PAF to get eight new F-16 jets by June 2010: Pakistan’s Air Chief

Pakistan’s Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman has said that the country will get eight new F-16 fighter jets by June 2010.The Air Chief Marshal said that after the induction of hi-tech Saab-2000 Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&CS) aircraft in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), the country’s frontiers have become more secure.

In an exclusive interview with DawnNews, the air chief said that the PAF was in the process of getting more advanced weapons which would significantly enhance its capability.

First JF-17 Thunder fighter plane handed over to PAF

The first state of the art JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighter plane produced in Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) Kamra handed over to Pakistan Air Force.

Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani was the chief guest at the rolling out which held at Pakistan Aeronautical Complex at Kamra.

“On this historic occasion, I congratulate the nation as JF-17 is not only a PAF programme but a national project. This day will be remembered as a landmark in the history of Pakistan,” he said.

PM said PAF has repeatedly proved equal to the task even in the most challenging times, measuring up to the expectations of the nation in safeguarding the sacred soil and skies of Pakistan. In the recent drive against militants, PAF side by side with Pak Army is endeavouring to root out terrorism from the country, the premier said.

“I am grateful to our Chinese friends for providing PAF the required technical assistance for the programme,” Gilani said.

Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman and Chinese ambassador were also present in the ceremony.

Later, talking to media, Prime Minister Gilani said there are only 34 politicians among 8,000 NRO beneficiaries. He said all dictators including Pervez Musharraf used name of accountability for passing time. Replying to a question about Kerry-Lugar bill, prime minister said there is excellent relationship between government and army.

PAF’s First Block 52 F-16D Takes To The Skies

It may be recalled that on October 13 Lockheed Martin had rolled out the first of 18 new Block 50/52 F-16C/D M-MRCAs being produced for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in a ceremony that was attended, among others, by the PAF’s Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Rao Quamar Suleman. The aircraft order is designated as Peace Drive I and it raises the total number of F-16s ordered by Pakistan to date to 58. The PAF received its first of 40 Block 15 F-16A/Bs in 1982. The Peace Drive I order is for 12 F-16Cs and six F-16Ds, all powered by the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 turbofans. The first aircraft–a tandem-seat F-16D–will be delivered to the US government (as agent for Pakistan in the Foreign Military Sales process) next month, with the remainder following in 2010. Joining them by late 2011 (through to 2016) will be the first of up to 70 AL-31FN turbofan-powered FC-20 single-engined M-MRCAs from China, which will be ordered in two successive batches, with the first batch comprising 36 single-seaters and four tandem-seaters, along with a related weapons package that will include PGMs like LT-2, LT-3, LS-6, and FT-1/2/3/5 guided-bombs, and YJ-99 supersonic anti-radiation missiles. The FC-20 will also be capable of carrying two Ra’ad 350km-range air-launched subsonic cruise missiles.—Prasun K. Sengupta

Indian Air Force to station all its MiG 29 squadrons along Pak border

To beef up air defence capabilities and react in quickest possible time along the international border with Pakistan, the Indian Air Force has decided to station all its MiG 29 squadrons at Adampur, the second largest Air Force base in the country.

The Adampur Air Force station, which is also known as home of MiG 29s, already has two frontline fighter squadrons and will see another squadron moving from Jamnagar in Gujarat soon.

“We consider ourselves to be a strategic air power establishment of the IAF in the western sector, ever ready for operations. We are fully geared up to operate in any given time frame like any other Air Force stations of the country,” said Air Commodore HS Arora, Air Officer Commanding of the Adampur air base.

To extend the service life of MiG 29 by 25 to 40 years, the RAC MiG aircraft corporation signed a contract with the Ministry of Defence to upgrade over 60 fighters in service with the IAF since the 1980s.

“We are looking forward to induct upgraded Mig 29s which will happen sometime next year. The Ministry of Defence and Air headquarters is monitoring it,” Air Commodore Arora said.

He said six MiG-29 fighters are being upgraded and flight-tested in Russia and the remaining aircraft will be overhauled in India with the aid of Russian experts, and added that IAF pilots and technicians are already undergoing training there.

“The upgraded MiG 29 fighters will have better radar systems and avionics to help fighters, a new weapon control system, modernised RD-33 engines, which would increase the aircraft hitting capability from long ranges,” Air Commodore Arora added.

The first batch of upgraded fighters will arrive in the second half of 2010 and Russia will complete the upgradation of 60 MiG-29 fighters by 2013.

The Indian Air Force, which turns 77 this year, in order to become a strategic force in the world, has been going under modernisation in a big way.

The IAF this year inducted one Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft, and two more will come on line in 2010 to strengthen the Air Force’s capability to see beyond enemy lines.

In addition, the IAF is acquiring three midair refuelers, six C-130 transport aircraft, 80 medium-lift helicopters, Spyder air defence systems, medium power radars and low-level transportable radar.

