2011 ~ INDIAN DEFENSE NEWS

Ukrainian AI-222-25F Turbofan Engine Can Replace Russian RD-93 in JF-17 Fighter Jets

The AI-222-25F develops 9,250 pounds (4,200 kg) of thrust at full afterburner, enabling the 21,550-pound (9,800 kg)-mtow L-15 LIFT twinjet to accelerate to Mach 1.6. At a price of $10 million, the Chinese aircraft is expected to sell well in international markets. The LIFT version can potentially carry air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons.

Progress general designer Igor Kravchenko told AIN that the AI-222-25F is the first-ever Ukrainian engine to be fitted with an afterburner. “With its development, Progress has mastered reheat technologies, which we are now seeking to apply on a fighter engine in the class of thrust up to 44,000 pounds [20 tonnes],” he said.

Israeli military conducted a successful launch of Jericho-3 ICBM. The test was carried out at the Palmahim air base. At the same time, officials with Israel Defense Forces said that they had conducted the tests of a new missile engine in the morning of November 2.

According to publications in the media, the three-stage missile is capable of delivering a 750-kilo warhead to a distance of more than 10,000 kilometers. If the reports are true to fact, then it means that the missile can reach such cities as Tokyo and New York. The distance between these two cities and Tel Aviv makes up a bit more than 9,000 kilometers.

According to Western sources, Israel passed the Jericho-3 missile into service in 2008. However, the work on the project still continues.

According to the publication, the takeoff weight of the missile makes up 29 tons. The missile is 15.5 meters long. The Report says that in addition to the 750-kilo nuclear warhead, a Jericho-3 is capable of carrying multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles.

A modernized A-50U airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft entered service with the Russian Air Force on Monday, an AF spokesman said.

The aircraft has an advanced onboard computer, satellite communication and radar systems, Col. Vladimir Drik said.

It now has the capability to detect various types of flying targets, including helicopters, cruise missiles and supersonic aircraft, he said.

The Beriev A-50, based on the Ilyushin Il-76 transport, first flew in 1978. It entered service in 1984, with about 40 produced by 1992.

The United Kingdom is set to resist any plans by European leaders to relax arms sales restrictions against China in return for Chinese financial assistance in the eurozone crisis, it has been reported.

An arms sales ban was put in place in Europe after China used military force against protesters in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, in 1989.

Now Europe finds itself in continued financial difficulty and the European Union is looking to leverage its bail-out fund to €1tn with the help of investment from cash-rich emerging economies such as China.

Before the eurozone crisis deepened, European leaders were publicly considering lifting the ban, along with other restrictions. In January, EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton suggested the EU "should discuss its [the embargo's] practical implication and design a way forward".

At the time, Downing Street said the time was "not right" for the lifting of the ban and Foreign Secretary William Hague is once again said to be prepared to resist any such move.

China has ordered 250 AI-222-25F turbofans from the Ukraine to power production versions of the Hongdu L-15 advanced jet trainer. The –25F is an afterburning version of the AI-222 that was first flown on the Lead-In Fighter Trainer (LIFT) version of the L-15 in October 2010.

The original AI-222 was developed by the Ivchenko Progress design bureau at Zaporozhye for the Russian Yak-130 jet trainer, and was then fitted to three of the four L-15 prototypes. The new order suggests that China will not put the basic version of the L-15 into production.

The AI-222-25F develops 9,250 pounds (4,200 kg) of thrust at full afterburner, enabling the 21,550-pound (9,800 kg)-mtow L-15 LIFT twinjet to accelerate to Mach 1.6. At a price of $10 million, the Chinese aircraft is expected to sell well in international markets. The LIFT version can potentially carry air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons.

The engines will be manufactured at the main Motor Sich factory, also in Zaporozhye. Some components will be provided by Moscow-based Salut, which manufactures the AI-222 for the Yak-130. Deliveries will begin later this year, and are due to be completed by 2015.

Progress general designer Igor Kravchenko told AIN that the AI-222-25F is the first-ever Ukrainian engine to be fitted with an afterburner. “With its development, Progress has mastered reheat technologies, which we are now seeking to apply on a fighter engine in the class of thrust up to 44,000 pounds [20 tonnes],” he said. In its primary 22,000-pound (10-tonne) version, this engine could replace Russia’s Klimov RD-93 on the FC-1 and its Pakistan air force version the JF-17 Thunder.

