Pakistan Air Force | News & Discussions.

[Raider 21]

Source of article

Very old article. "Yazdani" has been flying Hawks in the middle east for over half a decade.

 

[StormBreaker]

Very old article. "Yazdani" has been flying Hawks in the middle east for over half a decade.

I might sound stupid but what is full form of AFP

 

[razgriz19]

"Non destructive inspection"
That's what I do for a living!!

Thrifty at 50: Pakistan keeps aging Mirages flying

1 / 3
A Mirage aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) prepares for a first test run at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex after an overhaul at the Mirage Rebuild Factory (MRF) in Kamra, west of the capital Islamabad. (AFP)

2 / 3
In this file photo, technicians work on a Mirage aircraft during a full overhaul by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) at the Mirage Rebuild Factory (MRF) in Kamra, west of the capital Islamabad on Dec.27, 2017. (AFP)

3 / 3
In this file photo, technicians work on a Mirage aircraft during a full overhaul by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) at the Mirage Rebuild Factory (MRF) in Kamra, west of the capital Islamabad on Dec.27, 2017. (AFP)
Updated 29 April 2018
AFP
April 29, 2018 03:45
854





KAMRA, Pakistan: The sprawling complex at Kamra, west of Islamabad, reverberates at the thundering take-off of a Mirage Rose-1, the latest aging fighter jet to have been gutted and reassembled by the Pakistani Air Force.
Fifty years after Pakistan bought its first Mirages, many planes in the venerable fleet are still being patched up, overhauled and upgraded for use in combat, years after conventional wisdom dictates they should be grounded.
That includes one of the first two planes originally purchased from France’s Dassault in 1967, which was in a hangar at Kamra after its record fifth overhaul when AFP visited recently.
The techniques they have developed are reminiscent of — but far more high-tech and lethal than — the improvised methods used to keep classic American cars running on the streets of Havana.
“We have achieved such a capability that our experts can integrate any latest system with the aging Mirages,” says Air Commodore Salman M. Farooqi, deputy managing director of the Mirage Rebuild Factory (MRF) at the Kamra complex.
Pakistan bought its first Mirages to diversify its fleet, which in the late 1960s largely consisted of US-built planes: F-104 Starfighters, T-37 Tweety Birds and F-86 Sabres.
The Mirage became a popular choice, with the Air Force buying 17 different variants in later years, eventually owning the second-highest number of the fighter jets after France.
They performed bombing missions during Pakistan’s war with India in 1971 — one of the shortest conflicts in history, lasting just 13 days and leading to the creation of Bangladesh.
But Mirages flew on, also carrying out reconnaissance missions in India, and intercepting and shooting down Soviet and Afghan planes that violated Pakistani airspace during the Soviet war.
Usually, the jet has two or three life cycles, each spanning around 12 years. But overhauling them abroad was expensive for Pakistan, a developing country whose budget is already disproportionately tilted toward its military and which has historically received billions in military assistance from countries such as the US.
So, with the help of experts from Dassault, the air force decided if you want something done for the right price, you’ve got to do it yourself.
The Mirage Rebuild Factory was established at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) in 1978, and in the years since has saved “billions” of dollars for Pakistan, according to Group Captain Muhammad Farooq, in charge of one of the maintenance hangars — though he said the exact figure was difficult to pin down.
The planes take some seven weeks to be overhauled and repainted, he said, adding that usually the MRF has the capacity for more than a dozen planes a year. Its calendar for the next decade or so is already booked up.
At least eight different Mirage variants, including the Mirage 5-EF, Mirage III-DP and Mirage-III Rose-I, were in one of the maintenance hangers when AFP visited.
Engineers and technicians were dismantling cockpit instrument panels and landing gear while undertaking a “non-destructive inspection,” essentially an X-ray to detect faults in the wings and airframe.
Dozens of engines awaiting overhaul were piled in one hangar. Even planes that had suffered accidents such as fires breaking out have been patched back together at the facility.
Pakistan has also been buying up discarded Mirages from other countries to bring through the facility, said retired Air Marshal Shahid Lateef.
The most important technological improvement, developed with the help of South Africa, is the ability to integrate air-to-air refueling, Farooqi said.
The “identification of friend and foe” (IFF) system, which detects when a Mirage has been locked on to by the system of another plane, was also a key development, he said.
But even with the improvements and cost-saving measures, the aging planes are becoming more difficult to maintain.
“They have outlived their lives... after their overhauls (they) have become highly unreliable, we even met with lots of accidents,” Lateef said.
The best option to replace them would be the Rafale, as neighbor and arch-rival India — which has also flown and maintained Mirages for decades — is doing, signing a deal with Dassault in 2016.
The price tag is too much for Pakistan, however, retired Air Commodore Tariq Yazdani said.
Instead Pakistan plans to replace them with the JF-17 Thunder aircraft that it co-developed and co-produced with China, the original manufacturer.
Even as it becomes more urgent to phase them out, Mirages’ status as the grand dames of Pakistani military aviation cannot be dismissed, Yazdani, who has logged 1,500 hours flying them, told AFP.
It is a “very agile aircraft capable of penetrating deep into the enemy’s territory without being detected by radar, which makes its sole mission -– to drop bombs on the enemy’s position -– quite easy,” he said.
“It is an old aircraft,” said aviation writer Alan Warnes, author of two books on the Pakistani air force. “But Pakistani pilots have been flying this plane with the utmost accuracy and expertise.”

