DTN News - MYANMAR DEFENSE NEWS: Myanmar Acquiring License From China To Produce Its Own Xiaolong / JF-17 Fighters

DTN News - MYANMAR DEFENSE NEWS: Myanmar Acquiring License From China To Produce Its Own Xiaolong / JF-17 Fighters

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth 
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - June 25, 2014: The Government of Myanmar is planning to acquire technologies from China and Pakistan to build JF-17 multirole combat aircraft at its own aircraft factory to boost its Air Force.

If JF-17 production is carried out in Myanmar it may induce an arms race with neighbouring countries who would in turn acquire sufficient air defence capabilities of their own. The Royal Thai Air Force already operates 12 Saab JAS 39C/D Gripen’s whilst the Bangladesh Air Force is planning to acquire combat aircraft from China and Russia.

At present the Myanmar Air Force is composed of 23,000 personnel. It is primarily responsible for the air defence of Myanmar and counter insurgency operations in support of the ground forces.

There are 10 operational air bases in Myanmar where its inventory of up to 32 MiG-29B and MiG-29SE’s are stationed along with 25 older F-7M, 21 Nanchang A-5C and a mix of 16 Chinese and Serbian jet trainers used for ground attack roles besides providing pilot training. The air force is also equipped with 9 Mi-35 attack helicopters over 90 transport and utility helicopters. In recent times it acquired Chinese 11 Sky 02A UAV’s to perform basic surveillance missions. Another 24 has been built in-country as Yellow Cat A2. The fixed wing transportation fleet consists of 4 Shaanxi Y-8, 2 Fokker F-27, 2 ATR-72, 2 Harbin Y-12 and 5 Pilatus PC-6. Maritime surveillance is conducted by 5 unarmed Britten-Norman Islander aircraft transferred by India.

The force is plagued by serviceability issues due to lack of spare parts and trained manpower however introduction of JF-17 would mean that Myanmar Air Force will be investing in such areas to mitigate its short comings.

Author Tony David from Jane’s notes that “In both new fixed-wing and rotary-wing capabilities, regional analysts note that a lack of pilot experience and weaknesses in maintenance and ground-to-air links still limit the operational effectiveness of the [Myanmar Air Force],”

The JF-17 is a light weight single engine multi-role combat aircraft developed jointly by China and Pakistan. It can be armed with a variety of bombs and missiles including PL-5EII, PL-9C and PL-12 AAMs, C-802A anti-ship missiles, general purpose bombs, laser guided munitions and countermeasures on its 7 hard points (four underwing, 2 wingtip, 1 under fuselage). The aircraft’s standard set of armaments are supplemented by a 23 mm GSh-23-2 twin barrel cannon or 30 mm version of the same.

The avionics suite includes DEEC electronic warfare suite, NRIET KLJ-7 multi-mode fire control radar, night vision goggles compatible with glass cockpit, helmet mounted sights (HMS) and externally mounted pods such as KG-300G self-protection radar jamming pod and WMD-7 day/night targeting pod.

A Russian RD-93 powers the JF-17 to a maximum speed of Mach 1.6. The combat radius of the aircraft is 1,352 km, ferry range being 3,482 km and service ceiling 16,920 m. The thrust to weight ratio on the aircraft is 0.95. Its maximum takeoff weight is 12,383 kg.
The standard export price for the JF-17 Block I is $20 million and Block 2 being $25 million.
Pakistan Air Force is the lone operator of the JF-17 with 54 aircraft operational including 6 prototypes.

The JF-17 was offered to the Bangladesh Air Force on numerous occasions but it was declined in favour of more sophisticated multi-role combat aircraft from China and Russia.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources 
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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DTN News - PAKISTAN DEFENSE NEWS: Pakistan Intent To Sell JF-17 Thunder Fighter Jets To Sri Lanka

DTN News - PAKISTAN DEFENSE NEWS: Pakistan Intent To Sell JF-17 Thunder Fighter Jets To Sri Lanka

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources The Nation
(NSI News Source Info) KOTTAKKAL, Kerala, India - October 27, 2013: Pakistan’s strained economic condition puts to question the country’s capability to spend billions of rupees on the defence sector on the pretext of enhancing the defence exports and kicking off related strategic ventures.

The JF-17 was primarily developed to meet Pakistan Air Force's (PAF) requirement for an affordable, modern multi-role combat aircraft as a replacement for its large fleet of Dassault Mirage III/5 fighters, Nanchang A-5 bombers, and Chengdu F-7 interceptors. It was also to have export potential as a cost-effective and competitive alternative to significantly more expensive Western fighters.

In 1999, Pakistan and China signed the contract to jointly develop the FC-1/Super 7. Initial difficulties in acquiring an avionics and radar package from Europe led to many problems, solved in 2001, when design of the airframe was decoupled from the avionics. In 2003, the maiden flight of the first prototype occurred in China. The Pakistani designation "Super-7", meanwhile, were replaced with "JF-17". Later test flights with a modified design occurred in 2006. Deliveries to the PAF for further flight testing and evaluation began in 2007 and the aircraft's first public aerial display took place that year in Islamabad. The PAF officially inducted its first JF-17 squadron, No. 26 Squadron, on 18 February 2010 with fourteen aircraft.


The Block 1 JF-17 is expected to cost approximately US$ 15 million per unit, with Block 2 aircraft costing US$ 20–25 million. The PAF has a confirmed order for 150 JF-17s, which may increase to 250 aircraft

While the country grapples with worst kind of economic crises owing to crippled industry due to ever-rising inflation, increasing cost of industrial expenditures following massive hike in power tariff as well as security situation, billions of rupees are reportedly being pumped in the strategic projects without any accurate anticipation whether such kind of large-scale investment at the cost of public money would bear any fruit.

