> Israel is India’s access to advanced western tech

at a reasonable price (compared to france)
minus the lectures & finger wagging (EU minus france)
minus the potential sanctions (Unkil)

mending fences with Israel was the best thing we did. ofcourse continue
to pay lip service to the arab ’causes’ 🙂 to ensure access by our
poor labourers into the arab economies 🙂

I dont think its gone unoticed by the Arabs, hence Saudi support for Pakistans military….

1. Whats with you boys and your fascination with the F16? Why does it hurt if its offered to the IAF? Get over it, its no big deal.

2. The situation a couple of years ago has no relevance today. Need I remind you what Pakistans situation was pre Sept 11?

3. The LCA is indigenous apart from the test engines- the Ge404’s and a few of the actuators. More than can be said of the PAF and the JF17 “saga”.

4. The engines are now available and ordered.

5. The IAF doesnt dream of the F16’s- they are merely one of the options, and the Lawndarts dont offer anything substantial over the Mirage 2000 V.
The situation is in direct contrast to the ridiculous manner you portray the PAF- dreams of the Gripen, F16…
BTW what happened to the Erieye? Per your august comments it was a done deal right? :rolleyes:

Karna

Chill dude, this was simply to point out that India was never given the option to purcase F-16s as some members have implied, thats all. No one has a fascination with F-16s anymore….

Dude
I dont need to “prove” anything, simply because apart from the Indian “sources” there was no news about thuis anywhere else.

I may in fact search the net for an actual US denial!

Erez
It may be linked to a future Danish JSF purchase, as teh AIM-9X will probably be integrated into the F-35 way before the Python, a Danish 9X purchase would give them the flexibility to integrate the F-35 into their air force more easily.

Imagine if they bought Python and then JSF, they would have to do all the software, trials and integration thyemselves for this missile on the JSF….

Dropping dumb iron bombs is not something you need an F-16 for, and dropping bombs on the last structures of Osirak after Iranian Phantoms had done their part doesn’t make the F-16 a good strike platform. A Skyhawk or Jaguar with CCIP aiming wouldn’t have been any less effective.

I disagree Arthur, F-16s, could have defended temselves much better then a Skyhawk or jag had they been attacked on route….

I disagree
PAF, IAF and USAF used early versions of the F-16 sucessfully in combat. IAF F-16As bombed Osirak, it proved itself a good strike platform.

Saying the F-16A is crap thats why they made the F-16E/F can equally be applied to the F-15 and F-18, both of both of which have seen more modern and heavier new versions developed

PAF_fan, actually I am unable to find media reports of large exercises. I
note a couple of ‘leadership exercises’ in which top commanders huddle together in two teams and work the strategic aspects.

My feeling is that Riposte is now abandoned or kept on backburner due to lack of funding to match the indian buildup after 1999. Last 2-3 yrs
the Pak media / commentators / experts havent talked much or at all of riposte but more of going nuclear if even light losses in territory are faced.

lack of large protected sources of petroleum supply may also
have something to do with it.

Indian
You carry on having your “feelings” about what the Pakistan Armyis up to, you have already demonstrated the fact that you are very ignorant of the Pakistan Army, and yes, it may make you sleep easier at night thinking the strategy of Riposte has been abandoned, but that fact that Pakistan Army’s equipment purchases have all reveloved around this high mobile strategy clearly demonstrates just how accurate your “feelings” are……

Articles in publications close to the Pakistan Army, like Defence Journal, will show that Riposte is alive and well, the fact it is not heavily advertised is a credit to the Pakistan Army….

Come back when it changes to “spent”. You complain about the Mirage deal which is a confirmed “requirement” with funds ready on similar lines, ordered or not, but insist on pushing something far from ordered or even confirmed, as a part of your orbat? Heck, requirements themselves are followed by negotiations and not direct overnight orders.

Hardly. This from pakdef,

Additional details of the Khalid, the first prototype of which was completed in June 1991 and which is also referred to as the MBT-2000 or P-90, are given under Pakistan.

Among the extensive details given for the operational tank, whatever you call it, is the speed figure.

The difference being my sources tend to be Flight International, AFM etc and not dodgy Indian media that is notorious for misinformation, some of it mistakenly, some of it deliberate!

If Flight says its so, I think its worth believing! If rediff, stratfor make claims I dismiss them as garbage! Its as simple as that!