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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is eyeing formal induction of the newly-launched JF-17B dual seat fighter jet by April 2017, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) announced on Wednesday.
Production of the first JF-17B was initiated by Pakistan and China during a joint ceremony at Chengdu Aerospace Corporation. The jet is set to make its maiden flight by the end of this year, the PAF said.
The dual seat aircraft will enhance training value and operational capability, Air Marshal Muhammad Iqbal said at the ceremony. He also thanked Chinese leadership for their continuous support in the design, development and manufacturing phases of the JF-17 development project.
Chinese leadership paid tribute to PAF authorities for operationalising the aircraft and expressed their resolve to continue support for development work of JF-17 project.
The JF-17 Thunder's operational history
The JF-17 Thunder, a single-engine multi-role fighter jet, and was jointly developed by China and Pakistan. Development on the aircraft started in 1999, and the maiden flight was conducted in 2003.
The initial Block 1 JF-17s were received in 2007, with production of the upgraded Block 2 JF-17s started in 2013. The upgraded models have upgraded avionics, air-to-air refuelling capability, data link, enhanced electronic warfare capability and enhanced load carrying ability.
The JF-17 can be equipped with air-to-air and air-to-ground ordinance. The aircraft mounts both short-range infra-red air to air missiles along with longer ranged radar-guided BVR missiles, an essential capability for a frontline interceptor.
Read: Pakistan's tool of war: PAF's rolling thunder
The aircraft can carry 8,000lbs of ordinance on seven external hardpoints, which is an adequate amount of ordinance for any mission profile. The JF-17 enhances the much needed capability of the air force in beyond visual range (BVR) engagements.
The JF-17 is a capable platform, and is on its way to form the backbone of the PAF. It was reported that between 250 and 300 aircraft will be inducted into the air force in order to phase out the ageing fleet of some other aircraft models that are still in operation.
For the Pakistan Air Force, the JF-17 fills the gap that had arisen due to an ageing inventory, which was further impacted by sanctions placed on the country following the nuclear tests in 1998.
Read more
Pakistan's tool of war: PAF's rolling thunder
Fourth JF-17 Thunder squadron complete as PAC rolls out 16th aircraft
US Navy orders nine AH-1Z Viper Attack Helicopters for Pakistan
PAF wants to upgrade fighter jets for ‘prolonged fight against militants’
India's growing military spending threatens Pakistan, says NSA Janjua
India's 'disappointment': Do eight F-16s upset the Pak-India strategic balance?
On DawnNews
Comments (82) Closed
Apr 28, 2016 10:56am
This article says very little about the JF-17B dual seat fighter. What is so special about the dual seat? Are the seats in tandem or side by side? What is the difference between it and a normal Jf-17 trainer? Questions but no answers
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Apr 28, 2016 11:31am
@bkt I guess all the above modifications are for the "B" version plus it can be fitted with French M88-2 twin engine. French Rafale fighter use the same engine. The main advantage the French M88 engine bring is that it is lighter weight.
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Apr 28, 2016 11:34am
The irony. This article appears on this site, right below another article, about Pakistan's lowest investment in education in south Asia.
Question; How much does one JF-17 costs?
Answer: Enough to educate 100,000 kids for a whole year.
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Apr 28, 2016 11:42am
All thanks to US for putting sanctions on us. If not we would have never manufactured our very own jet.
Blessing is Disguise.
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Apr 28, 2016 11:43am
InshAllah Pakistan will not be needing jets from abroad, Pakistan will be developing its own jets at home. It is better to be self-sufficient in techonolgy and developing our own rather than importing the finished products and giving revenue to other countries.
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Apr 28, 2016 11:54am
I think this is the right way to strengthen your defence i.e. building your own arsenal rather than purchasing it from others. Its a start, and it will be the best IA very soon.
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Apr 28, 2016 12:00pm
Sir
Unfortunately we are surrounded by a hostile neighbours who have a smile on their face and a dagger hidden in their armpit. Besides developing the JF 17 thunder and other defence equipment locally we should also produce computers, laptops, electrical appliances, motorcars and other domestic appliances to save foreign exchange .
Marketing of locally produced jets must be done in such a way that India cannot influence our buyers not to buy them!!!