 

[Bilal Khan (Quwa)]

I might sound stupid but what is full form of AFP

Agence France-Presse

 

[denel]

Thrifty at 50: Pakistan keeps aging Mirages flying

1 / 3
A Mirage aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) prepares for a first test run at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex after an overhaul at the Mirage Rebuild Factory (MRF) in Kamra, west of the capital Islamabad. (AFP)

2 / 3
In this file photo, technicians work on a Mirage aircraft during a full overhaul by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) at the Mirage Rebuild Factory (MRF) in Kamra, west of the capital Islamabad on Dec.27, 2017. (AFP)

3 / 3
In this file photo, technicians work on a Mirage aircraft during a full overhaul by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) at the Mirage Rebuild Factory (MRF) in Kamra, west of the capital Islamabad on Dec.27, 2017. (AFP)
Updated 29 April 2018
AFP
April 29, 2018 03:45
854





KAMRA, Pakistan: The sprawling complex at Kamra, west of Islamabad, reverberates at the thundering take-off of a Mirage Rose-1, the latest aging fighter jet to have been gutted and reassembled by the Pakistani Air Force.
Fifty years after Pakistan bought its first Mirages, many planes in the venerable fleet are still being patched up, overhauled and upgraded for use in combat, years after conventional wisdom dictates they should be grounded.
That includes one of the first two planes originally purchased from France’s Dassault in 1967, which was in a hangar at Kamra after its record fifth overhaul when AFP visited recently.
The techniques they have developed are reminiscent of — but far more high-tech and lethal than — the improvised methods used to keep classic American cars running on the streets of Havana.
“We have achieved such a capability that our experts can integrate any latest system with the aging Mirages,” says Air Commodore Salman M. Farooqi, deputy managing director of the Mirage Rebuild Factory (MRF) at the Kamra complex.
Pakistan bought its first Mirages to diversify its fleet, which in the late 1960s largely consisted of US-built planes: F-104 Starfighters, T-37 Tweety Birds and F-86 Sabres.
The Mirage became a popular choice, with the Air Force buying 17 different variants in later years, eventually owning the second-highest number of the fighter jets after France.
They performed bombing missions during Pakistan’s war with India in 1971 — one of the shortest conflicts in history, lasting just 13 days and leading to the creation of Bangladesh.
But Mirages flew on, also carrying out reconnaissance missions in India, and intercepting and shooting down Soviet and Afghan planes that violated Pakistani airspace during the Soviet war.
Usually, the jet has two or three life cycles, each spanning around 12 years. But overhauling them abroad was expensive for Pakistan, a developing country whose budget is already disproportionately tilted toward its military and which has historically received billions in military assistance from countries such as the US.
So, with the help of experts from Dassault, the air force decided if you want something done for the right price, you’ve got to do it yourself.
The Mirage Rebuild Factory was established at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) in 1978, and in the years since has saved “billions” of dollars for Pakistan, according to Group Captain Muhammad Farooq, in charge of one of the maintenance hangars — though he said the exact figure was difficult to pin down.
The planes take some seven weeks to be overhauled and repainted, he said, adding that usually the MRF has the capacity for more than a dozen planes a year. Its calendar for the next decade or so is already booked up.
At least eight different Mirage variants, including the Mirage 5-EF, Mirage III-DP and Mirage-III Rose-I, were in one of the maintenance hangers when AFP visited.
Engineers and technicians were dismantling cockpit instrument panels and landing gear while undertaking a “non-destructive inspection,” essentially an X-ray to detect faults in the wings and airframe.
