PakistanTalk Forum

mean_bird · 08-12-2009, 07:19 PM

INTERVIEW

Date Posted: 06-Aug-2009

Jane's Defence Weekly

Interview: Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, Pakistan Air Force Chief of the Air Staff

Farhan Bokhari JDW Correspondent =Islamabad
Interview: Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, Pakistan Air Force Chief of the Air S-rao-qamar.jpg

A year after the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) was called to join the country's military effort in combating Taliban militants along the border with Afghanistan, the planned arrival in August of the first air-to-air refuelling aircraft on lease from Ukraine for training purposes carries a special significance.

By 2010, the PAF plans to complete the induction of up to four Ilyushin Il-78 aircraft fitted with a mid-air refuelling capability, extending the capacity of its fighter aircraft to patrol areas over the border region.

Western defence officials see the induction of a mid-air refuelling capability as a significant boost to the PAF at a time when the force aims to reconcile itself with duties related to anti-terror operations while maintaining what its senior commanders describe as a "minimum deterrence" against the much larger Indian Air Force (IAF).

According to the chief of the air staff of the PAF, Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, the refuelling capability is an "extremely significant" development. "This is an absolutely new capability we are getting, which we are inducting. We never had this capability in the Pakistan Air Force," ACM Qamar told Jane's.

The PAF's operations in Pakistan's northern areas, ranging from the northern Swat valley and its surrounding region, have been carried out mainly by some of the 45 US-supplied F-16 multirole fighter aircraft in Pakistan's inventory.

"These armed aircraft can stay for up to four, five, six hours in the area," ACM Qamar said.

"During this time, if there is any militant attack anywhere in the FATA [Federally Administered Tribal Areas], these aircraft can go there immediately, within minutes, and they can bomb the militants. It will create the right kind of deterrence against the militants."

ACM Qamar said the PAF's operations in the north have brought significant pressure to bear on Taliban militants, who were on the advance until the recent military campaign in Swat began reversing the tide. "They [Taliban militants] never see us on the ground. The only time they find out that an aircraft has struck is when the bomb explodes on them. It creates a great psychological impact."

The PAF's experience in the past year is beginning to influence its future plans, both in terms of operational procedures as well as the choice of aircraft and ammunition.

"This was a new kind of warfare for us. The PAF was focused on enemy air forces. We remained focused on enemy land forces and enemy air forces and, therefore, we were preparing ourselves to fight against organised modern air forces and against modern armies," ACM Qamar said. "We never thought we would be required to fight against militants or be involved in counter-insurgency operations. When we started this [counter-insurgency], we had to learn while on the job. We had to re-orient our thinking, we had to refine our ... existing SOPs [standard operating procedures] and we had to develop new SOPs for this kind of warfare. However, we did that very quickly."

This experience has led the PAF to identify new areas for development, such as acquiring more precision-guided bombs, enhanced night precision attack capabilities and the capability to monitor communications and track the movement of militants.

The PAF's other, already established, requirements include the development of the JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft, co-produced with China.

The PAF plans to eventually induct up to 250 JF-17 fighters, making the aircraft the backbone of its inventory. The first 'fully made in Pakistan' JF-17 is expected to be produced by the end of this year at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) in Kamra, north of Islamabad. However, there is still a requirement for a more advanced fighter aircraft, as the PAF prepares to counter the future edge that may be acquired by the IAF once it completes the planned purchase of 126 multirole combat aircraft (MRCAs)

"We knew about this requirement of the Indian Air Force for 126 latest-generation fighter aircraft. Yes, it is an alarming development because when they get 126 such capable aircraft, then we also need to have something matching to counter that threat," ACM Qamar said.

For the PAF, not only will the induction of 14 used F-16 aircraft and 18 new F-16C/D aircraft figure prominently in narrowing the gap, but continuing negotiations with China to purchase up to 36 FC-20 fighter aircraft - designated the J-10 in China - will also play an important role.

ACM Qamar said the PAF has finalised the technical proposal for the FC-20 and informed the Chinese of its requirements.

"[The technical proposal] is more or less finalised now. There are some changes that are required, which [the Chinese] are making," he said.

The next stage of the contract will involve financial negotiations between China and Pakistan. ACM Qamar believes that, following the signing of a contract, it will take two to two-and-a-half years before the first FC-20 aircraft is received.

Other elements of the PAF's force expansion include the purchase of four Erieye airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft from Sweden.

The PAF expects to receive the first of these aircraft by end of this year and the other three next year.

