US Gifts Pakistan Two More Spy Planes

The Pakistani navy took delivery Tuesday of two state-of-the-art, US-made surveillance aircraft nine months after Islamist militants destroyed two similar planes, officials said.

Pakistan said the P3C aircraft, modified with the latest avionics, are designed to improve surveillance in the North Arabian sea, one of the world's most important shipping routes deeply troubled by Somali piracy.
"The two aircraft have been delivered to the Pakistan navy. These aircraft have been provided under the foreign military funding programme," a spokesman for the US embassy in Islamabad said.

Relations between Pakistan and the United States were severely damaged last year by a covert American raid that killed Osama bin Laden and air strikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers, and the alliance remains tense.

The navy said the aircraft would help "maintain requisite vigil in our vital area of interest in the North Arabian Sea", which it said was "home to intense maritime activity both legal and illegal and thus warrants continuous guard".

Pakistan is to receive six P3C aircraft from the United States in three batches. The first two, received in 2010, were destroyed during a 17-hour siege of a key naval base in Karachi last May blamed on the Taliban.

The attack killed 10 personnel and deeply embarrassed the military, just three weeks after bin Laden was killed in the garrison town of Abbottabad.

Ancient F-7PG Flown By Pakistan Air Force Crashes Killing The Pilot

A Pakistan Air Force (PAF) pilot was killed on Wednesday when his aircraft crashed in Pashin district, some 70 kilometres north of Quetta. A statement from the Air Headquarters Islamabad said the fighter jet F-7 PG was on a routine training mission when it crashed 24 nautical miles north of Quetta.

“It was a Chinese-made F-7PG training aircraft,” Air Commodore Anis Mirza told AFP.

Sources said the aircraft crashed in the mountains between Tora Shah and Band Khushdil Khan area, 10 kilometres from Pashin. They said the pilot had been identified as Tauseef Ahmed.

No loss of civilian life or property on ground had been reported, the statement said, adding that an inquiry had been ordered to determine the cause of the accident.

It was the fourth air force jet to crash in training in over three months.

Two pilots were killed in the other incidents and a helicopter crash last June killed four military personnel.

Pakistan is currently the largest non-Chinese F-7 operator, with ~120 F-7P and ~60 F-7PG. The Pakistan Air Force is to replace its entire fleet of F-7 with the JF-17 multirole fighter, all F-7P are planned to be retired and replaced with JF-17 Thunder aircraft by 2015.

Rickety Pakistan Air Force Gets New F-16

Islamabad: With an eye to India's increasing military power which has left a yawning gap between the two arch rivals, Pakistan on monday received the last of 18 F-16 fighter jets from the US.

The Dawn reports the primary consideration for purchasing the new aircraft was to improve the fighting capability of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) vis-à-vis the Indian Air Force.Though the stated aspect was IAF yet these F-16's were conspicuous by their absence during Kargil war when IAF carried out heavy bombing of Pakistani Army on the Line Of Control. PAF did not raise a finger to help its own men while they were being slaughtered.Some might call it cowardice but I call it excellent practical approach of PAF. Instead of having their assets destroyed they kept them safe. This strategy had two fold advantage one the general public was assured that PAF is ready and will protect them as and when needed plus kept the foolish western countries wary about nuclear strike.(Which again was a royal bluff)

The last F-16D Block 52 aircraft as well as the first two of the upgraded fighter jets have arrived in the country.

The fighter aircraft is equipped with state-of-the-art avionics suite and latest weapons with night precision attack capability.

"One F-16D Block 52 and two F-16 Block 15 MLU (Mid Life Upgrade) aircraft arrived today from the US at PAF Base Shahbaz (Jacobabad)," PAF said in a statement.

"The arrival of last F-16D Block 52 aircraft marked the completion of delivery of 18 aircraft of this category. The other two F-16 Block 15 aircraft ... were earlier sent to USA for Mid Life Upgrade," it further said.

The F-16 programme included purchase of 18 new jets, upgrade of 35 older aircraft and those purchased from the US under Excess Defence Articles (EDA) programme, and procurement of munitions.

The F-16 aircraft sale to Pakistan was announced in 2005.

WikiLeaks expose of leaked US diplomatic cables show that the deal was meant to assuage Pakistan's fears of an "existential threat it perceived from India".

The diplomatic cables suggest that the purpose of the sale was to divert Pakistan's attention from "the nuclear option", and give it "time and space to employ a conventional reaction" in the event of a conflict with India.

How can a handful of old air crafts with no chance in hell of matching Indian Fighters keep PAF safe is beyond me but it seems to keep the gullible Pakistani people happy. These aircrafts can be used to bomb the living daylights out of innocent Balochistani Freedom Fighters. So I guess the F-16's will cover itself in laurel by destroying every village every herd and every village school in Balochistan.

Pakistan Has Completed Production of 26 JF-17 Fighters

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has completed production of 26 JF-17 Thunder aircraft at Pakistan Aeronautical complex Karma so far during a period of two years.

A senior PAF official, while replying to a query of member of Special Public Accounts Committee (PAC) here on Tuesday, said that the PAF achieved the target regarding production of JF-17 Thunder in the country.

The committee was informed that Pakistan had kicked off its serial production of the multiple jet fighter JF-17 Thunder in collaboration with the People’s Republic of China two years back.

IAF Combat Kills In 1965 India Pakistan War

Following document gives a brief glimpse of IAF's performance during the 1965 war with India Pakistan. Though both sides have inflated the figures but this work tries to bring out the average.Unfortunately the official records are restricted thus it is beyond me to publish them. If any of you have more info on the 1965 war, please be kind enough to comment or contact me on worldofdefense@gmail.com

IAF Combat Kills During 1965 India Pakistan War