Stuck in Sichuan: Pakistani JF-17 Program Grounded? No.

Stuck in Sichuan: Pakistani JF-17 Program Grounded? No.

09-Mar-2009 15:02 EDT

Back in January 2007, DID wrote:

“The military world has no shortage of irony. The defense industry has its moments too, as Pakistan just discovered. An aircraft whose development was driven by military sanctions from the US and Europe is now derailed by military sanctions. This leaves the Pakistani Air Force dependent on an alternative from… America. Meanwhile, the Chinese are left with no export launch customer for a plane they may now have to reluctantly buy themselves, instead of the favoured and more capable J-10. Somewhere in Delhi, champagne is pouring – but first, a bit of background.”

The arms market also features no shortage of change. The agreement India thought it had, was reversed by Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin. Now Pakistan has begun to take delivery of the new fighters, and is reportedly seeking additional agreements with Western firms for avionics and weapons upgrades. India’s competing Tejas fighter is overcoming project delays by looking to foreign component sources, but Pakistan and China remain out front with their offering.

The 2 countries have set up a joint JF-17 marketing agency with China to promote export sales, and just signed an agreement for the first 42 operational PAF aircraft. DID has also added technical information and program history…

The JF-17/FC-1 is a sub-$20 million fighter designed as a co-operative venture between Pakistan and China to replace Chinese A-5C (massively modified MiG-19), F-7P (MiG-21+), and French Mirage 3/5 aircraft in Pakistan’s fleet. China also has options to produce them, but has made no firm decisions and seems unenthusiastic. It’s a comparable peer for India’s still-under-development LCA Tejas, Taiwan’s F-CK-1 Ching Kuo fighters, and South Korea’s F/A-50 Golden Eagle supersonic trainer & light fighter.

The design itself is fairly conventional, resembling a somewhat boxy F-20. A drag chute can be installed at the base of the rudder, in order to make landings easier and shorter. Power will be provided by the RD-93 derivative of the MiG-29’s RD-33, giving the aircraft an engine that is reliable and widely used, but known to leave smoke trails. Future models may see the engine replaced with China’s WS-13, an RD-93 copy with some modifications. Avionics involve a modern “glass” cockpit of digital screens, using Chinese technologies, commercial processors, and reports that software coding was done in the commercial C++ language rather than a military language like Ada.

Conflicting reports exist regarding its databuses (MIL-STD-1553 or the more advanced MIL-STD-1760), which will affect its range of usable weapons. GPS-guided weapons in particular require the -1760 databus. Its multi-mode radar is also in some question, with sources referring variously to China’s KLJ-7 mechanically-scanned array, the derivative KLJ-10 that equips China’s J-10/FC-20 fighters, and Selex Galileo’s X-band Grifo-S. Grifo radars already equip Pakistan’s F-7s (Grifo-7), and some of its Mirage III/Vs (Grifo M3/M5); and Selex Galileo’s own materials [PDF] describe the Grifo S7 as “The version selected for the JF-17 aircraft”.

Fixed weapons include a GSh-23 dual-barrel 23mm cannon, which can be upgraded to a GSh-30 dual-30mm cannon at a weight and ammunition penalty. Up to 3,700 kg/ 8.150 pounds of payload can be carried on its centerline station, plus 2 underwing and 1 wingtip pylons on each wing. The aircraft will reportedly be qualified to take AIM-9P Sidewinder or Chinese PL-7/8/9 short range air-to-air missiles on the wingtip rails and underwing, and consistent reports add China’s PL-12/SD-10 medium range missile to its available armament.

The SD-10’s ability to integrate with non-Chinese radars and avionics is not publicly known, however, and neither is the fighter’s ability to work with the Raytheon AIM-120 AMRAAMs that are arming the PAF’s F-16s. Selex Galileo’s materials imply, but do not state, compatibility with the AIM-120 AMRAAM, and none of the aircraft that operate the Grifo are known to have fired AMRAAMs.

At present, therefore, the main questions concerning Pakistan’s JF-17s revolve around integrated sensors and weapons, rather than the aircraft itself or its performance. Early PAF JF-17s appear to be optimized for the air-to-air role, and are likely to fit the classic definition of a lightweight jet fighter with limited ability to engage beyond visual range. They will remain so, until their ability to use modern radar-guided medium range air-to-air missiles is clarified. They are also touted as multirole fighters, but ground attack will depend on unguided bombs and rockets, until the ability to use precision laser guidance and/or GPS-guided ground attack weapons is confirmed.

In practical terms, this means the PAF’s aged Mirage fighters are likely to be the first aircraft replaced by the JF-17, with the J-7 (MiG-21) interceptors next, and the PAF’s A-5C attack aircraft kept the longest.

Read more about the JF-17 program.