The IAF is also upgrading six airstrips in Arunachal Pradesh to rapidly deploy troops and jointly developing with Russia fifth generation fighter aircrafts.

Despite Pak ‘modifying harpoons against India,’ US aid is assured
September 05, 2009 01:18 IST
The New York Times report that Pakistan illegally modified the harpoon anti-ship missile provided by the United States apparently to bolster its conventional weaponry against India, has embarrassed the Obama administration and Senators John F Kerry and Richard Lugar — the chairman and ranking Republican on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee — just as Washington is poised to provide Islamabad [ Images ] with a massive economic and military largesse of $ 7.5 billion over five years.

Kerry and Lugar are the co-authors of this massive aid bill to Pakistan — a clone of which was authored by Congressman Howard Berman, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee — that has progressed through the Senate and House Committees and after a final vote in the two chambers is to be signed into law by United States President Barack Obama [ Images ].

Aides to both the lawmakers contacted by rediff.com, refused comment beyond saying ‘we are studying this report,’ and waiting for ‘the investigation to be completed,’ before reacting to the New York Times story, but expressed confidence that they do not see the aid package to Pakistan being adversely impacted.

But, aides to Senators Carl Levin and Robert Menendez, both Democrats, with Levin being the chairman of the Armed Services Committee and Menendez, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee — who have both expressed deep concern over continuing to provide Pakistan with massive amounts of aid since the Congress’s investigative arm, the General Accounting Office, has in recent reports found that US military aid to Pakistan meant to fight the insurgency in Pakistan and the threat posed by the Taliban [ Images ] and Al Qaeda [ Images ] had been diverted to beefing up its conventional arsenal to target India — and strongly expressed these fears during the Pakistan aid deliberations, said they would seek answers to this report and try to put a hold on the aid package, although however acknowledging doubts they would succeed.

But one aide told rediff.com, “Clearly, this report, it true, lends credence to our long-held concerns that Pakistan continues to misuse the security assistance that we provide for counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist operations and is more interested in building up a stockpile for a possible conflict with India.”

“We will certainly pursue the facts behind this very troubling report,” when Congress reconvenes this week, the aide added, but reiterated that Kerry and Lugar had steamrolled their legislation (first proposed by then Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman and now vice president Joe Biden along with Lugar) with strong support from the Obama administration eliminating several proposed amendments that would specifically condition this aid, and predicted that it was highly unlikely that the latest report of alleged Pakistani chicanery would throw a spanner in the works of a bill on the verge of signature by President Obama as vital to the efficacy of his Af-Pak strategy.

When State Department spokesman Ian Kelly was asked about the report of Pakistan’s illegal modification — which Islamabad has strongly denied with its Ambassador in the US, Husain Haqqani even going to the extent of alleging that it’s all a part of an anti-Pakistan conspiracy by vested cabals–and India’s concerns, he bristled, and retorted, “You’ll have to talk to the government of India if they’ve had any reaction to these press reports.”

He said, “We’ve seen these reports in The New York Times. We take the possibility of any potential of any violations of obligations entered into pursuant to the Arms Control Act — we take these allegations very seriously.”

Kelly, confirming the contention in the report that US intelligence had found such a violation and Washington had taken it up with Islamabad, said, “We have engaged the government of Pakistan at the highest levels.”

“We recently negotiated an agreement in principle to establish mutually agreed inspections to address possible modifications to any arms that we’ve transferred, and we’ve notified Congress of potential violations of obligations entered in pursuant to the Arms Control Act to ensure that key leaders are provided information on US efforts to address them,” he said.

When asked if the President’s Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke [ Images ] during his recent trip to Pakistan had raised these questions with the Pakistani authorities, Kelly said, “First of all, I am talking in very general terms. I am not addressing these — this particular allegation. And I am not aware of any representations by Ambassador Holbrooke.”

Between 1985 and 1988, when the Central Intelligence Agency and the Inter Services Intelligence were working in concert to train and equip the Afghan Mujaheddin fighting the erstwhile Soviet troops following Moscow’s [ Images ] invasion of Afghanistan, the Reagan administration delivered 165 harpoon missiles to Pakistan.

In the wake of the NYT report, Congressman Ed Markey, Massachusetts Democrat, and the fiercest non-proliferation advocate in the US House, who also vehemently opposed the US-India civilian nuclear deal, fired off a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton [ Images ] requesting information on the report saying “If (recent media reports) true, the modification of these would be a violation of the Arms Control Act.”

“In addition,” Markey, he founder and co-chair of the House Bipartisan Task Force on Nonproliferation, said, “This would be yet another provocative and destabilizing action which threatens the delicate relationship between India and Pakistan.”

