Egypt in talks with Pakistan for joint production of JF-17 Thunder

Egypt in talks with Pakistan for joint production of JF-17 Thunder

Cairo is in talks with Pakistan to begin joint production of JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft, Jane's understands from Egyptian defence industry sources.Even as the talks continued regarding JF-17 assembly in Egypt, however, the US Department of Defense announced on 2 March that an initial contract worth some USD213 million had been finalised with Lockheed Martin for Egypt's procurement of additional F-16C/D multirole fighters.If the deal for the single-engine JF-17 is approved, Egypt would become the first export client for the aircraft. The Pakistan Air Force formally inducted the type into service in February. While the number of aircraft Egypt plans to acquire has not been revealed, the inclusion of local assembly in the deal suggests that the contract would be for at least 48 JF-17s.

 Arab Security Blog: Egypt in talks with Pakistan for joint production of JF-17 Thunder

Egyptian Air Force 'Very Interested' in the JF-17 Thunder

Commander of the Egyptian Air Force (EFE),  Air Marshal Reda Mahmoud Hafez Mohamed has visited the JF-17 Thunder Fighter jet at the static display. The JF-17 Thunder has been developed jointly by the Pakistan and China as an affordable 4th generation aircraft.

Taking to the media personal at the Dubai Air Show, Air Marshal Reda Mahmoud Hafez Mohamed has said that Egyptian Air Force is 'very interested' in the JF-17 Thunder and one of the EFE pilot has already flown on the flight simulator.

Last year, Janes Defence Weekly had reported that the Egyptian Air Force is closely following the development of the JF-17 Thunder and has launched negotiations with Pakistan & China to discuss the the possibility of licensed production of light weight fighter jet in Egypt.

Egyptian Air Force already operates K-8 Karakorum intermediate jet trainer which was also jointly develoed by the Pakistan and China.Pakistan Air Force is looking to induct over 250 JF-17 Thunders  to replace their ageing fleet of A-5s, F-7 P/MP and Mirages.

Iranian Airforce IRIAF JF-17 Thunder Block II

Officials from Argentine aerospace company Fabrica Argentina de Aviones (FAdeA) told IHS Jane's at the 2013 Paris Air Show they have had multiple discussions with Chinese officials over potential co-production of the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) FC-1/JF-17 multirole combat aircraft.

I meant Iran . yeah .
Read more: http://www.terminalx.org/2013/06/argentine-officials-confirm-joint-production-talks-over-china-fc1-fighter.html#ixzz2ir2an7kd

JF-17 Thunder Block II jets for Iran

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is looking for buyers for the JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighter jets it has co-produced with China.

An official told Dawn on Saturday that funds generated through the sale of the combat aircraft would be used in efforts to modernise Pakistan Air Force which was already emerging as a potent outfit with the recent induction of force multipliers.

He said that besides Turkey, some countries of the Middle East and Africa were taking keen interest in acquisition of the aircraft.

He said that two JF-17 Thunder aircraft of the PAF, manufactured at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, Kamra, had flown to the United Kingdom to participate in the forthcoming Farnborough Air Show 2010, scheduled to be held between July 19 and 25.

The JF-17 Thunder is an all-weather and multi-role combat aircraft that has potential to be the mainstay of any modern air force.

The sources said the serial production of JF-17 Thunder had already started and ultimately some 250 aircraft would be inducted in the fighter fleet of the PAF.

The first squadron of JF-17 has already joined the fighter fleet and the second squadron will be inducted by the end of the year.

They said the PAF had invested in the force multipliers like air-to-air refuellers, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft to enhance its capacity and capability to undertake complex operations.

He said that efforts to enhance capacity of the PAF would continue in the wake of growing importance of air power which played a vital and decisive role in war situations.

The source observed that participants of the Farnborough Air Show would prove to be a good forum for interacting with people interested in JF-17 Thunder and booking orders for supply of the potent combat aircraft.

The Farnborough International Airshow (FIA) is one of the world’s most iconic global aviation events.

FIA holds a prominent position in the aerospace calendar taking place on a biennial basis (once every two years) over one week in July.

The first five days of the show are traditionally trade days only, followed by a weekend where the exhibition is opened up to the public.

The most recent airshow, FIA 2008, was a record-breaking year for business with $88.7 billion worth of orders announced during the show.

The 2008’s event featured 165 aircraft in static displays and spectacular flying displays and the public weekend attracted a staggering 153,000 visitors. The upcoming Farnborough International Airshow is certain to be the most exciting to date.

With its existing exhibition halls, flying displays and UAV pavilion, FIA 2010 will evolve its business theme to include a number of new networking initiatives such as a themed conference and seminar programme, a ‘meet your buyer’ event and a day dedicated to the International Futures for Youth.

Additionally, FIA 2010 will feature a dedicated ‘Space Zone’ and enhanced UAV presence.

Vintage JF-17 Thunder in PAF F-104 Starfighter Livery III

Color pic , 3rd in series . blah blah blah . jf17 PAF F104 Star fighter , 1965 september 6th or 7th , blah blah blah .