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Apr 28, 2016 12:08pm
Now we have A-bomb, JF 17, tanks, sub marines etc etc. Excellent work. Now time has come to invest on people of Pakistan like education, health and others
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Apr 28, 2016 12:15pm
@Mahmood how many educated children will it take to defend the country when a known enemy attacks with 3000 tanks and 2 million soldiers.
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Apr 28, 2016 12:14pm
@Mahmood
Money allocation and spending will never solve our problems. The real cause is corruption. No matter how much money you allocate, it will fizzle out by ghost schools and teachers what ever is left by the highly corrupt civil services. By spending it on armed forces you are atleast getting some value addition
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Apr 28, 2016 12:14pm
@Hyder well said.
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Apr 28, 2016 12:18pm
The brilliance of Pakistan is that given any outside obstacle, they find a solution from within. Brings a Bruce Lee quote to mind, ' be like water, my friend' it goes through, over, under, around but never stops.
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Apr 28, 2016 12:24pm
pAK-China friendship zINDABAD
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Apr 28, 2016 12:23pm
@Nomi
It is not manufactured but assembled in Pakistan. Read the article again.
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Apr 28, 2016 12:26pm
@Mahmood
Actually it is other way round. More JF-17 we build, more money it will bring for education. It saves money by building it domestically and it earns money by exports. It already has export orders from two countries. We can spend the profit on education. It also provides jobs to thousands of workers who can then educate their children better.
Perhaps you should look at another news article. The one about spending 1.5 trillion rupee on development but not education. We have the money but we are not spending it on education. Election year appeasement seems more important.
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Apr 28, 2016 12:35pm
Hoping tech details will be published soon.
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Apr 28, 2016 01:05pm
@Mahmood
Do you seriously think money saved from defence will go into educating our children? Or will it go into offshore accounts of 'their' children?
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Apr 28, 2016 01:04pm
Congratulations!! Hopefully more good achievements will follow
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Apr 28, 2016 01:05pm
@Zak 1 educated kid is enough as he may develop the most lethal weapon known to man , so that may just stop an invasion or educated people make our economy so strong that we can buy more weapons and develop our own than we can do today.
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Apr 28, 2016 01:32pm
@Zak Is this realistic that anyone is going to invade a nuclear state? What is the point of deterrence?
You are losing generations in not prioritising in education.
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Apr 28, 2016 01:35pm
The JF-17 is more or less a reverse engineered version of the F-16s currently operational with the PAF. It has almost the same capabilities if not better than the F-16s. The reason they are developing the dual seat variant is to win export orders for the single-seat JF-17 and push its sales. Almost all the potential export customers for the JF-17 have backed out due to non-availability of a Two-seat variant which according to them is needed at least for training. Unlike the PAF, many third world airforces lack the professional competence required for flight training using a single seat platform. These air forces believe that the "more brain power a pilot has to use for different tasks while flying, the less successful he will be". ....so they opt for a dual seat version instead for their pilot training.
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Apr 28, 2016 01:51pm
@sana Correct. It only took one Bill Gates, and one Steve Jobs to change the way we live, work and play. We wouldn't be here discussing these topics 0n this forum if it wasn't for someone's intelligence and vision.
And please before you embark on 'they were both drop-outs'. That's irrelevant.
Remember they both lived in a society which had already provided them with tools and thinking techniques at school-level to create solutions which has impacted billions on this planet. The government has to invest in basic education to equip youths to use their brain-power to feed themselves and families, and to live as productive citizens.
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Apr 28, 2016 01:55pm
@Zak That's where your argument fails!
India is focused on economic growth and development to be at par or exceed China. It has no interest in fighting a war or invading any neighbors! That's why it invests far more on education, technology, research and attracting FDI than Pakistan.
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Apr 28, 2016 01:58pm
@sana World is not as fair as you think. Lower your guard and you will be occupied like Syria and Iraq. Do you think there are schools running their normal classes in Iraq or Syria now? How about Palestinians who don't have any country?
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Apr 28, 2016 02:07pm
@Mahmood Ask the children of Syria, Iraq and Libya as to how many of them are going to school now. Your argument is not new, been there for as long as I can remember but in current geopolitics, it has out lived it shelf life.
On the subject, another milestone towards self sufficiency in the defense needs of the nation.
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Apr 28, 2016 02:10pm
@Voice of Reason Having nuclear weapons doesnt mean that we will use it at first sight of war, these are the weapons of last resort, when all else fail. Besides, the
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Apr 28, 2016 02:26pm
for what? People are dying due to poverty,lack of food,medical facilities...
