dBSPL
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If the decision is made to produce a combat variant for Hürjet, it will have all the capabilities of the JF-17. Hürjet prototypes are currently in production. The assembly activities of the first ready-to-fly aircraft will be completed in a few months. The aircraft will make its maiden flight in the first quarter of 2023 (March 18), and deliveries to the air force will begin from 2025.the near future course of developments, in the eyes of Kaiser Tufail as
Author, analyst, and former air force pilot Kaiser Tufail suggested in 2018 that Turkey and Pakistan could build an interim jet “rather than jumping straight to a full-capability fifth generation fighter.”
He even suggested that cooperation “could well take the shape of a ‘Block-4’ JF-17 Thunder developed by Turkey and Pakistan.”
Will Turkey Seek Chinese Or Korean Fighters If F-16 Request Is Denied?
If Turkey continually refuses to compromise with the U.S. and NATO on the S-400, its F-16 fleet will inevitably suffer the consequences.www.forbes.com
Turkiye and Pakistan's starting a new project over the JF-17 infrastructure may be possible with the coordination and permission of China. Aside from dozens of technical difficulties for TuAF, what mentioned mean that a minimum period of 6-8 years. TuAF's medium and long-term plans are already clear. The current discussion is about stop-gap/filler solutions. Here, too, the most expected solution is to increase the current F-16 fleet to the B70/72 level.
What happens if the most logical path is blocked? A- Turkiye runs its own F-16 modernization program without permission, ignoring license agreements. B- Hurjet could be reconfigured with a ready-made engine with higher thrust, possibly of Ukrainian origin, giving priority to the combat variant. C- looks for an EF or another similiar aircraft (possibly second hand) in that permissions given to can use its own missiles and munitions at the maximum level. In this option, Pakistan's JF-17 can be opened to Turkish avionics and supplied in this way. However, there is no technical infrastructure in TuAF, especially the JF-17 engine. If such an investment will to be made, the Hurjet-Ukrainian engine would come to the fore. D- The USA can gives the green light for TR's F-35's due to the Ukraine crisis, and may be TAF would take 2-3 squadrons of F-35. This is already the old plan to supply the F-35 and modernize the F-16 squadrons. And then,gradual decommissioning of F-16s and commissioning of the MMU in the 2030s.
I think the most logical way at the moment would be to bring up the Hürjet combatant variant immediatly. Yes, it can be a painful process. In fact, some risk factors will be dangerous in the very short term, but they will create huge gains in the long run.