we are looking at 90+ f-16s with PAF pilots. all of them latest radars and missiles. They are more than a match for any f-16IN you may get.


But then again what we are discussing is not the technology but the cadre of the men who fly them.

That counts big TIME.

 

[Super Falcon]

welll air is home of pakistan airforce and when u fight in your home u always win

 

[anathema]

Just for the record PAF has evaluated MIG-29 , SU-30MKK , Mirage-2k and practiced against these air crafts which leaves nothing for IAF to be happy about.

BB,

When did this happen ? Never knew of any excercise with Su30MKK ?

 

[fatman17]

^^^so why does the goI always 'complain' about the delivery of a measley 18 a/c at every opportunity it gets!??? - take it in stride!!! or is there 'something' you dont know!!!

 

[anathema]

IAF can get sneak peak into the Air Craft but it cannot get the most important factor - The home grown tactics developed by war hardened pilots specially the combat experience PAF has against enemy aircrafts is vital.

True...but tactics are developed around a machine and not the other way round. There is so much a person can learn about the machine --its strengths , its weakness , etc... Its always better to know something rather than be ignorant....

A classic example -- It is only during these kind of excercises that Americans became aware of Mig 29 ability of HMS and its 45 degree sight....they developed tactics around it --On how to avoid this scenario.....You can be rest assured that Indians too will be writing their experiences and scenarios based on what they found about this machine.

These are one of the many outcomes on these sort of excercises.