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Apr 28, 2016 02:30pm
Good development, In parallel, Pakistan needs to buy 5th generation aircrafts.
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Apr 28, 2016 02:32pm
@Taimoor Khan You cited nations which invested more on education before their revolutions, than Pakistan ever did. In fact Iraqis, and Palestinians have the highest literacy rate in the Arab world.
And these countries were destroyed due to foreign intervention, geopolitical games and proxy wars played on their turf! And not because they didn't have nuclear weapons or F-16s!
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Apr 28, 2016 02:33pm
@Mahmood first of all your kinds must survive to study. first comes defense then the rest.
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Apr 28, 2016 02:42pm
China hasnt inducted a single JF-17 in its Air Force..!!
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Apr 28, 2016 02:42pm
How many has China inducted in its own Air Force..?????????
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Apr 28, 2016 02:47pm
@Mahmood
Defense expenditure is necessary where needed esp in these days.
Building of civil institutions like schools, hospitals, and industries etc as well as educating kids, putting people to work, and providing services comes under government's responsibilities. Which these days is much more interested in stealing money meant for these items, labeling it their own, and shipping it off to panama etc.
You need to decide which course of action to take. Blaming defense expenditure is like saying you dont want to put a door outside your house but at-least would be able to buy a new TV from the money saved because last one was stolen by your neighbor who won the argument that its his by saying it such enough times.
Please try to be reasonable.
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Apr 28, 2016 03:14pm
Pakistan should start working on its own stealth fighter jet too with the help of China
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Apr 28, 2016 03:33pm
@Azi janab you wrote such a long paragraph lekin what was your point?
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Apr 28, 2016 03:39pm
When ever there is a news about JF-17, our neighbours will come up with following questions :-
It's chinese toy and you have not developed it. Even chinese are not using it.
Everything on this aircraft is from different countries and you call it indigenous
How much you have spent on education
Has polio been eradicated
What have you done to eliminate poverty
Well I tell them all, you need to ask the same questions about yourself as well. Read more about LCA and you will find same problem. So kindly check your own self before pointing others
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Apr 28, 2016 03:52pm
@Voice of Reason to back the 'assets' you need conventional power which also has the potential to deliver the 'assets'. You have to out the cart before the horse, remember that.
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Apr 28, 2016 03:54pm
@Voice of Reason what do you want first, fortify your borders than educate your children or educate your children first and leave borders unguarded. In second option Afgahnistan, Iran, China ,no problem to the east, just see IOK and then decide.
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Apr 28, 2016 04:29pm
@Skeptic Very naive reply my friend. If you look into your own reply you will get the answer. Had they have their own nukes, their own JF-17s, no forgien intervention had happened. It is not a rocket science is it to understand?
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Apr 28, 2016 04:30pm
Well done PAF & China, This investment by both the Countries will give them phenomenal benefits in the days to come.
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Apr 28, 2016 04:45pm
@Skeptic no wonder Hindustan is one of the biggest arm importer.
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Apr 28, 2016 04:45pm
@Taimoor Khan Furthermore, the Talibans were able to take root, because they are product of Madrasas, funded by foreigners and charities, because our government failed to provide these young men the quality education or hope to survive. When you create, or leave a vacuum, some one will step in to take advantage of it.
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Apr 28, 2016 05:24pm
@aslam shaikh And Hindustan also spends much larger portion of the budget on education with a much larger economy, than Pakistan. So you are comparing apples and oranges.
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Apr 28, 2016 06:02pm
remember Pakistani friends your best friend China has been able to progress rapidly because they invested heavily on their biggest asset that is people not weapons and also leaders were also focused on providing job to the people
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Apr 28, 2016 06:12pm
@M. Malik those who did saffora goth massacre were graduates of top education institutions in Pakistan. Let's not confuse terrorism with education please. Terrorism is caused because of lust for money mainly by mercenaries like TTP. National security and education are two completely different matters. However you can link the rampant financial corruption in Pakistan as the main cause for lack of resources in providing quality education.
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Apr 28, 2016 06:17pm
Good work PAF
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Apr 28, 2016 06:33pm
@Skeptic India and Pakistan are already fighting a cold war in Afganistan, Karachi and Baluchistan. Its a never ending issue at the moment. The problem with Pakistan is corruption and money laundering. Defense is unfairly being targeted.
