In December 2019, Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) rolled-out the first eight of 26 twin-seat JF-17B fighters for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). PAC will produce another 14 in 2020.
The JF-17 Block-III is likely to incorporate a dedicated hardpoint for special mission pods, and while the addition of targeting and electronic warfare pods is confirmed, Pakistan should consider fitting the JF-17 with an infrared search and track (IRST) system as well.
In December 2019, the prototype of the JF-17 Block-III made its maiden test flight at CAIG’s facility in Chengdu. The Block-III retains the airframe of the preceding Block-I and Block-II, however, though the design will incorporate a range of new subsystems and…
In recent years, Turkey has risen to becoming Pakistan’s second leading arms supplier, following China. Could this relationship extend beyond procurement and stem into joint development and production?
In environments with increasingly saturated and layered air defence systems, it is likely that the future of Pakistan’s SEAD/DEAD capability rests on joint air and land operations.
Though brief, the air skirmish of February 2019 between Pakistan and India could lead to major changes in South Asia’s air warfare environment – especially along the Line-of-Control (LoC) – in the 2020s.
In the 1980s South Africa tasked its prime defence contractor Atlas to design, develop and manufacture an indigenous fourth-generation multi-role fighter. Designated “Carver,” the program was an ambitious play at replacing the South African Air Force’s legacy Mirage III/F-1s with a state-of-the-art…
For the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), dedicated long-range attack aircraft have neither been available nor affordable. However, it has sought to build conventional deep-strike capabilities for decades, and with the market not responding, the PAF is looking in-house to find a solution.
On 22 July 2017, the Turkish Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) announced that the Turkish Air Force and Turkish Aerospace Industries signed onto the Hürjet program. With a target flight date of 2022 (or 2023), the Hürjet will serve as a lead-in-fighter-trainer…
On 13 November 2019, the Indian Army initiated a large-scale combat exercise in Rajasthan. Involving 40,000 troops alongside tanks, artillery and helicopters, the exercise – dubbed “Sindhu Sudarshan” – tests India’s offensive capabilities.