Bilal Khan - Quwa

Pakistan Interested in Yak-130?

By Bilal Khan In the aftermath of the recently concluded order of 4 Mi-35 attack/transport helicopters, there are a few media reports floating about purporting that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is "eyeing" the Yak-130 advanced jet trainer. The whole topic of 'lead-in-fighter-trainers' (or LIFT)…

With Mi-35 Pakistan Modernizes Fleet

by Bilal Khan 1398Views 0Likes

By Bilal Khan In April the U.S Defense Security Cooperation Agency sent Congress a request to approve a near $1bn US sale involving AH-1Z 'Viper' attack helicopters and 1000 AGM-114R Hellfire II missiles to the Pakistan Army. Around this time the Pakistan Army…

The JF-17 II: Introducing BVR & Precision Strike

by Bilal Khan 1564Views 0Likes

By Bilal Khan In my previous piece I took a high level look at the JF-17 program, and in broad strokes I identified the improvements it brought (and will continue) to bring to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). With this article, I am…

Why the Rafale is a Big Deal for Egypt

by Bilal Khan 1381Views 0Likes

By Bilal Khan Egypt’s purchase of the Dassault Rafale was unexpected, but the fact that this very impressive deal was not reported widely was surprising. The first batch of three aircraft (out of an order for 24) were formally handed over to the…

No Sanctions for the Iranian Military

by Bilal Khan 1407Views 0Likes

By Bilal Khan Last week IHS Jane’s 360 released an interesting analysis of how the recent Iranian nuclear deal would have an impact on steering the ‘Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force’ (IRIAF) towards its modernization aims. The agreement set between Iran and…

India’s MMRCA Woes Continue

by Bilal Khan 1365Views 0Likes

By Bilal Khan It is not an understatement to state that India’s Medium Multi-role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) program has been a very long and arduous journey for the Indian Air Force (IAF), the Indian Government, and the many suppliers (particularly France’s Dassault) looking…

The Dangers of Ignoring the Navy

by Bilal Khan 1377Views 0Likes

By Bilal Khan Muhammad Ali Ehsan, a retired Pakistan Army lieutenant-colonel posted a thoughtful piece on the Express Tribune the other day that I found quite interesting. Essentially a response to the Sino-Pak submarine deal (reportedly valued at $4 to $5 billion US),…

The JF-17 (Part 1): A Wave of Change for the Pakistan Air Force

by Bilal Khan 1320Views 10Likes

Note: This was Quwa's very first article, published over four years ago in 2015. Whether it be wars with its rival India or periods of not-so-great relations with the U.S, the PAF has often suffered as a result of military embargoes. Other than…