After third successful launch of the hypersonic missile ” Shourya “, DRDO is all set to start production of the missiles . Shourya which is a land-variant of India’s K-15 missile which is a Submarine launched missile iscurrently been fitted into the Navy’s nuclear-powered submarine, Arihant.

While the development work of Shourya is almost over and the missile is all set to enter production , focus now has shifted to another Submarine launched missile which has been under development for a while . K-4 which will be a modified Agni-III ,with range of 3000 km and been in development for a while , will see renewed pace in its development .

DRDO has not confirmed or denied existence of K-4 missile in media , but sources have confirmed about its existence , while K-4 is still under development and first test will not be held soon , instead DRDO want to carry out further test of K-15 to validate test parameters for a under launched platform .

In past Indian navy had refused to loan a Diesel Kilo Class submarine to DRDO for modification and testing of K-15 missile due to shortage of submarines in Indian navy . but media reports indicate that DRDO secretly tested the missile from a submerged canister in 2006 period , but DRDO have never cleared this reports .

F-18 Super Hornet

U.S. planemaker Boeing said local defence contractors might build F/A 18 Super Hornets under licence if Japan chose to buy the next-generation fighter jet.

The comment came after the U.S. aerospace giant, along with Lockheed Martin and a consortium of European countries, submitted bids to produce Japan's next mainstay combat aircraft in a deal that could be worth up to $8 billion.

Japan, which is facing a resurgent China and its growing military as well as threats from North Korea, plans to decide this year how it will replace its current fleet of ageing F-4 Phantom fighters with about 40 new combat airplanes.

Phillip Mills, Director of Boeing's Japan FX Capture Team, said Japanese makers could supply about three quarters of Super Hornet components if Japan opted for the fighter jet.

There has been great interest in how much of next-generation fighter jet-related jobs will be outsourced to the Japanese industry, which has been battered by gradual but consistent shrinkage of the defence budget.

"If you came to the Boeing production line, everything you saw Boeing doing in St Louis would be available or is available for Japan industry to do," Mills told Reuters in an interview.

Spada-2000

Former ISI chief lt gen (retd) Hameed Gul has said that the time has come when the government should tell the US clearly that it should not try to take revenge of failure in Afghanistan from Pakistan, adding that Pakistan Air Force had put its defence system on red alert on Sunday night due to US flights on Pak-Afghan border.

General Hameed Gul said that recent incidents clarify that the Pak-US relations cannot remain at that level where were in Musharraf era, adding that every leader of Pakistan says that we don not accept America as our Master, and this is the voice of whole nation.

He said that it is time to say US that we are not like Cambodia, we are a nuclear state. “It is time to say that if you would do this than we response in this way,” he added.

China Railway

After the telecom and power sector being benefited from Chinese supplies of instruments, India is contemplating leveraging Chinese experience through a “potential cooperation” in the railway sector.

The two countries are slated to share their experience in expansion and management of railway network during the first two-day India-China Strategic Economic Dialogue, starting in Beijing on Monday. In fact, the chairman of the Railway Board will be accompanying the Indian delegation, led by Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

The Chinese side will be led by Zhang Ping, the chairman of China’s National Development and Reform Commission.

“Discussions during the 1st Strategic Economic Dialogue will focus on plan formulation and implementation in India and China, the global economic outlook, efficient use of water resources, energy efficiency and pricing and potential cooperation in the railway sector,” said a communique issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.

China's new aircraft carrier Shi Lang is planning to serve in the South China Sea by the next Army Day, a military source said.

The vessel will be under direct command of the country's Central Military Commission.

"An aircraft carrier is the mark of major powers," said General Qiao Liang, a military expert.

The vessel will largely expand the combat radius, raising the country's offshore comprehensive combat capabilities beyond the first island chain. Qiao said that air domination is the prerequisite of naval warfare, especially for the remote areas away from the heartland. As a result, there is no alternative for the vessel's leadership.

Rather than an armament used in actual combat, the aircraft carrier is now more a strategic weapon. Its combat function ended as the Second World War was over.

DRDO officials say the Kaveri aero-engine, which incidentally is over 22 years in the making by now with a sanctioned cost of Rs 2,893 crore, can power unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) because they "do not require the kind of higher thrust" needed for the indigenous Tejas LCA (light combat aircraft).

