PAF Able to Stop Drones - ACM

[batmannow]

GEO Pakistan

Pak capable to stall drones’ strikes: Air chief

Updated at: 1437 PST, Tuesday, November 25, 2008

KARACHI: Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshall, Tanvir Mahmood has said that Pakistan Air Force is fully capable to stop drones’ flights and missile strikes.

He said that it was now up to the government to decide whether it wanted to benefit from our capabilities or ready to fight a war with the aggressors.

Air Chief Marshall made these remarks, while speaking to newsmen during IDEAS 2008 defence equipments exhibition at the Expo Center in Karachi.

He said most of the fighter aircrafts of Pakistan Air Force would reach to their life in next few years after which JF-17 thunder fighters would be added to fill the gap.

The fighter jets of Pakistan Air Force are fully capable to carry all warheads, he commented.

 

[fatman17]

Pakistan can stop drone raids: air force chief

Tue Nov 25, 2008

By Zeeshan Haider

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's air force is fully capable of stopping missile strikes by pilotless U.S. drones but it is up to the government to decide whether to do that, the air force chief said on Tuesday.

U.S. forces in Afghanistan have carried out at least 26 air strikes by unmanned aircraft on militant targets in northwest Pakistan this year, according to a Reuters tally, more than half since the start of September.

Pakistan supports the U.S.-led campaign against militancy but does not allow foreign troops or strikes inside its territory. It says the attacks violate its sovereignty and undermine efforts to deal with militancy by inflaming public anger.

The attacks put pressure on the civilian government to stand up to the United States and opposition parties have been critical of the government's failure to stop the strikes.

Air force chief Air Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed said it was up to the government to decide whether to stop such strikes through diplomatic and political means or by force.

"The air force is ready for any type of air defense," Ahmed told reporters, referring to various types of unmanned aircraft.

"First this nation, you people, our parliament, our government, has to debate how we have to engage the foreign UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). Whether we have to engage them diplomatically and politically to resolve it or engage them militarily," he said.

Many al Qaeda members and Taliban fled to Pakistan's lawless ethnic Pashtun tribal belt after U.S. soldiers and Afghan allies ousted the Taliban government in Afghanistan in late 2001.

The militants entrenched themselves in remote border enclaves from where they have been orchestrating increasingly deadly insurgencies in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Apparently frustrated by Pakistan's inability to tackle the militants, and alarmed by deteriorating Afghan security, the United States is hitting the militants with its drones.

Pakistan has complained to the United States over the strikes but it has shrugged off the protests.

The Washington Post this month cited unidentified Pakistani and U.S. officials as saying the two countries agreed in September on a "don't-ask-don't-tell" policy that allows the attacks.

Under the deal, the Post said the U.S. government would decline to acknowledge the strikes while Pakistan would complain about them. The Pakistani government said there was no such agreement.

(Editing by Robert Birsel)

 

[fatman17]

GEO Pakistan

Pak capable to stall drones’ strikes: Air chief

Updated at: 1437 PST, Tuesday, November 25, 2008

KARACHI: Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshall, Tanvir Mahmood has said that Pakistan Air Force is fully capable to stop drones’ flights and missile strikes.

He said that it was now up to the government to decide whether it wanted to benefit from our capabilities or ready to fight a war with the aggressors.

Air Chief Marshall made these remarks, while speaking to newsmen during IDEAS 2008 defence equipments exhibition at the Expo Center in Karachi.

He said most of the fighter aircrafts of Pakistan Air Force would reach to their life in next few years after which JF-17 thunder fighters would be added to fill the gap.

The fighter jets of Pakistan Air Force are fully capable to carry all warheads, he commented.

typical mis-representation by GEO

 

[batmannow]

typical mis-representation by GEO

Dear fatman17; sir
at last ice , starts melting !
he is far better thn our COAS , in response to our national security.
i guuss?

 

[Kasrkin]

The Air Chief might be making trouble for himself, but I suppose he is also trying to defend the honor of his force...

 

[metalfalcon]

We don't have the Capability, its impossible or We cant do this.

These Words are not in the Dictionary of the PAF.


These words suit only our Defence minister.

PAF is a symbol of pride for the nation just give them the orders today and i bet my life on PAF, no God damned American UAV will even dare to enter Pakistani Skies because they know PAF capabilities very well but our President and Defence minister don't know about them.

I heard the defence minister saying that

we don't have the Radars to detect the small Planes like UAVs so we cant shoot the American Drones

Excuse me sir, we have the Technology and all the necessary Equipment to detect and Eliminate the UAV threat and we did this in the Past when PAF shot the Indian/Israeli UAV

I still remember that day when PAF Falcons took off from Peshawar and American UAV ran away Scared Before Pakistani Mirage jets even reached there.

So my Defence minister what do you say now ?