ACM Qamar said the PAF has also signed a contract for the purchase of four Chinese airborne early warning and control aircraft. The first of these is due to arrive in 2011 and the remaining three will be delivered in 2012.

Neo · 08-13-2009, 06:40 PM

Pakistan Air Force

When the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) was established on August 15, 1947, it had only a small amount of aircraft and only few to fly that amount. There were even fewer places to fly from. The PAF came into being with only thirty-two C-47 Dakotas and types like Tempests, Harvards, Tiger Moths and Auster V's which were delivered to No. 5, 6 and 9 Squadron. Operating these types of aircraft in Pakistan was far from ideal. The Dakotas were having severe trouble flying at their maximum altitude of 10.000 feet to avoid the tops of the world's highest mountains. Because most mountains in northern Pakistan are even taller than that, only one route, which lead through the narrow Indus Valley, could be used to reach the important supply-airfields Chilas, Bunji, Gilgit and Skardu.

The Jet age

Despite the lack of funds and market-places, Pakistan Air Force entered the jet age in August 1951 with the arrival of three first-generation jet fighters - British built Attackers. They formed the nucleus of the new Number 11 Squadron. Pakistan began to court the Americans, who agreed in principle to supply F-94Cs, F-86 Sabres and F-84s, the USAF's standard fighter-bomber. Finally, PAF opted for the F-86F Sabres. The PAF received 102 F-86F Sabres during the first stage followed by 90 ex West-German CL13B Mk.6s, which were referred to locally as F-86E. These Sabres were sold to Iran originally but were immediately resaled to Pakistan. During a ten year-period, from 1955 until 1965, a build-up of more modern material began with the deliveries of F-104 Starfighters and B-57 bombers. Next to that some C-130s were added to the transport fleet and for training purposes Harvards and T-33s were purchased. To perform the reconnaissance task the RT-33 joined the force. When the first Starfighters arrived in 1961, Pakistan was the first country in Asia to operate a Mach 2-fighter which was not only fast but also equipped with the most modern equipment.

The war of '65

On the 6th of September 1965 war broke out between India and Pakistan. During the beginning of this offensive a PAF F-104 shot down an Indian Air Force Mystère IV with one of its sidewinders making the first combat kill with a Mach 2-capable aircraft. Pakistan made counter attacks on Indian soil using F-104s, F-86s, B-57s and RT-33As. The war lasted for 23 days and in Pakistan it is considered a glorious victory for that country.

The Six-Day War between Israel and a number of Arab countries in 1967.
During this conflict the PAF sent personnel to Egypt, Jordan and Syria to support the Arabs in their battle against the Israelis. PAF pilots managed to shoot down ten Israeli aircraft, including Mirages, Mystères and Vautours, without losses on their own side. The PAF pilots operated with Egyptian, Jordanese and Iraqi combat aircraft.

The war of '71

This conflict mainly played in Pakistan's eastern sector. According to Pakistani sources the PAF managed to destroy 51 IAF aircraft plus 17 unconfirmed against own losses of forty planes.

Yom Kippur War, October 1973

During this war 16 PAF pilots volunteered to leave for the Middle East in order to support Egypt and Syria but by the time they arrived Egypt had already agreed on a cease-fire. Syria remained in a state of war against Israel so the PAF pilots became instructors there and formed the A-flight of 67 Squadron at Dumayr AB. Later on PAF pilot Flt. Lt. Sattar Alvi was honoured by the Syrian government.

The 80s

In December 1981, the government of Pakistan signed a letter of agreement for the purchase of 40 F-16A/B fighters for the Pakistan Air Force. The first aircraft were accepted at Fort Worth in October of 1982. Transition training for Pakistani aircrews and ground personnel was carried out by the 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing at Hill AFB in Utah. The first two F-16As and four F-16Bs arrived in Pakistan in January 1983. The Pakistani F-16A/Bs were all Block 15 machines, the final version of the F-16A/B production run. Their power plant is the Pratt & Whitney F100-P W-200 turbofan. The first unit to be equipped with the F-16 was No. 11 Squadron located at PAF Base Sargodha. All fourty of the Fighting Falcons had entered PAF service by mid-1986. This made it possible to establish two more squadrons, No.9 at Sargodha and No. 14 at Kamra. No 11 Squadron operates as the OCU.