"Nine prototypes of Kaveri engine and four prototypes of Kaveri Core (Kabini) engines have been developed with over 2,000 hours of testing...the engine is proven with almost 80 kilonewtons (kN) of thrust now, which is enough for our UCAVs (Tejas requires 90 kN)," said an official.

This comes even as DRDO has now begun preliminary work on developing stealth UCAVs, under the secretive 'autonomous unmanned research aircraft' programme. This UCAV will weigh less than 15 tonnes, fly at altitudes of 30,000 feet and fire missiles and bombs with precision, as earlier reported by TOI.

DRDO has also come up with a modified Kaveri version, by "designing a free-power turbine to generate shaft power", for propulsion of warships. The Navy, as per DRDO, has shown "a lot of interest" in the engine which has a 12 MW power output.

Turkey has signed a government-to-government deal with the United States to buy six Boeing-made CH-47 heavy-lift military transport helicopters, the first such weapons in its inventory, a senior procurement official said over the weekend.

The deal is worth up to $400 million, the official said.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency, or DSCA, the Pentagon’s body coordinating weapons sales, notified the U.S. Congress of a potential sale of a total of 14 CH-47F heavy-lift helicopters for $1.2 billion in December 2009. Congress gave permission for the sale later that month.

Because of financial constraints, however, the Undersecretariat for the Defense Industry, or SSM, Turkey’s procurement agency, later wanted to buy only six CH-47Fs, five for the Army and one for the Special Forces Command, leaving a decision on the remaining eight platforms for the future. Contract negotiations between the SSM, the U.S. government and Boeing were launched last year.

Russia T-50 Stealth Fighter To Make Its International Debut At MAKS 2011

T-50 stealth fighter jointly

financed by Russia and India will make its first international public appearance at the MAKS airshow which went underway in Moscow, where Moscow unveiled its newest space shuttle, armed drones and a new range of upgraded weapons.

Two prototypes of the single seater jet, estimated to cost USD 6 billion, are expected to fly over Zhukovsky air field on the outskirts of Moscow.

"The co-development projects of the two countries will remain centerpiece of the Russian aviation industry", declared Mikhail Pogosyan, President of the United Aircraft Corporation, makers of the aircraft.

Chen Bingde, visiting chief of the General Staff of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), pledged Sunday to lift the friendly ties between the Chinese and Israeli militaries to a new level during a meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

Chen Bingde, visiting chief of the General Staff of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), shakes hands with Israel's Defence Minister Ehud Barak in Tel Aviv August 14, 2011.

A deepening Sino-Israeli cooperation is contributing to regional peace and stability, Chen said, stressing the relationship between the two countries' armies is developing in recent years.

This is the first car designed to be mass produced by Saudi Arabia I was waiting for the time where I would show case it when it officially launches about a year or two from now but I said blah what the hell I will do it now anyways and do it again when the commercials start rolling.

Despite budget woes, the military is preparing for a conflict with our biggest rival -- and we should be worried

This summer, despite America’s continuing financial crisis, the Pentagon is effectively considering trading two military quagmires for the possibility of a third. Reducing its commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan as it refocuses on Asia, Washington is not so much withdrawing forces from the Persian Gulf as it is redeploying them for a prospective war with its largest creditor, China.

According to the defense trade press, Pentagon officials are seeking ways to adapt a concept known as AirSea Battle specifically for China, debunking rote claims from Washington that it has no plans to thwart its emerging Asian rival. A recent article in Inside the Pentagon reported that a small group of U.S. Navy officers known as the China Integration Team "is hard at work applying the lessons of [AirSea Battle] to a potential conflict with China."

WASHINGTON — The United States said Wednesday it would like China to explain why it needs an aircraft carrier amid broader US concerns about Beijing's lack of transparency over its military aims.

"We would welcome any kind of explanation that China would like to give for needing this kind of equipment," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters when asked whether the carrier would raise regional tensions.

"This is part of our larger concern that China is not as transparent as other countries. It's not as transparent as the United States about its military acquisitions, about its military budget," she said.

"And we'd like to have the kind of open, transparent relationship in military-to-military affairs," Nuland said.

"In our military-to-military relations with many countries around the world, we have the kind of bilateral dialogue where we can get quite specific about the equipment that we have and its intended purposes and its intended movements," she said.

