"Burraq" has been successfully deployed to eliminate terrorists in Shawal Valley, Pakistan

Pakistan has successfully deployed its domestically developed unmanned combat aerial vehicle equipped with a laser-guided missile in the country's northwestern tribal region near the border with Afghanistan, killing three militants in the process.

Pakistani military spokesman Major General Asim Bajwa wrote on its Twitter account on Monday that the drone, named Burraq (flying horse), “hit a terrorist compound in Shawal Valley, killing 3 high-profile terrorists.”

The Shawal Valley, which lies in the embattled North Waziristan region, has witnessed fierce skirmishes between Pakistani forces and pro-Taliban militants ever since army units mounted the full scale offensive Zarb-e Azb, or "The Strike of The Prophet's Sword," there in June 2014.

On March 13, The Pakistani army said the Burraq drone successfully hit stationary and moving targets with its Barq (lightning) laser-guided missile with “impressive pinpoint accuracy.”

The advanced combat drone deployment comes as the United States has been carrying out controversial assassination drone strikes in Pakistan’s mountainous northwestern tribal region since 2004. 

According to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has carried out 420 drone strikes in Pakistan since 2004, frequently prompting outcry from the government and civil groups.

Islamabad has repeatedly condemned the attacks as a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, but the raids continue unabated.

The United Nations and several human rights organizations have identified the US as the world's number one user of "targeted killings," largely due to its drone attacks in Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan.

With Burraq, Pakistan joins the club of countries with armed drones, helping it in its campaign against al-Qaeda, Taliban and other militants along its lawless northwestern border with Afghanistan.

In November 2013, the Pakistani military announced that it had developed an unarmed drone to be used only for surveillance purposes. The military officials said they have no plans to arm the craft.

Pakistan To Upgrade Its C-130 Hercules Military Transport Aircraft

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has informed the United States Congress about request to upgrade the Pakistan Air Force's C-130 Hercules turboprop military transport aircraft under a deal worth $100 million.

Under this proposed deal C-130 B/E Hercules of the Pakistan Air Force will receives avionics, engine management and mechanical upgrades as well as cargo delivery system installation, and replacement of outer wing sets on six of the C-130 Hercules turboprop military transport aircraft.

Pakistan Air Force's C-130 aircrafts are being used to air-lift the essential food supplies for the people stuck in the drought stricken areas of Tharparker.

China To Induct JF-17 Thunder into Its Air Force: President Mamnoon Hussain

President Mamnoon Hussain has described his visit to China as successful. Pakistani President said that Chinese side has agreed to induct FC-1/JF-17 Thunder fighter jets into its Air Force. This will help in bringing the per unit price down and increase the chances of garbing export orders. He also added that China will continue to cooperate on the JF-17 project.

China has also agreed to extend its cooperation in fighter against terrorism and will supply Pakistan army with helicopters. China and Pakistan will also soon finalize contract to jointly develop and produce submarines for Pakistan Navy. 

China will also install two 1100 MW nuclear power plants in Karachi and another three will be installed in other parts of the country.

Saudi Deputy Defence Minister Visits Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Kamra

Images taken during the Saudi Deputy Defence Minister Prince Salman Bin Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud Visits Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Kamra. In this image Saudi Prince Salman Bin Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud is being briefed during his visit.

Pakistan Secures Deal Worth $94 million To Supply 20 Super Mushak Trainers for Iraqi Air Force

Super Mushshak basic trainer aircraft

Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Kamra has signed deals to supply Super Mushshak basic trainer aircraft to the Iraqi Air Force under a deal worth US $94 million. Under this deal Pakistan will help train the personnel of Iraqi Air Force and Iraqi Air Defence Controllers.

JF-17 Thunder Fighter Jets Fitted with Fixed In-Flight Refuelling (IFR) Probe

JF-17 Thunder Fighter Jets Fitted with Fixed In-Flight Refuelling (IFR) Probe which will allow it to refuel in air from IL-78MP Midas MRTT (Air-to-Air Refuelling / Transport Aircraft ) of Pakistan Air Force.

Pakistan To Produce JF-17 Thunder Block II Fighter Aircraft Till 2016

Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) has launched the production of imroved JF-17 Thunder Block II fighter aircraft in a ceremony attended by the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

JF-17 Thunder Block II fighter jet will have built in air-to-air refuelling capability, new avionics, enhanced load weapons carrying capacity, enhanced data link and electronic warfare capabilities. PAC plans to produce JF-17 Block II till 2016 after which it will switch to the JF-17 Block III. JF-17 Thunder Block III fighter aircraft will have new powerfull engine and additional weapons.

