dont act like hussain nawaz for whom even being asked a question is his dis respect. look at the realities on ground. paf is the only operator of mirage 3 in the world and one of the 3 operators of mirage 5 along with gabon and ecqador. the most numerous jet in the paf is the f-7p which is obsolete jet by any standards. jft is good but it is no match for the su 30 . then we are left only with f-16 which are good enough for next 5 yrs. the 240 iaf su 30 are good enough for the entire paf. rafale will further increase that gap. right now paf is not a modern air force it is junkyard of the modern air forces. yes there is deficiency of funds and it would be ideal for paf if they induct about 50-100 of -16s block 52 or 60 but that is not an option. f-16 milna nae or koe jahaz ham nay laina nay. interesting . it will take at least 8-10 yrs for a fifth gen jet to be inducted in paf. till that time india will be having 270 upgraded su 30 and 36 rafales and we will be having only 76 f-16s and 150-200 jfts to counter them. so if a war breaks out during that time paf has few options. 1. to be totally defensive. 2. beg china to intervene. 3. request the govt to launch nukes .
by the way i didnt know that to disagree with a 20 yr old paf rant which we hear regularly is against manners.
It is an epic mistake to say the JF-17 cannot take on SU-30 in a one on one. Somehow your concept of air warfare is that victory belongs to the force that has the largest number of most lethal aircrafts. If that is so, then let's sign the declaration of defeat today and invite Indian army to take over Pakistan, because you simply can't buy enough J-10s to counter the SU-30s + M2Ks + Jaguars + Mig 29s and very soon Rafales as well. Oh, and let's not forget the deal for either Gripen or F-16 Block 70 and potentially F-18 as well for their carrier. You're not gonna outbuy them even if you put the entire army's budget into buying aircraft.
Hence, your reaction is a knee jerk amateurish reaction wherein you are so bamboozled by numeric and technological superiority that you are making hasty, fearful, irrational decisions. Thankfully, PAF is a professional force, staffed with leaders of vision and calibre. Tell me something, amongst the many regional forces: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, which air force has the balls to tell the Indians "We will teach you a lesson that your next generations will remember". These are not light words, and when dealing with an air force like Indian Air Force you don't just carelessly bark at them like this.
In terms of threats, you are so scared by Indians, have you stopped to think what kind of threat we face from Afghanistan? Remember Clinton's cruise missile strikes with complete disregard to Pakistan's sovereignty? Remember the OBL raid? Remember Salala? You have the Americans themselves glaring at you. No doubt if they don't themselves attack, they will arm and goad some regional player to do it on their behalf.
Now remember that Pakistan doesn't have strategic depth. In war, the enemy goes for your high value assets first. Any shiny new 4.5++ gen aircraft acquired for billions of dollars will be target number 1 for enemy missiles. When you lack strategic depth like we do, you want a solution that is cost-effective, yet poses a potent threat. Enter JF-17.
Where did you get the idea that JF-17 cannot face SU-30? For your kind information, the JF-17 is guarding your western border as we speak. The Indian forward airbases house SU-30 and in case of any misadventure by the Indians, the JF-17 will be pitted against SU-30. The Thunder has reached this level after exercises held against Chinese SU-30s. The PAF knows inside out what capabilities the SU-30 has and how to counter them. For your kind information, the SU-30's size makes it a light house in the sky and a big blinking dot on the radar screen. Soon, Pakistan is going to field 9 AWACS, not to mention the latest Chinese SAM systems. Meanwhile, PAC is getting the facilities to make AESA radars in house. Finally, no information is available regarding the true capabilities of PAF in terms of BVR missiles for Thunder. The only publicly available knowledge is regarding the PL-10. Recently, there were rumors on the forum about an independent IR seeker in development. Also, Turkey is in the process of developing missiles for the F-16. Why do you think these latest missiles wouldn't be available for JF-17?
Now, in an all out war, the Indian aircraft carriers will be dealt using ballistic and cruise missiles. The Indians will be extremely foolish to field a giant target against Pakistan. So there goes your Mig 29s. India will be the aggressor and needs to take into account SAMS and MANPADS in addition to our fighters. And you cannot even claim that these don't pose any threat. The reality of the situation is that we have actual kills against Indian aircraft using MANPADs. This is a black spot on the face of Indian air force, and here you are calling PAF a junkyard. Shame on you. Typical Pakistani mentality getting starry eyed as soon as you see someone flaunting shiny new toys.
Finally, Insha Allah, Block 3 will be as capable as J-10 except for payload. With air-to-air refueling, even range won't be a big problem, Insha Allah. So why do we need to buy J-10s? Meanwhile, with the air cooled AESA radars, our entire fleet of Thunders will be AESA equipped Insha Allah. With network centric concepts, it means legacy aircrafts such F-7PG and Mirage V will be able to fire accurately when a Thunder is around. The F-7PG is an excellent point defence fighter, by the way.
The truth of the matter is that Alhamdolillah, Pakistani airspace is very well defended, and with each passing day, our engineers at PAC and our pilots and airmen are making sure we only get better and better Alhamdolillah. But instead of giving thanks for what we have, we keep crying about what the Joneses next doors have. This thanklessness will hurt us more than PAF's lack of preparation.
If you don't mind me asking ! How many J-31 PAF can afford to have and how much they cost in total life time ? And what will be the operating cost of J-31 per flight hour ? and the maintenance that fallow after ?
And foe hoe long you thing PAF can keep Mirages in air ?
JF-17 is a blessing but its a light Fighter , No matter how good eqm we load in it , Its still a light weight ! Only because of air frame .
Dear Sir , Will you please add up all the eqm cost (avionics + EW + Latest Radar ) and then the price of medium seize airframe . We are loading a Meharan with every thing we can get hand on "And that not the way". I am saying it because still no changes in airframe or engine.
JF-17 is here to replace old A-5s , F-6s and F-7s not mirages or every bird we have .
If we bring in J-10 that will be better for us , The price we are paying for Mirages can be added to J-10 programme . Yes it will cost us more but it will also gives us 40+ years .
I had enough of JF-17 is better or equal to F-16 , all those who saying this will come under investigation .
A stealth fighter is a force multiplier. You don't wield it in huge numbers. Even 10 J-31s will completely change the face of battle.