Taliban who shot at a US military helicopter which crashed, leaving 38 American and Afghan troops dead, have been killed, a US commander has said.

General John Allen, US forces commander in Afghanistan, said those responsible had been targeted in an air strike.

Separately, Nato said in a statement the strike had killed Taliban leader Mullah Mohibullah and the insurgent who fired at the helicopter.

The dead included Navy Seals, US Air Force personnel and other groups.

Many of those killed in Saturday's crash were members of Seal Team Six, the elite special forces unit whose members undertook the May raid into Pakistan that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.

"The strike killed Taliban leader Mullah Mohibullah and the insurgent who fired the shot associated with the August 6th downing of the CH-47 helicopter," the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) statement said.

Earlier this month, yet another Russian-origin MIG-21 fighter crashed in the desert state of Rajasthan, killing a young trainee pilot and once more underlining what is perhaps the worst crash rate of any combat aircraft in operation anywhere in the world.

Not for nothing, the aircraft have been dubbed flying coffins. But in a bigger sense, their continued use is a depressing reflection on India’s slow and torturous defense modernization process to procure new fighter jets.

The elderly MIGs have formed the backbone of the Indian Air Force’s air strike capability for almost five decades, since the days when India led the world’s non-aligned movement and bought most of its military equipment from the Soviet Union, which disintegrated, leaving the Indian air force with a scarcity of spare parts. Technical snags and shoddy servicing also have resulted in many MIGs going down, killing pilots and severely disabling the Indian Air Force’s attack capability.

According to official figures, of the 793 MiG-21s inducted into the India Air Force since 1963, more than 350 have been lost in accidents, killing about 170 pilots. A recent report by the defense ministry has acknowledged that most of the MIG crashes have been attributed to outdated technology that relies on manual judgment rather than computer-driven, automated responses that more modern aircraft feature.

Gearing up soldiers for future warfare, the Indian Army feels there is an "urgent need" to replace the indigenously developed and manufactured INSAS series of rifles.

"There is an urgent need to develop rifles, carbines and light machine guns of 5.56mm calibre to replace the existing INSAS class of weapons," it said in the Defence Ministry?s ?Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap? document.

The INSAS rifles, designed by the DRDO, were inducted into the Armed forces in the 90s and have been used in the Kargil war and counter-insurgency operations also.

India will get lightweight anti-submarines torpedoes to arm the eight P-8I maritime patrol aircraft it is buying from the US, with the Obama administration notifying the potential sale to the US Congress on Tuesday.

The news was welcomed by the US embassy in New Delhi, which said the sale of Mk-54 torpedoes reflects the mutual benefits of the India-US security relationship.

The Pentagon has "officially notified" the potential sale of Mk-54 lightweight torpedoes to the Indian Navy.

The Mk-54 is the most advanced lightweight torpedo in the US Navy inventory and is intended to be employed with the P-8I maritime patrol aircraft, eight of which are currently under construction for India by US aerospace major Boeing.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has decided to add more lethality to its advanced jet fighters by complimenting them with stand-off missiles. A request for information (RFI) to global firms has been sent for stand-off missiles fitted with light warheads which can target enemy planes.
A stand-off missile is a ballistic missile which can be launched at a distance sufficient to allow attacking personnel to evade defensive fire from the target area.

According to IAF, these stand-off missiles can be very lethal when linked with airborne early warning and control systems (AWACS) that provide inputs on enemy missiles and aircraft beyond visual range. Since IAF has AWACS capability, the addition of stand-off missiles will give a decisive edge to the forces. They will be fired from beyond visual range and will enable the security of the fighter jets by remaining out of the offensive range of the enemy aircraft.

Indian air force official have Said that , “IAF never ever considered nor did Russians ever presented any proposal on it ” has quoted by a serving IAF official when asked on rumors of India’s interest in PAK-DA development or purchase .

PAK DA (or PAK-DA), is a next generation strategic bomber which is being developed by Russia. It stands for Perspektivnyi Aviatsionnyi Kompleks Dalney Aviatsyi which means Future Air Complex for Strategic Air Forces. The PAK DA is going to be heavily based on Russia’s current supersonic bomber Tupolev Tu-160 and is expected to have it’s maiden flight by 2015. and enter service by 2020-25 time frame .