China Reveals Two-seat FC-1/JF-17 at Paris Airshow

First delivered in 2007, the Chengdu FC-1 Xiaolong (Fierce Dragon) is a Chinese multirole fighter designed solely for export. The first and so far only customer is Pakistan – which calls it the JF-17 Thunder and is manufacturing it under license – although several other countries have expressed interest.
China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corp. is showing, at the Paris air show a two-seat version of the FC-1, presumed to be for pilot conversion training.
China and Pakistan are accustomed to employing dissimilar types of trainers for frontline aircraft: Witness FT-6s for the A-5 “Fantan” attacker. In recent years, however, the logic for a more representative trainer has become stronger.
Pakistani JF-17s have appeared statically at Farnborough and flown at the Dubai air show, but Le Bourget visitors will have to be satisfied with a model of the new version. There is no evidence that a tandem-seat FC-1 has flown . (phsssss)

Vintage JF-17 Thunder in PAF F-104 Starfighter Livery - II

1965 Pakistan-India War

During the 1965 War, PAF was forced to rely on its small force of F-104A   Starfighters as high altitude interceptors and in its night fighting   role, using the radar of its AN/ASG-14T1 fire-control system, in   conjunction with Sidewinder air-to-air missiles.  

After 1 September, the F-104s were extremely active in Air Defence and   Air Superiority Operations, but of the 246 missions flown by F-104s   during hostilities, 42 were at night against the IAF Canberras. The   rudimentary fire-control radar met the Soviet high altitude bomber   threat of the Cold War era for which it was designed but it could not   illuminate small targets against ground clutter. The standard high speed   intercept tactic employed by PAF’s F-104 pilots was to approach their   targets from below, with a typical height differential of 2-3,000 feet,   against a target they wished to acquire at a range of 10-15 kilomenters.   This limitation was well known to the Canberra jet bomber pilots of IAF   who attacked targets in Pakistan during the 1965 war. They adopted a   standard hi-lo-hi profile to minimize the threat of interception. During   most of their inbound and outbound flight over Pakistani territory the IAF Canberras would stay below about 1000 feet during their approach and   exit phases. This posed a difficult night intercept problem. The PAF’s   F-104s had in these circumstances to be used in an unconventional   low-altitude intercept profile that severely challenged the capabilities of its airborne radar. To pick up the low flying bombers on their scope   the F-104 pilots had to get down to about 300-500 feet above the ground   to point their radars upward and clear of ground clutter at the enemy   bombers. The problem was aggravated by the Canberra’s tail warning audio   alarm that would go off the moment an F-104 got to a near astern position, and enable the bomber to take timely evasive action to shake   off its pursuer.  

The F-104s were highly dreaded by the Indian Air Force (IAF). On 3rd September, 1965, even before the War began, an Indian Gnat surrendered to an F-104 which forced it to land at the abandoned airfield of Pasrur (in Pakistan). Its pilot Squadron Leader Brijpal Singh Sikand became a   POW.  

On 6 September, two Starfighters were sent on dawn patrol from   Sargodha. They were vectored by Sakesar Radar towards 4 IAF Mysteres   engaged in bomb and rocket attacks against a stationary passenger train   at Gakkhar railway station. One of the F-104 pilots was forced to return   to base with a radio failure but the other pilot, Flight Lieutenant   Aftab Alam Khan dived his F-104 with full after burners, going supersonically through the Mysteres formation which promptly scattered. The Indian aircraft tried to escape at about 50 feet above the ground   but they were no match for the Starfighter. Aftab destroyed one Mysteres with his Sidewinder missile thus achieving one of the world’s   first air victories by a mach 2 combat aircraft.  

The other F-104 pilot, Flight Lieutenant Amjad Khan, who had missed his chance the previous day, made amends on 7 September. He was scrambled in   an F-104 at about 05:15 hours and directed by Sakesar radar towards an   incoming raid at Sargodha. He made visual contact with the IAF   Mysteres and headed towards them. By the time he caught up with them,   the Indian aircraft were 6-8 miles away from Sargodha, flying at 150-200 feet on a south-easterly heading towards India. As the Mysteres jettisoned their drop tanks, Flight Lieutenant Amjad Hussain positioned   himself behind one of them and released a GAR-8 missile, which went   straight into the ground. The Mystere then began to dogfight with the   Starfighter, which used its superior climb and acceleration to lift the   combat from ground level to about 7,000 feet to gain room for manoeuvre. Hussain fired his cannons and was delighted to see the shell hit the   Mystere. The Mystere pilot showed commendable courage in staying   with the F-104, and despite being mortally wounded, scored several cannon strikes on the Starfighter. Flight Lieutenant Amjad Hussain   managed to eject safely and reached his Base. This was the first and   only Starfighter to be lost through enemy action in the 1965 war. The   Indian pilot Squadron Leader A.B. Devayya was posthumously awarded the   Maha Vir Chakra in 1988, twenty three years after the war, when Indian   authorities learnt of the IAF pilot’s valour through an account of the   encounter published in John Fricker’s book Battle for Pakistan,   published in 1978.  

On 21 September, Squadron Leader Jamal A Khan, intercepted an Indian Air   Force Canberra at about 33,000 feet and shot it down with a Sidewinder near Fazilka, inside Pakistani territory. The bomber’s pilot, Flight   Lieutenant Manmohan Lowe ejected and was made POW while its navigator,   Flying Officer A K Kapor could not bail out and was killed in action.   The British made Canberra, unlike its American counterpart the Martin   B-57, had no ejection seat for the navigator. This was the first kill   achieved by an F-104 at night after a number of near misses due to   factors described earlier.

F-104s were also used during 1965 for low level, daylight reconnaissance   missions over the IAF air bases. The speed of the Starfighter gave the   Indians no time to react. The F-104s were also employed as escorts for   the slow Lockheed RT-33 reconnaissance fighters on photographic missions   deep into Indian territory, the presence of Starfighters virtually   guaranteeing that no air opposition would be encountered. Six F-104   pilots received gallantry awards during the 1965 War.