Besides India is among top ten importers of weapons. They do have vast number of hungry mouth to feed and educate.
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Apr 28, 2016 06:55pm
@Naveed : France never sell their state of the art Rafael engine to any country especially china.
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Apr 28, 2016 06:58pm
@Naveed : JF-17 is a single engine aircraft , how can you fit twin engine to this aircraft....
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Apr 28, 2016 07:14pm
@bkt
The seats are tandem ... they are rarely side by side in fighter aircraft ... one such exception is i guess Russian Su-25 "Frogfoot" and American B-1, B-2 ... which are medium/heavy bombers that require a weapons officer besides pilot.
Dual seat is special cuz the pilots converting from other other type of planes can have good training before actually flying in solo. It will also enhance its export potential, as its main requirement of many customers to enhance their own training.
Dual seat is more challenging to design than one seater, becuz you have to create more space in already very congested area of fighter jet.
Please start reading a good defense journal like Janes Defense Weekly, IDR, JIR, Defense News etc to understand these basics of Military Aviation.
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Apr 28, 2016 07:17pm
@Mahmood
Defense and Development are equally important ... there should be good balance. All the development made in decades is destroyed in few days, if defense is weak !
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Apr 28, 2016 07:22pm
@Mahmood that was my point, when we live next to one of World's largest arms importer, we are bound to spend on our strategic defence as well.
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Apr 28, 2016 07:38pm
@bkt There is to date no conversion trainer for the JF-17, so this would be the first trainer of its kind and would have tandem seating.
Also I guess the second seat would provide PAF with another strike platform for high intensity missions much like the FA-18 B /E did for the USAF in the post Gulf War period.
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Apr 28, 2016 07:54pm
@Bored what does it matter how many China has inducted. This was an aircraft custom built for PAF needs.
On one hand some of you say this jet is too expensive for a poor country and then you say it's not good enough. Make up your mind on how you want to criticize Pakistan!
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Apr 28, 2016 08:01pm
If JF-17 is the best and outstanding fighter, why we buy F-16 at enormous cost?
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Apr 28, 2016 08:00pm
@Hyder .. I agree Mr. Hyder... Security is paramount. Now laser wall or fence at Pak Afghan border is a must.
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Apr 28, 2016 08:07pm
@Erik mind blowing that's correct we have to make sure first and foremost security and stability of our country in this hostile neighborhood where india afghandustan and iran are cooperating to damage our country
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Apr 28, 2016 08:45pm
well it is a real good news...but PAF should install a mach 1.8 engine as well
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Apr 28, 2016 08:54pm
@Skeptic : Partly correct, but they did not have the updated or upgraded defense capabililities. You need to be strong on both fronts, for internal and external threats.
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Apr 28, 2016 09:16pm
Those people talking about education and jets are talking very foolishly. Pakistan military spending is only 2.8% of GDP while many countries spend a lot more % of their GDPs on their military and their education is just fine and dandy. The real problem is corruption and lack of motivation to educate children and mass people.Military is important for national defense.Period.
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Apr 28, 2016 09:16pm
Where is Tejas ?
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Apr 28, 2016 09:18pm
@Skeptic - Very true.
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Apr 28, 2016 09:31pm
@bkt Seats in tandem???? seriously man..we are talking about a 4th generation figher jet here and not a training plane like the Mishaq.
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Apr 28, 2016 09:50pm
@Skeptic It is a self created myth by Indians that India has no interest in wars and occupying territories. Junagarh State, State of Hyderabad, country of Sikkim and tye Muslim majority State of Kashmir proves you guys wrong. Also, Indian politicians have said time and again that they will wrestle Azad Kashmir away from Pakistan and even break Pakistan into 4 pieces. Most of Indian (invasion) forces are against Pakistan. Indian involvement in Sri Lanka is also common knowledge.
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Apr 28, 2016 10:21pm
Better to spent on education , development, sports. These are required to built a nation.