Russia will finalize the sale of 34 transportation helicopters to China by August, the Interfax news agency reported Friday.

The Mi-171 helicopters are being built in a plant in Russia's Buryat republic. The plant is a part of the Russian Helicopters holding.

The plant's CEO, Leonid Belykh, said the contract for building the helicopters was signed in 2010.

"This is not the first and hopefully not the last contract with our Chinese partners," he said.

Belykh said that Russian helicopter builders have been gradually shifting their cooperation with China from direct shipment to joint projects.

France has said that delay in the Scorpene submarine project was because of inadequate infrastructure at Mumbai shipyard and price negotiations with India.

French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet, who was on a two-day visit to India, however, said there would not be any more delays in the Scorpene project as modernisation efforts at Mumbai shipyard have started showing results.

"This delay is the price to be paid by India to become autonomous in manufacturing the most modern submarines in the world... The modernisation effort (at Mumbai Shipyard) is showing results and we have good reasons to believe that there would not be more delays," Longuet said.

He was replying to a query on the progress made by both the countries in the construction of six Scorpene submarines.

The first Airbus Military A330 MRTT new
generation tanker/transport for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has left Madrid at and will reach the Australia on Monday.

Designated as KC-30A in RAAF service, the aircraft is scheduled to arrive at RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland on Monday 30 May.

On its ferry flight, the A330 MRTT is being flown by Airbus Military and RAAF crews, and will transit via McCarran (Nevada) and Hickam (Hawaii) in the USA.

China has officially put the United States on notice that Washington’s planned attack on Pakistan will be interpreted as an act of aggression against Beijing. This blunt warning represents the first known strategic ultimatum received by the United States in half a century, going back to Soviet warnings during the Berlin crisis of 1958-1961, and indicates the grave danger of general war growing out of the US-Pakistan confrontation.

“Any Attack on Pakistan Would be Construed as an Attack on China”

Responding to reports that China has asked the US to respect Pakistan’s sovereignty in the aftermath of the Bin Laden operation, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu used a May 19 press briefing to state Beijing’s categorical demand that the “sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan must be respected.” According to Pakistani diplomatic sources cited by the Times of India, China has “warned in unequivocal terms that any attack on Pakistan would be construed as an attack on China.” This ultimatum was reportedly delivered at the May 9 China-US strategic dialogue and economic talks in Washington, where the Chinese delegation was led by Vice Prime Minister Wang Qishan and State Councilor Dai Bingguo. Chinese warnings are implicitly backed up by that nation’s nuclear missiles, including an estimated 66 ICBMs, some capable of striking the United States, plus 118 intermediate-range missiles, 36 submarine-launched missiles, and numerous shorter-range systems.

Support from China is seen by regional observers as critically important for Pakistan, which is otherwise caught in a pincers between the US and India: “If US and Indian pressure continues, Pakistan can say ‘China is behind us. Don’t think we are isolated, we have a potential superpower with us,’” Talat Masood, a political analyst and retired Pakistani general, told AFP.

The Chinese ultimatum came during the visit of Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani in Beijing, during which the host government announced the transfer of 50 state-of-the-art JF-17 fighter jets to Pakistan, immediately and without cost. Before his departure, Gilani had stressed the importance of the Pakistan-China alliance, proclaiming: “We are proud to have China as our best and most trusted friend. And China will always find Pakistan standing beside it at all times….When we speak of this friendship as being taller than the Himalayas and deeper than the oceans it truly captures the essence of our relationship.” These remarks were greeted by whining from US spokesmen, including Idaho Republican Senator Risch.

Pakistan has been promised an urgent delivery of a fresh batch of 50 advanced multi-role JF-17 Thunder fighter jets by China during the visit last week of Prime Minister Yousuf Gilani to Beijing.

India has officially protested saying this will affect the strategic defense balance in the region. So what’s the fuss all about; why does Pakistan need these planes and why is India alarmed? Contrary to perceptions, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s China visit and the Thunder deal is not an exclusive response to the Osama operation by the US, which has been hailed by New Delhi much to Islamabad’s chagrin.
Pakistan has for years been trying to replace its ageing F-16s fleet of 40 fighter jets that it secured in the 1980s from the US, about a dozen of which are out of service. The urge to augment its air muscle by Pakistan is also a response to India’s ambitious plan to purchase a staggering 1,500 combat planes over a 10-year period that began in 2005. As part of this plan, India this month moved closer to clinch the biggest fighter aircraft deal of the world in 20 years which will cost over $10bn and secure India about 125 fourth generation multi-role combat jets. Half of these will reportedly be based in India’s western sector (read Pakistan-specific). These will be European jets, not American F-16s, which were surprisingly rejected from the tripartite race involving American F-16, French Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon.