The lawmaker in his missive to Clinton argued, “The nascent nuclear arms race between India and Pakistan is extraordinarily worrisome, as both countries appear to be increasing their ability to manufacture nuclear weapons. It is for this reason that I opposed both the US-India nuclear deal, which will allow India to free up extra domestic uranium for nuclear weapons production if it chooses, as well as the construction of new plutonium production reactors in Pakistan, which could increase the size of Islamabad’s nuclear arsenal.”

Markey wrote Clinton that it is imperative that “the United States must discourage the development of destabilizing offensive weaponry by either country, such as the alleged modification of harpoon.”

“In order to understand the facts and circumstances surrounding Pakistan’s actions,” Markey sought answers to specific questions on the reported modification of the Harpoon. The questions mentioned in the letter are as follows:

* Did the United States government lodge a protest or otherwise communicate either formally or informally, with the government of Pakistan regarding that country’s US-exported harpoon missiles? If so, what was the content of that protest?
* Has Pakistan, as reported, allowed American officials to inspect Pakistan’s harpoon inventory to determine if modifications have been made? If so, has that inspection taken place? Were all of the harpoon missiles exported by the United States to Pakistan inspected? Were any modifications made to the missiles?
* Does the Department of State believe that the harpoon missiles in Pakistan’s inventory can be armed with nuclear warheads? Does the Department of State believe that Pakistan has armed or intends to arm any of its harpoon missiles with nuclear warheads?
* Does the Department of State believe that Pakistan has violated its commitment made under the harpoon export licenses? What repercussions are stipulated by the Arms Export Control Act in such a case?

My original question was how do you prove that there is a connection with existence of babur missile with Harpoon modification. I hope to answer your question after you have answered mine.

I never said that “there is a connection with existence of Babur missile with Harpoon modification”. All I am saying from the start of this thread is that, It has been reported several times that Pakistan is developing cruise missiles which can be launched from land, air and sea. It would be far more logical to assume that test was of Pakistani naval cruise missile then assuming that suddenly Pakistan have now decided to modify very short range missile with small warhead instead of modifying / developing on the basis of long range cruise missiles whcih they already have.

Pak, US rift over missile modification

Pakistan’s ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani has also denied the report. He said the accusations are incorrect and based on wrong intelligence.

Oly proof USA has is that Its intelligence agencies detected on April 23 a suspicious missile test that appeared to indicate that Pakistan had a new offensive weapon.But this doesn’t indicate that it was Harpoon

Pakistan allows US to inspect Harpoons

Pakistan has rejected the report as ‘totally inaccurate’, urging the US media to focus on helping Pakistan to fight the common enemy of terrorism instead of making false allegations.

US taking Harpoon modification by Pak ‘very seriously’

“This is something that we take very seriously. We have raised the issue with the Pakistani Government. The (Pak) Government has responded with an agreement in principle for mutually agreed inspections,” the Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P J Crowley, said when asked about a news report published in ‘The New York Times’.

“In this particular case, we have some concerns. We shared them with the Government of Pakistan. The Government of Pakistan has been responsive,” Crowley said.

“We would wait and see if those inspections can address the concerns that we have raised,” he said.

Source: US taking Harpoon modification by Pak ‘very seriously’

On the other hand you are saying with certainty that “There is no connection with babur and the US accusal that harpoons have been modified/ reversed engineered.” Which would basically mean that US reports are correct (but we haven’t seen any such evidence so far)

So all i am asking is to help us understand, based on what information you have reached that conclusion

Lads,
Why don’t we wait for the yankes to have a look and then we go from their report.

True
This is only way to find out the truth

There is no evidence on the existence of navalised Babur.

As is have said earlier that it has been reported more than once that Pakistan is developing cruise missiles which can be launched from land, air and sea. It would be far more logical to assume that test was of Pakistani naval cruise missile as after the successful development of land and air launched cruise missiles then assuming that suddenly Pakistan have now decided to modify very short range missile with small warhead instead of modifying / developing on the basis of long range missiles they already have and a It is essentially more credible information then some US repots with no proof at all.

You example is something similar to”we have Honda City so we need not modify the motor cycle.” Absolutely makes not sense.

Now question to you is how you decide that naval missile launched is not in category of Babur cruise and is a modified Harpoon? Any proof?

Your example clearly shows that “you have blindly taken the news as a fact” as you referred the Babur CM as Honda city i.e. big one and naval cruise missile as motor cycle i.e. small one. Can you enlighten us, based on what information (other than wild claim by US with no argument and proof to back it up) you have come to this conclusion?

the subtext of the argument is growing concern about the speed with which Pakistan is developing new generations of both conventional and nuclear weapons. “There’s a concerted effort to get these guys to slow down,”

At issue is the detection by American intelligence agencies of a suspicious missile test on April 23 — a test never announced by the Pakistanis — that appeared to give the country a new offensive weapon.