Dozens of engines awaiting overhaul were piled in one hangar. Even planes that had suffered accidents such as fires breaking out have been patched back together at the facility.
Pakistan has also been buying up discarded Mirages from other countries to bring through the facility, said retired Air Marshal Shahid Lateef.
The most important technological improvement, developed with the help of South Africa, is the ability to integrate air-to-air refueling, Farooqi said.
The “identification of friend and foe” (IFF) system, which detects when a Mirage has been locked on to by the system of another plane, was also a key development, he said.
But even with the improvements and cost-saving measures, the aging planes are becoming more difficult to maintain.
“They have outlived their lives... after their overhauls (they) have become highly unreliable, we even met with lots of accidents,” Lateef said.
The best option to replace them would be the Rafale, as neighbor and arch-rival India — which has also flown and maintained Mirages for decades — is doing, signing a deal with Dassault in 2016.
The price tag is too much for Pakistan, however, retired Air Commodore Tariq Yazdani said.
Instead Pakistan plans to replace them with the JF-17 Thunder aircraft that it co-developed and co-produced with China, the original manufacturer.
Even as it becomes more urgent to phase them out, Mirages’ status as the grand dames of Pakistani military aviation cannot be dismissed, Yazdani, who has logged 1,500 hours flying them, told AFP.
It is a “very agile aircraft capable of penetrating deep into the enemy’s territory without being detected by radar, which makes its sole mission -– to drop bombs on the enemy’s position -– quite easy,” he said.
“It is an old aircraft,” said aviation writer Alan Warnes, author of two books on the Pakistani air force. “But Pakistani pilots have been flying this plane with the utmost accuracy and expertise.”

This was in the Mirage thread. Old but gold!

 

[Windjammer]

Not long ago, the pilot of this Viper was sitting behind a desk in Washington, now he is a base commander and the other day went up in a Viper for an air display....pity it was low cloud cover.

 

[Raider 21]

Not long ago, the pilot of this Viper was sitting behind a desk in Washington, now he is a base commander and the other day went up in a Viper for an air display....pity it was low cloud cover.

View attachment 601229

Great guy, gave me good career advice some time back. One of the first bunch of guys to break the 2k in Vipers and setting a standard.

 

[Incog_nito]

Is PAF going to acquire some trainers from EU:
50 M345
50 M346

besides the dual seat JF-17 these aircraft are really a very good option to enhance PAF training.

 

[fatman17]

Is PAF going to acquire some trainers from EU:
50 M345
50 M346

besides the dual seat JF-17 these aircraft are really a very good option to enhance PAF training.

100 trainers sounds ridiculous

 

[fatman17]

Arab news. It's 2 years old just found it in my archive

Source of article

 

[fatman17]

India and Pakistan Aerial Battle
By
David Oliver
-
March 4, 2019

IAF MiG-21 Bison.





David Oliver – For the first time in the 21st Century, the air forces of India and Pakistan are becoming involved in air combat.

Following the terrorist attack which killed forty Indian personnel and injured five on February 14 by a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based terror group in Indian-administered Kashmir, the Indian Air Force (IAF) 2000Hs launched an airstrike guided by the EMB-145 Netra AEW&C aircraft against suspected militant bases in Pakistan territory during the night of 26 February. In response Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fighters launched airstrikes on ‘non-military’ targets on 27 February claiming they were clear areas in Indian-administered Kashmir across the Line of Control (LoC) and that there were no casualties on the ground.