The Afgan War, 1980-1988

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 in support of the pro-Soviet government in Kabul which was being hard-pressed by Mujahadeen rebel forces marked the start of a decade-long occupation. Mujahadeen rebels continued to harass the occupying Soviet military force as well as the forces of the Afghan regime that it was supporting. The war soon spilled over into neighboring Pakistan, with a horde of refugees fleeing to camps across the border in an attempt to escape the conflict. In addition, many of the rebels used Pakistan as a sanctuary from which to carry out forays into Afghanistan, and a steady flow of US-supplied arms were carried into Afghanistan from staging areas in Pakistan near the border. This inevitably resulted in border violations by Soviet and Afghan aircraft attempting to interdict these operations. Between May 1986 and November 1988, PAF F-16s have shot down at least eight intruders from Afghanistan. The first three of these (one Su-22, another one probably an Su-22 and one An-26) were shot down by two pilots from No. 9 Squadron. Pilots of No. 14 Squadron destroyed the remaining five intruders (two Su-22s, two MiG-23s, and one Su-25). In most of these kills the AIM-9 Sidewinder was used, but at least one plane (an Su-22) was destroyed by cannon fire. Flight Lieutenant Khalid Mamood is credited with three of these kills. At least one F-16 was lost in these battles, in an encounter between F-16s and six Afghan Air Force aircraft on 29 April 1987. However, the lost F-16 appears to have been an "own goal", having been hit by a Sidewinder fired by the other F-16. The unfortunate F-16 pilot ejected safely. Pakistani F-16s typically carry two all-aspect AIM-9Ls on the wing tip rails along with a pair of AIM-9Ps on the outermost underwing racks. Pakistani F-16s have an important strike role, being fitted with the French-built Thomson-CSF ATLIS laser designation pod and the capability to deliver Paveway laser-guided bombs. The ATLIS was first fitted to Pakistani F-16s in January 1986. The F-16 became the first non-European aircraft to be qualified for the ATLIS pod.

The 90s

The 90s saw the delivery of further squadrons of F-7Ps. A large number of for RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) Mirage 3s found their way to Pakistan and were taken on charge after an upgrade. After the Mirage 3/5 was phased out with the French air force the PAF by far became the main user of Mirage 3/5 aircraft. The PAF also took over large number of Mirage 3/5 aircraft from France in the mid-ninetees.

The 90s have furthermore been influenced by the US embargo. Having ordered a total of 71 additional F-16s the US, in accordance to the Pressler amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act, announced an embargo on all arms deliveries to Pakistan on 6 October 1990. As a result of this further deliveries never took place (the ones already built were stored at AMARC). Notwithstanding the US sanctions the PAF has been keeping the US aircraft types airworthy and maintained, like the F-16s, T-37s, C-130s and B-707. The F-16A/Bs were allocated to 2 squadrons being the No. 9 Sq. and the No. 11 (OCU) Sq. located at PAF Base Sarghoda (later renamed PAF Mushaf).

Neo · 08-13-2009, 06:41 PM

The PAF Today

Things changed drastically in the new millennium. Not only was the Grifo 7 radar chosen for introduction in the F-7P (the radar being built bij the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex at Kamra), the PAF also received over 60 F(T)-7PG aircraft to replace the ageing F-6 Farmers. Additional Mirages were yet again acquired from Lebanon and Libya.

For their help in the anti-terrorism activities the US promissed military aid to Pakistan in 2002 and declared Pakistan a Major Non-NATO ally in 2004. This eventually led to the US granting permission to order and deliver F-16s to the country again. Furthermore six (former RAAF) C-130 are being delivered to bolster the transport capacity. The major earthquake in 2005 led to a delay in the order and the country is looking at a combined order for F-16s and the Chinese J10. The order for new built F-16C/D Block 50/52 was signed September 2006. It also included delivery of the F-16s that were affected by the embargo in the 90s!

Another new type is the FC-1/JF-17 Thunder. The aircraft was developed by a joint venture between CAC and Pakistani Aeronautical Complex (PAC). PAF hopes to acquire 150 aircraft of this type to replace a large number of the Mirages and older F-7s. The first two aircraft of 16 currenly on order for Pakistan arrived on 2 March 2007. They were officially presented on 12 March 2007 and made their first public appearance during the Pakistan Day Parade on 23 March 2007.

Four T-37Cs are forming the aerobatic team the Sherdils (Urdu for "lionhearted"). In the coming years the 20 T-37C aircraft will be replaced by the new K-8 Karakorum. The first K-8s have been operating at the Evaluation Flight at PAF Academy Risalpur since the mid-ninetees but additional aircraft (6 + 22) have recently been ordered. The Primary Flying Training Wing (PAF Academy) at Risalpur has received the first three Super Mushshaks by 10 May 2001. The main improvement on this modified version is a more powerful engine.