 

[hasang20]

The Air Chief might be making trouble for himself, but I suppose he is also trying to defend the honor of his force...

ye because awfull zardari doesnt want them they have signed a secret treaty with Pakistan-US they sold Pakistan already

 

[blain2]

The Air Chief might be making trouble for himself, but I suppose he is also trying to defend the honor of his force...

I suppose he was asked by the press and he is responding on factual grounds. PAF was the first Air Force to take down a UAV. We shot down a IAI Searcher UAV of the IAF and as such, technically speaking and capability wise, it definitely is not beyond the PAF to take on the UAVs. The repercussions of such actions are things to think through for the government as there may be some convergence of interests in these strikes.

From the looks of it, GoP is on-board with the strikes being conducted by the US against the tribal elements. Would the PAF chief get in trouble for saying something like this especially when Defence Minister Ch. Mukhtar stated to the contrary (we have no capability etc.)? Well we don't know for sure however with our dunce PM taking offense to everything lately, you never know if the PAF CAS would land in hot water.

 

[Kasrkin]

I certainly hope not, but it is more likely than not to irk the government atleast at some level given how insecure they are in this particular matter. I don't understand two things about this whole affair:

1) Can't we just tell the Americans to give us the damn predators and some Hellfires and tell us where to shoot? Hey American personal can even fly the damn things as long as people think it’s under the aegis of the Pakistan Air Force and seen operating from Pakistani territory (They leased us predators before after all). If they don’t trust us then, this war is pretty pointless anyway...And we should tell them that.

2) Why do we have to lie to our own people? I mean I'm the first one to tell you that our people are kinda self destructive but...lying is just going to worsen things and keep them distracted from uniting against the terrorists.

 

[slugger]

1) Can't we just tell the Americans to give us the damn predators and some Hellfires and tell us where to shoot?

wishful thinking.

No offence meant, but from all the info available in public domain, it is quite evident that the US is certain of the fact that members of your Armed Forces are hand in glove with the very people the US is targetting

Strategically important targets will always be hunted by the US themselves without prior intimation to you.

AFAIK you have no baragining chip to stop the US from doing what it want and where it wants in Pakistan.

You try to take down one of their UAVs and the IMF might just decide to block the $4 billion USD that it is considering lending you.

Mr. Zardari must be aware of this fact and that appears to be why the go-ahead has not been given inpite of your capabilities.

 

[Kasrkin]

AFAIK you have no baragining chip to stop the US from doing what it want and where it wants in Pakistan.
You try to take down one of their UAVs and the IMF might just decide to block the $4 billion USD that it is considering lending you.

LOL, that’s pretty wishful thinking too on your part. Things don’t work that, despite what you think we are allies and it is quite possible that Pakistani assets are the reason why many of these strikes are so deadly. If the US SERIOUSLY doesn't trust us like "the whole force is compromised" then I don’t think we will be where we are today, not least because Pakistani officers won’t take much of it.

 

[Kasrkin]

but from all the info available in public domain, it is quite evident that the US is certain of the fact that members of your Armed Forces are hand in glove with the very people the US is targetting

That’s certainly quite a bit of a stretch too, I'm afraid.

 

[Skywalker]

Aur mochi ko banao defence minister, this looser does not even know what is he talking about. All ACM did is just sent the ball back into governments court to respond, obviously would not like to take blame from people of Pakistan for not shooting down these drones.

Zardari and party are all here to secure their own assets as 99% of their assets and liquid assets in foreign banks, I believe in saved in lockers.

Unfortunately we as a nation can do loads of things but govt...I can only pray as they only bow against their masters not against almighty. How said.

 

[slugger]

despite what you think we are allies

let me refresh your memory my friend
outgoing POTUS George W. Bush had threatened to

Bomb Pakistan in to the Stone Ages

unless Pakistan did what US wanted it to do
now please tell me if these are the kind of words you would use with your ally. The facts are palin and simple - You are being coerced into taking action against these entities much against your wishes

and it is quite possible that Pakistani assets are the reason why many of these strikes are so deadly.

the very fact that you have mentioned quite possible is an indication of the fact that you yourself are not convined of your argument.

But even if we do consider for a moment that what you say is true [naaah], then don't you find it illogical that on the one hand you are providing intel about the presence of Terrorist elements on your own land to the US and then when they take action based on your intel (unlikely), you protest.

If you did not want the US to take action against these people, then why on Earth did you tell them [if at all you have told them]

P.S: it ppears that I would not be allowed to put external links

So please Google "We'll bomb you to Stone Age" if you doubt my earlier quote

 

[smeaglegolum]

1) Can't we just tell the Americans to give us the damn predators and some Hellfires and tell us where to shoot?

That may not happen, lest the technology might fall into the hands of your chinese brothers.