What happened next is disputed but it is clear that IAF MiG-21 Bisons, the latest variant of an aircraft that saw action in the 1971 the war with Pakistan, were scramble to intercept the attacking PAF aircraft. In the following air battle, the IAF claimed to have shot down one PAF aircraft while the PAF claimed to have shot down two IAF aircraft with its F-16s although this has not been confirmed.

The IAF later admitted that it had lost on MiG-21 and that the pilot appeared to have been captured by Pakistan forces after ejecting. The second IAF aircraft claimed by the PAF has not been confirmed nor has the PAF aircraft claimed to have been shot down by the IAF.

The Pakistan government’s official Twitter account released a video of what it claimed was one of the Indian pilots who had been shot down. The man, whose face was bloodied and blindfolded, gives his name and service number, before telling a man questioning him: “I’m sorry sir, that’s all I’m supposed to tell you.” An Indian government official speaking on 28 February that there would be no deal on Air Force pilot captured by Pakistan, and that the government expected that he is returned immediately. The captured IAF pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, was released on 1 March.

In the immediate aftermath of the air battle, the IAF ordered Kashmir’s main airport in Srinagar along with at least three others in neighbouring states to close and Pakistan shut its airspace, with commercial flights in the country cancelled and flights from the Middle East and India were also affected.

In a separate incident, and IAF Mi-17V-5 crashed at Budgam in Indian-administered Kashmir on 27 February en route from Srinagar Airport. Six military personnel were killed in the crash but the cause is unclear.

by David Oliver

More Chinese UAVs for Pakistan?
Published in Show Daily 2018 - Day 2

By
Asian Military Review
-
January 16, 2019






Chinese firms are lining up to meet a potential interest in medium altitude long endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).

The service is already operating the tactical-class NESCOM Barruq, which appears to be a derivative of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC)’s CH-3 design. However, PAF is understood to be seeking higher-end UAV capabilities, and has been linked to several Chinese-made UAVs.

China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC), the export arm of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), is actively marketing the Wing Loong family of armed reconnaissance UAVs.

Developed and manufactured by AVIC’s Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute subsidiary, the Wing Loong I has a 14 metre wingspan and a maximum take-off weight of 1,200kg, and is presently in People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) service as the Gongji-1.

The company has also developed the larger and more capable Wing Loong II, which has a 4,200kg MTOW with wingspan of 20.5m. CATIC states that the Wing Loong II has a stated internal payload capacity of 200kg, with provision for up to 480kg of external stores. A large fuel capacity enables it to fly for up to 20 hours. Likewise, the Wing Loong II has been acquired by the PLAAF, and serves under the name of Gongji-2.

Meanwhile Aerospace Long-March International Trade (ALIT) is marketing the internationally popular CH-4 UAV, which has a flight endurance between 14-30 hours depending on its configuration. The CH-4, which has a MTOW of up to 1,330kg and payload capacity of 345kg, has gained a respectable following around the world since its introduction in 2014, with at least 30 of these air vehicles now flying in countries such as Algeria, Iraq, and Jordan.

The company has also developed the larger and more capable CH-5, which was introduced in 2016 and subsequently fully developed in 2017. The air vehicle can carry a wide range of precision munitions, which would appeal to countries seeking an affordable and persistent airborne strike capability.

 

[Pakistani Fighter]

India and Pakistan Aerial Battle
By
David Oliver
-
March 4, 2019

IAF MiG-21 Bison.





David Oliver – For the first time in the 21st Century, the air forces of India and Pakistan are becoming involved in air combat.

Following the terrorist attack which killed forty Indian personnel and injured five on February 14 by a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based terror group in Indian-administered Kashmir, the Indian Air Force (IAF) 2000Hs launched an airstrike guided by the EMB-145 Netra AEW&C aircraft against suspected militant bases in Pakistan territory during the night of 26 February. In response Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fighters launched airstrikes on ‘non-military’ targets on 27 February claiming they were clear areas in Indian-administered Kashmir across the Line of Control (LoC) and that there were no casualties on the ground.