The countdown has started for the first flight of Arikopter's prototype which is designed by Istanbul Tech. University and built by TUSAS (TAI), under the support of State Planning Organization.

.... " Since the start, the project has been a subjact for 15 international articles, over a 100 international reports and 40 Master's thesis. A team of 60 people have worked on it since it started in 2002 by ITU.

... It is to be completed next year. The integration of main and infrastructure to the body frame are being carried on in TUSAS at the moment. Transmision ground test are to be started next month in Istanbul. After completing the certification period, the helicopter would be produced for many different utilities, such as education, health, media, business and diplomatic purposes.

The Rafale has cost $53 billion and is the key to France's defense economy, but it's not selling abroad.

The Rafale fighter, made by France's Dassault Aviation, is loaded with high-tech avionics, radar, and targeting systems. Now all it needs are customers. France has been peddling the supersonic jet since 2000 and hasn't sold a single one. In the latest setback, Brazil said on Jan. 17 that it would reopen bidding for a fighter contract worth up to $7 billion—a deal France had thought it was close to sealing last year. Neither Dassault nor the French Defense Ministry would comment on Brazil's decision.

The Rafale's plight signals the end of an era for France. With their Mirage fighter program, developed in the 1950s, the French were able to bolster their national defense, promote new technologies, and provide well-paying jobs—while recouping much of the cost by exporting hundreds of jets worldwide. Hoping to duplicate that model, the French government has spent some $53 billion on the Rafale, more than the country's $40 billion annual defense budget. But deal after deal has fallen through, with prospective buyers South Korea, Singapore, and Morocco choosing Boeing's (BA) F-15 and Lockheed Martin's (LMT) F-16 over the Rafale.

Indian Air Force chief Pradeep Vasant Naik witnessed flight demonstration of 5th Generation fighter aircraft PAK FA along with upgraded Indian air force’s Mig-29UPG .

Event was witnessed by the President of the United Aircraft Corporation, CEO of Sukhoi and RSK MiG Mikhail Pogosyan, the representatives of Rosoboronexport, the Russian Air Force. and the flight demonstration was held at Gromov Flight Research Institute in Moscow .

Pakistan and China have recently concluded a final agreement for the manufacture of a second batch of JF-17s. According to well-vetted sources from Pakdef (Eagle Hannan), these 50 jets are the final form of the JF-17s. The aircraft will be manufactured at Kamra, Pakistan, but will be flown to China for additional work. This work is said to relate to a new generation of avionics and sensor suite.

The Block II JF-17 is believed to have AESA radars similar to those observed on the J-10B. The integrated avionics, sensors and EW suite is entirely Chinese and is believed to be at the level of Europes best planes. The AESA radar is a slightly smaller version of the one being utilized for the J-10B. The radar is highly sophisticated and its installation is beyond the present capacity at PAC Kamra and will thus require the aircraft to take a trip to Nanjing, China.

The Block II will be the standard version to be used in the PAF with the older Block Is to be retired after the end of production for the first 150 aircraft. This suggests that the structural changes needed to convert the Block Is to Block II standard are significant, suggesting considerable changes to the revised edition. The following are believed to be some of the key changes:

China has agreed to expedite the delivery of 50 fighter jets to Pakistan, a Pakistani government minister confirmed on Friday, as Islamabad tries to deepen ties with Beijing as an alternative to increasingly fragile relations with the United States.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has been holding talks with Chinese leaders during a visit that comes as ties with the U.S. have faltered after the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan this month.

Pakistan’s Defense Minister Ahmad Mukhtar told media that his country was aiming to receive “50 aircraft in six months” from China at between $20 million and $25 million per aircraft.

The Wall Street Journal originally quoted an unnamed high-ranking Pakistani Air Force spokesman, in Beijing with Gilani, as saying the jointly developed JF-17 jets would be in addition to another batch of the same aircraft that is currently being assembled in Pakistan.

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