UK writer’s book on PAF’s history launched in Capital: Daily Times

* Pictorial ‘The Pakistan Air Force 1998-2008: A New Dawn’ highlights achievements

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on Tuesday launched a book titled ‘The Pakistan Air Force 1998-2008: A New Dawn’, authored by UK-based journalist Alan Warnes, at PAF Complex, Air Headquarters.

A large number of PAF officials, foreigners and diplomats attended the book launch ceremony, outgoing Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed being chief guest.

This is a pictorial book, highlighting achievements of PAF. The author and photographer Alan Warnes captured different fighter jets on camera. Different photographs were taken during Kargil war and others showed the age of counterterrorism (2001-2008), women in PAF, different air bases, monouvering aircrafts etc.

Speaking on the occasion, Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Ahmed said launch of the book was an idea of Air Commodore Sarfraz and the author. “It’s a wonderful job done by Alan. I’m going home and will definitely thoroughly go through this book,” he said.

“For common man, this book got to be a colourful and interesting because all photographs tell you everything in a flash of time,” Ahmed said.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: UK writer’s book on PAF’s history launched in Capital: Daily Times

Pakistan receives 8 Chinese-made jet trainers: Times of India

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's air force said it took delivery of an additional eight Chinese-made jet trainers on Friday, underscoring the close military ties between the two countries.

The planes — known as Hongdu JL-8s in China and Karakoram K-8P trainers in Pakistan, were formally handed over at an unidentified Pakistani air force base, according to a statement from the air force public relations office.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan receives 8 Chinese-made jet trainers: Times of India

PAF acquires 12 unmanned aerial vehicles: Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) has handed over one dozen Predator-type unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), PAC Chairman Air Marshal Khalid Chaudhry said on Thursday. 

He said Pakistan had acquired the capability to manufacture UAVs and had initiated indigenous production. 

For more on this article, please click on the following link: PAF acquires 12 unmanned aerial vehicles: Daily Times

Pak, Indian air forces step-up surveillance flight: Online News

LAHORE/NEW DELHI: Pakistan Air Force (PAF) jet fighters continued flying over the skies for the second consecutive day on Tuesday for protection of eastern border while Indian air forces have also stepped up flights along Pakistan border.

According to the details, 4 jetfighters equipped with extra-fuel tanks kept taking rounds of Lahore air space on Tuesday morning for surveillance.

PAF F-16 fighters and Miraj jet left Sargodha Air Base and landed at the Lahore air base after hovering over areas of Lahore for about 8 minutes. The jetfighters also made to and for surveillance flight from Sargodha to Lahore.

The people witnessing the jet-speeding fighters happily waved and welcomed the ever-eagle ’Shaheens’ and voiced slogans in support of the motherland. The people especially elders having tears in their eyes also shouted slogans "Allah-o-Akbar" "Allah-o-Akbar".

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pak, Indian air forces step-up surveillance flight: Online News

Pakistan Gets Aerial Refueling: Strategy Page

December 9, 2008: Pakistan has received the first two of four Il-78 aerial refueling aircraft from Ukraine. The Il-78 is a modified Russian Il-76 transport. The tanker version can carry 105 tons of fuel. This will give Pakistan its first aerial refueling capability.

Meanwhile, the pioneer in aerial refueling, and largest practitioner, the U.S., is still trying to select a new aerial tanker. The chief competitors are the U.S. made KC-767, which has already been sold to Italy and Japan this year. The KC-767 is based on the Boeing 767-200 airliner, which sells for about $120 million. The 767 has been in service since 1982, and over 800 have been manufactured so far. Boeing developed the KC-767, at a cost of nearly a billion dollars, on its own. Boeing also developed the original KC-135 tanker in the 1950s, and has since built over 2,000 aerial tankers.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan Gets Aerial Refueling: Strategy Page

Pakistan develops impressive UAV capabilities: Domain-b

Pakistan has developed an impressive capability to design and build drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), some of which are being used to spy on al Qaeda and Taliban militants and listen in on their phone calls. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) currently fields two UAV squadrons and has plans to boost the number up to six.

In addition to the Bravo+ UAV, which, according to PAF chief Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed, has been built indigenously, the air force will also receive the Falco UAV produced by SelexGalileo of Italy. The two systems will be used mainly for aerial reconnaissance and information gathering, although the PAF will later also induct UAVs equipped with weapon systems to carry out offensive operations.

"This capability we are developing fairly rapidly; we are becoming mature. It is part of our operations now and I look forward to seeing this in real operations by [the] beginning [of] 2009," said ACM Tanvir Ahmed.

