This image is from AERO INDIA 2009….
It says, ‘AESA radar for Light Combat Aircraft.‘ This is probably from a European company Now which radar it is? CAESAR? NORA/Vixen?
Credit: yaswanth, BR
[QUOTE=vikasrehman;1509010]
150 odd MKI along with MRCA, LCA and future FGFA to deter against J-10, MKK and J-XX? Thats pretty close. But the scene on India’s western border will not be same. I think Both India and China is integrating thier multiple resources to make a modern air force with network centric capabilities, next generation missiles, electronic warfare and space based assets for various purposes, now Pakistan lacks most of them. Above all they just recently got a BVRAAM missile!
Rajan, while I do agree that IAF had managed to creat a major qualitative gap between itself & PAF for a number of reasons, much of that gap would be bridged with induction of many new capabilities into PAF within next 2-3 year. Of course more additions into IAF would increase that gap once more, and we have to wait and see as to what PAF’s response would be. But discussing such things would mean getting into hypotheticals.
First thanks for the good reply.
The new gap created the IAF is indigenous and no country gives any other such capabilities, like complete net centric warfare, own GPS, anti-missile systems, hypersonic missile, array of electro-optical and radar satellites etc etc… What will be PAF’s answer to these?
Now take a look at the aims of two airforces’ during a conflict. From what I know, PAF would largely want to deny the enemy the use of its own airspace and provide CAS to its own forces when/where required. In other words PAF would be a defensive force, although (logically speaking) it would try offensive strikes as well as part of its defensive strategy. In comparison, IAF’s aims are rather clear from India’s ‘Cold Start’ doctorine. IAF has to achieve air superiority over the skies of Pakistan very quickly (probably 48 or so hours) if IBGs want to succeed in achieving their objectives. Considering the fact that Indian generals are assuming (as the recent articles show) that China would become involved in a conflict, what do you think are the chances of IAF achieving complete air superiority over PAF so quickly? And especially when one of the nuclear threshold for Pakistan is that a large part of its AF is destroyed? And IAF is unlikely to achieve air superiority without destroying a major part of PAF.
Rite.
PS. Please note that I was talking about a conflict here and not mere surgical strikes or so carried out by IAF. I personally do not believe in the feasibility of surgical strikes or a minor conflict alone…in my opinion any such thing would quickly evolve into a major conflict between these two nations.
Correct.
I dont deny the existence of the qualitative gap. But I dont think its big enough for IAF to achieve all its objectives. In my opinion a 400+ force of JF-17/F-16/FC-20 equipped with BVRAAM and backed with refuellers/AEW&C and a decent radard/SAM network is good enough to form a min credible detterance against 500+ IAF machines over next decades. Could IAF with this force level achieve air superiority over PAF? Yes…in my opinion. But the price would be high, and that is the whole point of min credible detterance.
Thats why I mentioned about EFT, Rafale, Su-30MK or F-18E/F. Instead of 36 J-10 if PAF could manage to buy 20 EFT or Rafale that could have been much better detterence against the IAF.
Regarding netcentric warfare capabilities, PAF has been working on this for a number of years, and have managed to made good progress.
I will very eager to know some more details from any link/source. 🙂 NCW needs lots of resources. Example…
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