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Apr 29, 2016 02:45am
@bkt You are right. JF17B is going to be dual/tandem seater trainer as it was export requirement for some time but PAF requirement as well. BTW PAF is only airforce that trasitions its pilots to this plane without a JF17 trainer and that is level of confidence PAF has in this plane. It will still a "single engine" as the current design does not and will not support two engines but the present engine will be replaced by more powerful engine either Chinese or Western. There will be order of magnitude performnace improvements from phase 3/4 to make it a true multipurpose precision strike fighter fitting nicely some where in-between F16 block 52-F16 Block 40 fighter but musch superior than old mirage3/5 with brand new frame with life close to 8000 hours and to top it off the tremendous knowledge Pakistan has gained no one can put a $$ value. The knowledge and skills gained from this is priceless. This project may turn out to be profitable one making a great win-win for Pakistan. Cheers
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Apr 29, 2016 02:57am
Bravo ...it shows now that pakistan can now manufacture its own sophisticated weaponry...
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Apr 29, 2016 04:26am
@Lifebuoy A little bit of correction here. F-16 design is still the best designed by the best of the best in US . It has proven time and again will continue to rule the sky for the next 25 years.
I think JF17 in more than one way is different (and also inferior) from F16 and no where near closer..But our is the first try ever to engage in such a big project and nevertheless pride of Pakistan and a very successful one.
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Apr 29, 2016 04:35am
@Skeptic China is too advanced in its economic and industrial growth, or its sophistication, the volume of GDP is way to big for India to reach at current level. Only at 5% China will grow about $2.00T by 2020. That is total India's GDP today.
On the defense front India is going hogwild spending inappropriate amount wrt its ligit requirement. Most of the military hardware (95%) is Pakistan specifics.
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Apr 29, 2016 05:04am
@Skeptic indians really need to open their eyes and look at the huge military spending while 40% still live under poverty line...
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Apr 29, 2016 09:15am
Heartening to see that latest aircrafts are being inducted for our defence. We should also seek cooperation with the Russian Federation for induction and manufacture of latest attack helicopters and aircraft instead relying on the West.
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Apr 29, 2016 09:20am
I read in Russian defense magazine that JF series have high temperature issue and the GPS controller resets, which could lead to locked weapon system. Anither report says these planes are easy to hack when they are flying. Our army must evaluate them.
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Apr 29, 2016 09:37am
@Mahmood it cost to equals 100,000,000 people protection. you such a shallow minded people, dont know the ABC of strategy.
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Apr 29, 2016 10:10am
Thank you China!
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Apr 29, 2016 12:13pm
@Zak
The said 100,000 educated children would come up with solution for India - Pakistan friendship & then there will be no need for them or anyone to defend or fight for its country .
Remember education is key to 3 P's - Peace - Progress - Prosperity
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Apr 29, 2016 12:47pm
@Nomi What do you mean by "manufactured our very own jet" ?. Jf-17 is actually Russian equipment which Chinese are assembling for Pakistan.
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Apr 29, 2016 01:04pm
Mean while India successfully launched another satellite to attain its own GPS system
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Apr 29, 2016 06:18pm
What about the targeting pod ? Did they fix this issue with JF-17B ?
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Apr 29, 2016 11:22pm
It is time for a long range twin engine jet fighter with low observable technology. Pakistan and China should also involve Turkey in next joint venture.
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Apr 30, 2016 08:27pm
JF-17B is not just a trainer. JF-17B have full operational capability
JF-17B Another advantage is that it has a strong combat capability, it retains all of the JF-17 avionics and airborne fire control radar, with BVR air combat, precision ground attack capability, JF-17B also helps to develop the international market, for the JF-17 with trainer.
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Apr 30, 2016 08:40pm
@Sad but true: As everybody know its engines are imported from Russia, but for your information the aircraft is manufactured at PAC.
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Apr 30, 2016 11:33pm
@Sad but true Your totally incorrect and Nomi is right in saying a blessing in disguise if he wants to put it in that context. Pakistan build their first JF-17 a year later after China initiated this joint production, i.e. hence the name JF-17, literally it denotes a joint production. I surmise you're not Pakistani Citizen and your insight into this JF-17 Aircraft programme knowledge is very limited or just being naive and envious of us, Pakistanis. Moreover, 51% Pakistan and China 49%; that's how this joint programme is divided. We build them and purchase others from China. We can build an average 20-25 aircraft a year and I believe we build 19-22 aircraft last year. We can build if we utilize our raw minerals, i.e. coal, gas, oil. Did you know just over 2% of coal sold annually can bring several billions dollars or trillions and will keep us self sustained for more than a century.
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