Meanwhile, Pakistani sources said that in the current war against terror al-Qaida and Taliban fighters not only use mobile and satellite phones for communication, but also sophisticated military radios. This has led to the development of SIGINT [signals intelligence] capabilities for small drones and robotic blimps by companies like EastWest Infiniti aimed at capturing such conversations.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan develops impressive UAV capabilities: Domain-b

Lockheed to supply F-16, C-130, P 3 Orion to Pakistan: APP

KARACHI, Nov 26 (APP) - Lockheed Martin, USA will supply upgraded F-16 jets, C-130 transport planes and P 3 Orion surveillance aircraft to Pakistan armed forces. This was stated by President Lockheed Martin, Middle East and Africa, Gen (rtd) James Jamerson in an interview here Wednesday.

To a question, he said that he had meetings with top officials of Ministry of Defence, Chief of Naval Staff and Air Chief of Pakistan Air Force.

“I have discussed with the Naval Chief the Orion aircraft up-gradation project,” he said mentioning that Orion aircraft were being upgraded for Pakistan Navy in the United States and they will soon come to Pakistan.

Regarding the supply of F-16 jets, he said that these fighters were upgraded and overhauled in Pakistan as well as in USA.
“We are also supplying equipment and parts to Pakistan for F-16s overhauled in Pakistan. Similarly, we are also upgrading F-16s in USA for supply to Pakistan,” said the Lockheed Martin President.

James said that his company was also upgrading a number of C-130 for Pakistan Air Force in USA.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Lockheed to supply F-16, C-130, P 3 Orion to Pakistan: APP

Pakistan Air Force prepares to induct UAVs into service: Janes

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) will formally induct unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into service for the first time in 2009, the chief of the PAF has told Jane's.

This comes five years after the PAF launched a programme to acquire UAVs for intelligence-gathering and reconnaissance operations.

In addition to the Bravo+ UAV, which, according to PAF Chief Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed, has been built indigenously, the air force will also receive the Falco UAV produced by Selex Galileo of Italy. The two systems will be used mainly for aerial reconnaissance and information gathering, although the PAF will later also induct UAVs equipped with weapon systems to carry out offensive operations.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan Air Force prepares to induct UAVs into service: Janes

Pakistan can stop drone raids: air force chief: Reuters

By Zeeshan Haider

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's air force is fully capable of stopping missile strikes by pilotless U.S. drones but it is up to the government to decide whether to do that, the air force chief said on Tuesday.

U.S. forces in Afghanistan have carried out at least 26 air strikes by unmanned aircraft on militant targets in northwest Pakistan this year, according to a Reuters tally, more than half since the start of September.

Pakistan supports the U.S.-led campaign against militancy but does not allow foreign troops or strikes inside its territory. It says the attacks violate its sovereignty and undermine efforts to deal with militancy by inflaming public anger.

The attacks put pressure on the civilian government to stand up to the United States and opposition parties have been critical of the government's failure to stop the strikes.
Air force chief Air Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed said it was up to the government to decide whether to stop such strikes through diplomatic and political means or by force.

"The air force is ready for any type of air defense," Ahmed told reporters, referring to various types of unmanned aircraft.

"First this nation, you people, our parliament, our government, has to debate how we have to engage the foreign UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). Whether we have to engage them diplomatically and politically to resolve it or engage them militarily," he said.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Pakistan can stop drone raids: air force chief: Reuters

US grants Pak F-16 upgrade funds: Economic Times

WASHINGTON: The Bush administration has cleared the transfer of $227 million of foreign military funds (FMF) to Pakistan for its F-16s mid-life update programme, despite opposition to it from two Congressional leaders. 

According to a newspaper, the upgraded F-16s and additional funds will be used as a counter insurgency measure in Pakistan's volatile Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA). Earlier, two senior House Members, Howard L Berman, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Nita M Lowey, expressed concern that the proposal would "divert funds from more effective counter-terrorism tools." 

They requested a hold to be placed on the planned reprogramming and proposed that Congress provide 200 million dollars in budgetary support to Pakistan.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: US grants Pak F-16 upgrade funds: Economic Times

US to shift aid to Pakistan fighter jet upgrade: ABC

By Washington correspondent Kim Landers

The United States has confirmed it is shifting hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Pakistan from counter-terrorism programs to upgrading the country's F-16 fighter jets.

The Bush Administration says the F-16s are used in counter-terrorism operations and it is rejecting criticism that Pakistan wants the planes to be upgraded as part of its military rivalry with neighbouring India.

State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos says the upgrade will enhance the US-made fighter jets' ability to strike insurgents accurately.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: US to shift aid to Pakistan fighter jet upgrade: ABC

S Korea to export training aircraft parts to Pakistan: Chinaview.cn

SEOUL, June 18 (Xinhua) -- South Korea has reached a preliminary deal with Pakistan to export 1.3 billion (1.2 million U.S. dollars) worth of parts from decommissioned military training aircraft, the Defense Ministry said.

The agreement between the Air Force officials of the two countries will allow South Korea to export engines and other parts of its T-37 training aircraft, the ministry said in a statement.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: S Korea to export training aircraft parts to Pakistan: Chinaview.cn