Alan Warnes interviews Air-Marshal Sohail Gul Khan, Chairman PAC.
22nd January – 2014.
Key points:
On 18 December 2013 the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) rolled out its 50th and final JF-17 Block 1 Thunder fighter aircraft during a ceremony at its Kamra facility, north of Islamabad, and announced the launch of Block 2 production. The events marked two key milestones for the program, which is a collaboration between China’s Chengdu Aircraft Corporation and the Pakistan Air Force-run PAC.
Funded by Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence, the PAC is split into factories inside its own cantonment: the Aircraft Rebuild Factory (ARF), Mirage Rebuild Factory (MRF), Avionics Production Factory (APF) and Aircraft Manufacturing Factory (AMF).
Of the company’s 13,000 employees, 60% are civilian and the rest are military. However, the JF-17 program is changing the dynamics at PAC. “AMF is producing PAF JF-17 Thunders, with assistance AVIC [Aviation Industry Corporation of China], to replace the [PAF’s] Chengdu F-7s and Dassault Mirages.
The ARF maintenance and repair work is in decline decline, but it will pick up soon in view of the JF-17 overhaul role being assigned to it. MRF will continue its main role of overhauling the Mirage aircraft. Five different types of jet engines are also being overhauled at MRF.
It has been four years since AMF commenced final assembly of the Sino-Pakistani JF-17 in June 2009, with the first aircraft leaving the production line in November 2009. Following handover of the final Block 1 platform in December 2013, Block 2 production will commence in the new year.
The ARF is preparing for its first overhaul of a JF-17. The fleet has flown over 10,000 hours (~210 flying hours / month) and the first jet will require its first major inspection when it reaches 800 flying hours by 2017/18.
With a new line of spares being sourced over the past couple of years, the PAF’s large fleet of Mirage III/V fighters are now going through their third major overhaul, known locally as GV-III. This will keep MRF busy for a few more years, as the PAF is expecting to ground the fleet by 2016/17. However it could soldier on for a few more years based on PAF needs.
PAC already has a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility for the Pratt & Whitney F-100 engine that powers the F-16, engineer parts for the Boeing 777 [airliner] and overhaul the Rolls-Royce T56 engines for C-130s [Hercules transport aircraft].
PAC has the capacity to overhaul 10-12 engines a month, but are only overhauling about 10 a year for the PAF and its fleet of Hercules aircraft. The equipment is there; it would just need to increase the manpower. It’s a win-win situation for PAC as well as for the Western aerospace companies.
In other developments, a work-share agreement has been agreed with Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI). TAI has contracted PAC to build frames for their Anka UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] and are looking forward to collaborating with TAI on their attack helicopter program, There is huge potential for working together with TAI.
Both are interesting developments, as the Pakistan Army Aviation Corps is looking at a next-generation helicopter gunship to replace its ageing AH-1F/1S Cobra attack helicopters.
(converted to 3rd party)