Countering IAFs 5th Generation Fighter Aircraft

In the next decade all Air Forces are focusing on the Stealth Technology available in the 5th Gen aircraft. The IAF burnt by colossal failures with reference to indigenous aircraft and engine manufacturing was left with a huge gap. It has tried to fill the void which was left by the inability of the IAF to produce the LCA. That void is being filled by three level of purchases, the MCRC, the purchase of Russian PAKFA (called FGFA in Bharat) and possible direct purchase of aircraft from the US.

Within the next quarter century, the IAF is projected to have many 5th generation fighter aircraft. The Chinese Ari Force is Light Years ahead and faces no threat from Delhi. The PAF has taken note of the IAF numbers and is taking appropriate measures to deal with the situation.

 

The IAF in 2025 will have the PAKFA in service, provided the Russians can produce the aircraft and provided that they are not another generation of Flying Coffins.

The PAF Countermeasures are as follows:

1. Begin the slow progress of mastering the technology so that it can be inculcated into existing Aircraft.
2. Jointly design and build Aircraft with China with approach 5th generation and beyond.
3. Purchase US aircraft with a bit older technology, and then upgrade those aircraft at lesser cost.
4. Work with Indonesia, and Turkey in developing local military technologies to counter the threats.
5. Use less expensive ways to deal with the incoming threat.
6. Bank on Missiles to counter the threat.
7. Bring incremental improvement to the JF-17 Thunder in Blcoks of fifty. This will keep the JF-17 thunder infused the latest technology for the next fifty years.
8. Start production of the FC-20s based on the J-10B and work with the Chinese on the production of the J-11s.
9. Enhance the UAV technology to the next level and design and produce Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAVs),
10. One expensive option is to build X-47 Pegasus class, to counter India’s military aviation threat to Pakistan.
11. Work with the Chinese to jontly build the WS-13 engine so that it can be used on the UCAV’s.
12. Continue development of the Babur Cruise missile and use to to build UCAV’s.
13. This mixture of response will not only be a potent defense against the IAF, but it will be eliminate the attempt of the IAF to intimidate Pakistan.

The first UCAV’s were autonomous cruise missiles, something that the U.S. and Germany have been fielding since the 1940′s. In Europe, several UCAV’s are known as robotic warplanes ( the Neuron, the Barrakuda and the Corax) are under development. These UACV concepts had their origins in the US,  and Europe wants to remain competitive with the American Aviation industry. All the programs have stealth features playing in the same league as the American J-UCAS (Joint Unmanned Combat Aerial System). The US  program includes the Boeing X45C and the Northrop Grumman X47B Pegasus . These European projects are the first foreign competitors for the American UCAV.

 

These major UCAV’ systems are in play:

1. The six nation $480 million European effort has a produced a flying prototype.
2. The joint German-Spanish, Swiss, Barrakuda conducted its first taxi tests on the 26 January 2006.
3. The British Corax UACV. The UK perceives the Joint Strike Fighter as the last manned platform for its Air Force, which will eventually replaced by an UCAV. The Corax, which undertook its maiden flight already in 2004.
4. China is making UCAV by adopting the old F-7 designs. China is using the J-6 and J-7 into target drones. Pakistan which already has the old F-7s can to this cheaply.

The UACVs have the following advantage:

• Greater maneuverability – in modern day fighter aircraft human tolerance is the limiting factor for the number of g forces the plane can pool during rapid manoeuvres, with UACV this bottleneck is eliminated so they can be very manoeuvrable indeed.
• Less weight – this can affect many things like endurance time, acceleration, payload and so on. One or two pilots and all the stuff you put in the cockpit can weight quite a bit.
• Better aerodynamics – you don’t need the cockpit canopy.
  Situational awareness – as Clerik said you can create very good virtual cockpit on ground that is superior to anything you can fit in an aircraft. SA is most important for air superiority missions, I think, and as air-to-air battles are pushed to BWR there is no benefit of having your Mark I eyeball on the actual aircraft.
  No crew fatigue – on the ground pilots can control their UACVs in greater comfort and rotate during mission.
• Lower price – often the flying unit can be made cheaper. All that fancy plane-human interface gear, life support, ejection seats and whatnot costs big $, but in case of UACV you only need the plane-human interface part and with that it is one for many planes and can bee cheaper as it doesn’t have to endure all the stresses and such. You need gear for communicating with UACVs instead, but some means of communication are already in place, so no big change there.
• Pilots are out of harms way – UACVs will save pilots lives. Pilot is very expensive to train and hard to replace quickly.
• Long Range Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Combat
• Short Range within Visual Range Combat:
• Low Costs:
• Quantity versus Quality:
• Kamikaze possibilities

The Disadvantages of UCAVs

• Tackling the Problem of Jamming:
• Human Element
• Lag – radio communications can travel only so quickly but reaction time is critical for air engagements.
  Single point of failure – if the enemy takes out the command centre, all the UCAV’ are neutralized too.

