Saleem Y HatoumPAF and PAC have whole division which has been involved in JF-17 from its inception. PAF and PAC had more than 50 engineers (including 21 Ph. Ds) working on this project. If somebody can find a copy of image in which ACM Mehdi s looking at a static model with MICA AAM on its pylons plus a PGM, there are two PAF individuals in the back: One is a cleaned shaved PAF officer who I know personally, he had received B.Sc from Aeronautical college in Raisalpur and M.Sc and Ph. D from Georgia University, America. Very bright and smart individual. He has been on this project working in China from its inception.
Remeber, PAC will be manufacturing this aircraft in the near future and they need to know everything about this aircraft. daa
Saleem Y HatoumAT the end of the day PLAAF would have 500 J-11 (includes all Su-27 series), 600 J-10, 700 FC-1 and another 400 of J-7, J-8. The total comes to 2,200 which is what is needed to have coverage of “most” of Chinese borders.
Saleem Y Hatoumhttp://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/9741218.htm?1c
Swedish PM Rejects Jets-For-Chicken Trade
MATTIAS KAREN
Associated Press
STOCKHOLM, Sweden – The Swedish government cannot negotiate a deal with Thailand to trade jet fighters for raw chicken meat, Prime Minister Goeran Persson said Thursday.
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who met with Persson in the Swedish capital Thursday, told Thai media earlier this week he hoped to broker a poultry-for-planes deal with Sweden, as his country’s chicken exports have suffered badly from a bird flu outbreak.
Persson said he would love to see the JAS 39 Gripen jet fighter sold to Thailand, but that it was up to Saab, the aircraft maker, to negotiate the terms.
“I realize the Thai Prime Minister always makes deals that are extremely keen on the current economic situation,” Persson told reporters during a joint news conference with Thaksin.
“But how they should arrange (a deal) is not up to the Swedish government, it’s up to the commercial partner, Saab,” he said. “We will try to figure out which conditions we should have, state to state, for Saab to make a commercial deal.”
Thaksin reiterated his hopes for agricultural products to be used as currency.
“We would prefer to have a countertrade, instead of paying cash up front,” Thaksin said. If Sweden should have a need for chickens or other agricultural products, “then that can be arranged, easily.”
Thaksin did not say how many jet fighters Thailand wants to buy.
A Saab spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.
Thailand, among the top four poultry exporters in the world, has been badly hit by two outbreaks of avian influenza that killed 28 people in Asia this year, including nine in Thailand. Thaksin said earlier this week that the country has a huge inventory of raw chicken meat stored in warehouses.
“My government will do whatever to help chicken farmers sell their chicken meat,” he told Thailand’s state-owned Channel 9.
Thaksin has also tried to trade chickens for arms with Russia.
Sweden has previously sold or leased Jas 39 Gripen planes several other countries, including the Czech Republic and Hungary.
Saleem Y HatoumThai PM insists on chicken swap for Swede jet deal
STOCKHOLM, Sept 23 (Reuters) – Thailand’s Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra told his Swedish counterpart on Thursday that Thailand would only buy Swedish fighter jets for its air force if Sweden agrees to buy agricultural products in exchange.
Though he did not specify, Thaksin appeared to be referring to Thailand’s vast stocks of poultry stricken by bird-flu. Thai officials said earlier this month the prime minister would try to arrange a chicken-for-jets swap during his Swedish visit.
“We are very cautious about current account so we prefer to arrange counter-trade instead of cash up-front to buy,” Thaksin told reporters in Stockholm after meeting Prime Minister Goran Persson. “So if Sweden needs some products, especially agricultural products, then we prefer to arrange that.”
Sweden’s Saab is eager to secure a contract to sell about 20 Jas 39 Gripen fighters, made with Britain’s BAE Systems, to the Thai air force and Thaksin said he was ready to buy “whenever the Swedish company can deliver.”
But Persson said at a joint news conference with Thaksin that he could only provide the right political conditions for such a deal by improving bilateral economic relations via a new bilateral working group on trade.
“How they should arrange that is not up to the Swedish government, it’s up to Saab,” he said. “But we are ready to give political support to Saab.”
Owe Wagermark, spokesman for the Saab/BAE joint venture Gripen International, said the meeting in Stockholm showed “that Thailand is really interested in Gripen and plans to get the ball rolling.”