What happened next is disputed but it is clear that IAF MiG-21 Bisons, the latest variant of an aircraft that saw action in the 1971 the war with Pakistan, were scramble to intercept the attacking PAF aircraft. In the following air battle, the IAF claimed to have shot down one PAF aircraft while the PAF claimed to have shot down two IAF aircraft with its F-16s although this has not been confirmed.

The IAF later admitted that it had lost on MiG-21 and that the pilot appeared to have been captured by Pakistan forces after ejecting. The second IAF aircraft claimed by the PAF has not been confirmed nor has the PAF aircraft claimed to have been shot down by the IAF.

The Pakistan government’s official Twitter account released a video of what it claimed was one of the Indian pilots who had been shot down. The man, whose face was bloodied and blindfolded, gives his name and service number, before telling a man questioning him: “I’m sorry sir, that’s all I’m supposed to tell you.” An Indian government official speaking on 28 February that there would be no deal on Air Force pilot captured by Pakistan, and that the government expected that he is returned immediately. The captured IAF pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, was released on 1 March.

In the immediate aftermath of the air battle, the IAF ordered Kashmir’s main airport in Srinagar along with at least three others in neighbouring states to close and Pakistan shut its airspace, with commercial flights in the country cancelled and flights from the Middle East and India were also affected.

In a separate incident, and IAF Mi-17V-5 crashed at Budgam in Indian-administered Kashmir on 27 February en route from Srinagar Airport. Six military personnel were killed in the crash but the cause is unclear.

by David Oliver

More Chinese UAVs for Pakistan?
Published in Show Daily 2018 - Day 2

By
Asian Military Review
-
January 16, 2019






Chinese firms are lining up to meet a potential interest in medium altitude long endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).

The service is already operating the tactical-class NESCOM Barruq, which appears to be a derivative of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC)’s CH-3 design. However, PAF is understood to be seeking higher-end UAV capabilities, and has been linked to several Chinese-made UAVs.

China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC), the export arm of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), is actively marketing the Wing Loong family of armed reconnaissance UAVs.

Developed and manufactured by AVIC’s Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute subsidiary, the Wing Loong I has a 14 metre wingspan and a maximum take-off weight of 1,200kg, and is presently in People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) service as the Gongji-1.

The company has also developed the larger and more capable Wing Loong II, which has a 4,200kg MTOW with wingspan of 20.5m. CATIC states that the Wing Loong II has a stated internal payload capacity of 200kg, with provision for up to 480kg of external stores. A large fuel capacity enables it to fly for up to 20 hours. Likewise, the Wing Loong II has been acquired by the PLAAF, and serves under the name of Gongji-2.

Meanwhile Aerospace Long-March International Trade (ALIT) is marketing the internationally popular CH-4 UAV, which has a flight endurance between 14-30 hours depending on its configuration. The CH-4, which has a MTOW of up to 1,330kg and payload capacity of 345kg, has gained a respectable following around the world since its introduction in 2014, with at least 30 of these air vehicles now flying in countries such as Algeria, Iraq, and Jordan.

The company has also developed the larger and more capable CH-5, which was introduced in 2016 and subsequently fully developed in 2017. The air vehicle can carry a wide range of precision munitions, which would appeal to countries seeking an affordable and persistent airborne strike capability.

No Pakistan based Terror Groups
We claimed JF 17s shot jets
We later told second jet was SU 30
Mi 17v5 didnt crashed but was shot down in a friendly fire

 

[Mir Shahzain]

Not long ago, the pilot of this Viper was sitting behind a desk in Washington, now he is a base commander and the other day went up in a Viper for an air display....pity it was low cloud cover.

View attachment 601229

Has PAF finalized any radar for JF-17 Block III ???

 

[Talon]

Not long ago, the pilot of this Viper was sitting behind a desk in Washington, now he is a base commander and the other day went up in a Viper for an air display....pity it was low cloud cover.

View attachment 601229

They had to make three or four passes for landing.Weather was very bad and finding the runway wasn't easy.

He's sitting in the back btw.

 

[fatman17]

It shows foreign media mindset

No Pakistan based Terror Groups
We claimed JF 17s shot jets
We later told second jet was SU 30
Mi 17v5 didnt crashed but was shot down in a friendly fire