ISLAMABAD, Dec 17: As a part of recent de-escalation, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has withdrawn war assets from its forward operating bases (FoBs), said Chief of the Air Staff Mushaf Ali Mir on Tuesday.

“Yes, we have withdrawn most of our aircraft and resumed our normal training at the peacetime locations,” he said while talking to newsmen after inaugurating a day-long seminar on “self-reliance in military aviation”.

“We are back to normal training and leave,” he added.

Replying to another question regarding mass procurement of high-tech aircraft and avionics by India, the PAF chief said, “Presently, our ratios are not very bad, but it is not to deny the fact that if India continues to get more high-tech aircraft from the west or from the east then this balance will tilt in favour of our adversary,” he said.

“It is always our endeavour to get more high-tech aircraft ... PAF needs ... high-tech aircraft like Awacs ...” he said.

When asked to comment on the proposed procurement of high-tech aircraft, the PAF chief said: “The project during the last three years has picked up instead of being shelved as has been misquoted” in part of the media.

This being a joint venture by a Chinese firm (Ketic) and Pakistan, the firm “is supposed to give us the share in its sale in the market, which is being complied with accordingly,” he clarified. Some major parts and components of the aircraft are manufactured in Pakistan.

“We are already booked for almost next two years,” he said.

Replying to another question, Mushaf said the PAF had recently included six K-8 aircraft in its fleet and the same number would be coming the next year. “We intend to increase the number of the aircraft by adding 18 more aeroplanes,” he said.

About the inaugural flight schedule of indigenously developed Super-7 medium-to high-tech aircraft, he said, its prototype would be able to make maiden flight by June 2003.

The aircraft is a medium-tech one but would be having reasonably high-tech avionics, he said, commenting on the standards of the aircraft.

However, he said, it could not be compared with the latest aircraft like F-16 and others. “It is a second tier aircraft and can be compared with Indian light combat aircraft (LCA),” he said.

There could be some unexpected delay “but our all-out endeavour is to meet the deadline successfully,” he said.

About the regular flights of the aircraft, he said, it could take many more years.—APP