Those who espouse following the C-47 route for the PAF are living in a fools paradise. The US will not share that technology with Pakistan and it will be too expensive for the PAF. The best route for the PAF will be to work with the Chinese and the Europeans to develop these unmanned systems.

JF-17 Thunder's Weaponry Detailed

PL-5 EII Air to Air Missile

Weapons of the Pakistani JF-17 Thunder Fighter Jet At Dubai Air Show

Pakistani JF-17 Thunder Fighter Jet Detailed: Official Presentation Part-II

Pakistani JF-17 Thunder Fighter Jet Detailed: Official Presentation Part-I

Mission Profiles of JF-17 Thunder Fighter Aircraft with a variety of Advanced Weapons

For Strategic precision strike against the enemy targets JF-17 Thunder will employ Ra'ad (Hatf 8) - Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) which have range in excess of 350 km. In this mission profile JF-17 Thunder will carry four SD-10A BVRAAMs and two PL-5E II WVRAAM for self-defense purposes.

JF-17 Thunder will be able to destroy the enemy runways with percisio by employing upto four Hafr-1 & Hafr-2  Runway Penetration Bomb (RPB). In this mission profile JF-17 Thunder will carry four SD-10A BVRAAMs and two PL-5E II WVRAAM for self-defense purposes.

For precision strike against the fixed ground targets JF-17 Thunder can carry upto two 500 kg LS-6 Satellite Aided Inertially Guided Bombs which have range of 60 km. In this mission profile JF-17 Thunder will carry four SD-10A BVRAAMs and two PL-5E II WVRAAM for self-defense purposes.

 

The JF-17 Thunder fighter jet ca perform the role of Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) by employing MAR-1 anti-radiation missiles with help of KG-300 Electronic Warfare pod. In this mission profile JF-17 Thunder will carry four SD-10A BVRAAMs and two PL-5E II WVRAAM for self-defense purposes.

For precision strike against the maritime targets/warships JF-17 Thunder can carry upto two C-802A Anti-ship Missile which can hit their targets from standoff distance of 180 km. In this mission profile JF-17 Thunder will carry two SD-10A BVRAAMs and two PL-5E II WVRAAM for self-defense purposes.

Sino-Pak Friendship will go with JF-17 Thunder Fighter Jets to other countries

Beijing: As Chinese Premier Li Keqiang wrapped up his "impressive" visit to Pakistan to firm up their economic and military ties, a Pakistan official on Friday said "numerous countries" are interested in obtaining JF-17 Thunder fighter jet jointly developed by both the countries.

"We've been receiving inquiries and expressions of interest on the JF-17 Thunder from many countries in the Middle East, Africa and even as far as South America," Air Marshal Sohail Gul Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, told state-run China Daily.

The JF-17 Thunder - or the FC-1 Fierce Dragon as it's known in China - is a fourth-generation multipurpose combat jet co-developed by Aviation Industry Corp of China and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, which is in charge of manufacturing and maintaining the Pakistan Air Force's aircraft.

Some of the inquiries were "very serious", he said.

The joint venture has produced substantial number of aircrafts already with engine supplied by Russia.

 

"During my trips to many countries, almost everyone I've met asked me about the plane and many countries said they want to join the project," Khan said.

The JF-17 is an "extremely capable aircraft" and its manoeuvrability and avionics are excellent, he said.

"The JF-17 is one of our top lightweight fighters, comparable to any advanced aircraft in the Pakistan Air Force," said Air Vice-Marshal Javaid Ahmed, chief director of the JF-17 project.

The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex has already produced more than 40 JF-17s, he noted, adding the cooperation project between China and Pakistan on the aircraft is still under way with technicians from both nations focusing on the upgrading of weapons and avionics.

In addition, Khan said the Pakistan Air Force has also been eyeing other Chinese military planes and may take part in the development of other aircraft in the future.

His remarks came after six JF-17 Thunder fighter jets escorted the plane carrying Premier Li as it entered Pakistani airspace on May 22, prompting the Chinese leader to say it as an impressive welcome.

Warplanes Kissing Pakistan's Air Spaces