09/23/04 20:18 ET
Saleem Y HatoumVenezuela to acquire Mi-17s
05 Oct 2004 FlightInternational
The Venezuelan government is acquiring 13 Mil Mi-17 helicopters from Russia after experiencing increased border tensions with Colombia resulting from repeated FARC guerrilla incursions. The $45 million agreement, which includes spares and tools, is expected to be signed later this year with Rosboronexport. Local sources say the helicopters are earmarked for the Venezuelan army’s aviation corps and scheduled for delivery during the first half of 2005.
Saleem Y HatoumWHy does not Indian’s buy SUK-34? Better than TU-22M3?
Saleem Y HatoumJonsey,
Very well put mate! My take is that if the supersonic AShM was the best thing after sliced bread than the Americans would ahve had this type of weapon in their inventory a long, long time!
Garry,
The west came up with XB-70 and YF-12 were mach 3+ aircrafts and the west dropped. The east came up with mach 3+ Mig-25 but latter moved it to only recce mission. Conclusion: west was right, east followed west blindly and than realized they were wrong too.
Saleem Y HatoumThis report has some old news items including the re-export issue of RD-93 and the radar. I think almost two years back pakdef reported that Thales RC-400 is one of the leading candidates for JF-17
Saleem Y HatoumHow squardons does IAF of M2K with how many aircrafts?
Saleem Y HatoumHow many Mirage2000 and F16 are flying around? That would explain some… Anyway there was e greek Mirage 2000 accident not long ago.
Mirages 2000 not more 600, F-16 more than 4,000.
Saleem Y HatoumHow many of these Mirages are left?
Saleem Y HatoumFor the nth time, get your facts straight at least and stop the pure bs, he Swedish govt has formally announced that they will not sell any offensive weapon system to Pakistan, aka fighter planes, surveillance planes, possibly. The french will always sell to the highest bidder and since the m2k deal is now moving at the CCS stage in India, Pakistan can compete for numbers and prices with India which should make the french very very happy lads.
At least for once try reading something correctly.
Sweden to decide on Gripen cuts
——————————————————————————–
http://www.flightinternational.com/…ay.asp?Code=102
Flight International 14 Sep 2004
Debate on JAS39 numbers as budget constraints loom under the Swedish government’s national defence planning bill
The Swedish air force is expected to have its order for Saab JAS39 Gripen fighters cut below 200 under a new national defence planning bill to be released on 17 September. The bill seeks to reduce Sweden’s defence spending by as much as SKr3 billion ($400 million) by 2007, pending parliamentary approval in mid-December.
Saab, Gripen International and the Swedish government say talks on JAS39 numbers are under way. Government officials say they want to scale down the existing order for 204 aircraft, with a preference for continuing production of JAS39C/D versions to replace existing A/B-series aircraft, which could be released for export sale.
However, the government is also studying an option on a mixed fleet, based on scaling back production of Sweden’s planned 84 C/D-model aircraft.
“We have been asked if we are prepared to renegotiate and yes, we have said that we are,” says Saab president Ake Svensson. “If that leads into development of new systems that will be needed for the future defence, then we are interested to sit down with the customer and reason about that. But so far there are no decisions.”
Swedish defence minister Leni Bjorklund says the defence bill will incorporate a “budget cut” impacting on many current programmes. But she says the government wants to protect the Swedish defence industry. “Perhaps the most difficult part of the future bill will be how we treat industry and how we treat defence materiel. Those companies and the research that is carried out through our military demands in that sector has meant a lot to Swedish industry in general.”
The potential cuts to the Gripen order come as Saab and Gripen International continue talks with Pakistan about a potential sale of JAS39s and Saab 2000 aircraft equipped with Ericsson’s Erieye airborne early-warning radar. The Swedish government plans to refer the proposed Erieye sale to its defence exports approvals authority for a recommendation.
PETER LA FRANCHI / STOCKHOLM & LINKÖPING
Saleem Y HatoumBrahmos is a mirror image of SS-N-26 YAKHONT with all its specifications and performace parameters.
Saleem Y HatoumA very accurate assesment Steve.
Saleem Y HatoumF-16 will be soon on their way to PAF. Most likely time frame would next summer. LM is in the process of establishing structure to implement MLU in PAC.
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