In 2006 the country placed an order for Swedish Saab 2000 aircraft equiped with the Erieye-system. This type will eventualy give the PAF the AWACS-capacity it was looking for.

The PAF saw the arrival of Mi-17 transport helicopters and appears to operate a number of Bell 412s as well (26 helicopters of this type were delivered to the various services in 2004/2005).

Interceptor · 08-14-2009, 10:25 PM

PAF gets mid-air refuelling aircraft

11/8/2009

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) plans to complete the induction of up to four Ilyushin Il-78 aircraft fitted with a mid-air refuelling capability. Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman told Jane’s Defence Weekly the refuelling capability is an ‘extremely significant’ development. “This is an absolutely new capability we are getting, which we are inducting. We never had this capability in the Pakistan Air Force,” he said. The US-supplied F-16 multi-role fighter aircraft can stay for up to six hours in Pakistan’s northern areas, ranging from the Swat Valley and its surrounding region, he said.

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topic...1&parent_id=23

Interceptor · 08-14-2009, 10:27 PM

PAF to complete induction of four Ilyushin Il-78 aircraft by 2010, says Rao

ISLAMABAD: Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman has said that the Pakistan Air Force plans to complete the induction of up to four Ilyushin Il-78 aircraft fitted with a mid-air refueling capability, extending the capacity of its fighter aircraft to patrol areas over the border region by 2010.

In an exclusive interview with Jane’s Defense Weekly, Rao Qamar said, the refueling capability is an "extremely significant" development. "This is an absolutely new capability we are getting, which we are inducting. We never had this capability in the Pakistan Air Force," he said.

Answering to a question, he said, US-supplied F-16 multirole fighter aircraft can stay for up to four, five, six hours in Pakistan’s northern areas, ranging from the northern Swat valley and its surrounding region.

"During this time, if there is any militant attack anywhere in the FATA [Federally Administered Tribal Areas], these aircraft can go there immediately, within minutes, and they can bomb the militants. It will create the right kind of deterrence against the militants", he said.

He said the PAF’s operations in the north have brought significant pressure to bear on Taliban militants, who were on the advance until the recent military campaign in Swat began reversing the tide.

"They [Taliban militants] never see us on the ground. The only time they find out that an aircraft has struck is when the bomb explodes on them. It creates a great psychological impact", he said.

Replying to a question, Rao Qamar went on to say, the PAF was focused on enemy air forces. We remained focused on enemy land forces and enemy air forces and, therefore, we were preparing ourselves to fight against organized modern air forces and against modern armies.

"We never thought we would be required to fight against militants or be involved in counter-insurgency operations. When we started this [counter-insurgency], we had to learn while on the job. We had to re-orient our thinking, we had to refine our ... existing SOPs [standard operating procedures] and we had to develop new SOPs for this kind of warfare. However, we did that very quickly", he said.

The recent operation has led the PAF to identify new areas for development, such as acquiring more precision-guided bombs, enhanced night precision attack capabilities and the capability to monitor communications and track the movement of militants, he said.

The PAF’s other, already established, requirements include the development of the JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft, co-produced with China, he said.

The PAF plans to eventually induct up to 250 JF-17 fighters, making the aircraft the backbone of its inventory, he said, adding that, the first ’fully made in Pakistan’ JF-17 is expected to be produced by the end of this year at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) in Kamra, north of Islamabad. However, there is still a requirement for a more advanced fighter aircraft, as the PAF prepares to counter the future edge that may be acquired by the IAF once it completes the planned purchase of 126 multirole combat aircraft (MRCAs), he said.

"We knew about this requirement of the Indian Air Force for 126 latest-generation fighter aircraft. Yes, it is an alarming development because when they get 126 such capable aircraft, then we also need to have something matching to counter that threat," ACM Qamar said.

Replying to a question, he said, the PAF has finalized the technical proposal for the FC-20 and informed the Chinese of its requirements.

"[The technical proposal] is more or less finalized now. There are some changes that are required, which [the Chinese] are making," he said.

The next stage of the contract will involve financial negotiations between China and Pakistan, he said. Air Chief Marshall Qamar believes that, following the signing of a contract, it will take two to two-and-a-half years before the first FC-20 aircraft is received.

Rao Qamar Suleman answering to a question said the PAF has also signed a contract for the purchase of four Chinese airborne early warning and control aircraft. The first of these is due to arrive in 2011 and the remaining three will be delivered in 2012.

http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=149974