Some reports suggest that Pakistan intends to export sophisticated JF-17 Thunder fighter jets to certain countries by next year and $ 100 million (over 10 billion rupees) have been released in this regard. Interestingly, this reported amount is more than four times the size of funds allocated to Pakistan’s defence production sector (2.3 billion rupees) in this year’s fiscal budget. In the defence budget for the ongoing year, there is no mention of any prioritised project in the Defence Production Division suggesting the exports of JF-17 Thunder and the allocation of over Rs 10 billion for related expenses.

The budgetary allocations for defence and defence production sectors for the fiscal year 2013-14 suggest, of the Rs 627 billion defence budget, the Defence Division has received Rs 4.2 billion and the Defence Production Division, Rs 2.300 billion. Separately, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Ministry of Defence Production (MoDP) have respectively got Rs 1.3 billion and Rs 5.8 billion. Pakistan Army has got Rs 310 billion in this year’s fiscal budget, which is almost 50 percent of the total defence budget for 2013-14. The PAF got Rs 131 billion that makes 21 percent of the Rs 627 billion defence budget while Pakistan Navy got Rs 63 billion, around 10 percent of the defence funds. Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) got Rs 6.2 billion.

As many as 20 projects have been prioritised for which Rs 3.5 billion have been allocated while only two projects in the Defence Production Division have been prioritised with the allocation of Rs 2.3 billion.

Adding to the mystery shrouding reported plans for exporting JF-17 Thunder, the top government functionaries concerned have kept conspicuous mum over the issue. This correspondent called Rana Tanvir Hussain, Federal Minister for Defence Production thrice at his personal cell number on Friday to get his viewpoint on the issue but he did not speak. His personal assistant Muhammad Bilal said the minister was in a meeting with Governor Punjab Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar and was not available for comments.

Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid, on contact, expressed inability to comment on the issue saying the matter was not known to him. “Frankly speaking, I haven’t heard of any such development. How can I say anything without having proper knowledge?”

The Secretary Defence Production Lieutenant General (r) Tanvir Tahir was called at his official landline number 051-9270930 but he, according to his staff, was not in the office.

Jointly manufactured by Aviation Industry Corp of China and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), JF-17 Thunder is originally a Chinese product, with the related technology shifted to Pakistan in the recent years.  Regarded as a third-generation multipurpose combat jet, the JF-17 Thunder, in technical terms, is known as FC-1 Fierce Dragon.

In an interview with a Chinese news agency in May this year, Chairman PAC Air Marshal Sohail Gul Khan had claimed that several countries were interested in buying JF-17 Thunder from Pakistan. The PAC manufactured more than 40 JF-17 Thunder aircraft, he had said

The recent media reports claim Pakistan is to export five to seven JF-17 Thunder jets to the countries like Sri Lanka, Kuwait and Qatar and related deliberations are under way.

Requesting anonymity, a retired air marshal said, the manufacturing cost incurred on JF-17 Thunder is 1.5 billion to two billion rupees, roughly. “It needs to be determined whether there is a significant room for exporting this aircraft and earning profit after incurring such huge amount of money,” he said.   Pakistan’s current defence budget of Rs 627 billion has seen 15 percent surge compared to the last year’s defence budget of Rs 545 billion that was revised at Rs 570 billion.

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*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources The Nation
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*Photograph: IPF (International Pool of Friends) + DTN News / otherwise source stated
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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DTN News: China Emerging As Player In Global Arms Trade

DTN News: China Emerging As Player In Global Arms Trade

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources CHRISTOPHER BODEEN, Associated Press

(NSI News Source Info) ZHUHAI, China - November 20, 2010: China is emerging as a competitor in the international arms market, offering increasingly sophisticated fighter jets, missiles and equipment that are beginning to rival Russia and other longtime exporters.

With the same low-cost strategy that worked for toys and electronics, Chinese firms are targeting cost-conscious customers, albeit in an industry still dominated by the United States, Russia, France and Britain.

"China's share of the global market may never be that big, but it will have a growing niche with poorer countries such as African states," said Richard Bitzinger, a senior fellow at Singapore's Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

The Chinese challenge has been on display at this week's Zhuhai air show, a biannual aviation industry event that wraps up Sunday.

Pilots have given aerial displays of China's latest-generation J-10 fighter, and exhibition halls are stocked with models and mock-ups from military aircraft maker Aviation Industry Corp. of China.

Sprinkled among the exhibits are a half dozen flight simulators, highlighting a push to offer not just aircraft but also training and after-sales service.

That all-encompassing approach will be key to further growth as Chinese firms seek to woo buyers for more sophisticated aircraft such as the J-10 and F-8T, which compete directly with products from the West.

"China is building a client base for the future," said Rob Hewson, London-based editor of Jane's Air-Launched Weapons, who was attending the air show. "They hope to be servicing these customers for decades to come."

That was not always the case. China's arms industry had long been known for cheap knockoffs of Russian hardware: East Timor's president once described the Chinese patrol boats his country was purchasing as a "fake Gucci ship."

These days, technological advances are driving expansion.

Deliveries of big-ticket military hardware more than doubled between 2007 and last year, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, lifting China to seventh place among arms exporters. The institute tally excludes sales of small arms and ammunition, of which China has long been a major supplier.

The FC-1 Xiaolong multirole fighter jet is an example of what's behind that growth.

Developed in cooperation with the Pakistani air force, which calls it the JF-17 Thunder, the plane is being offered at the relatively low price of about $15 million, making it a cost-efficient replacement for aging workhorses such as the MiG-21 and Northrop F-5 Tiger.

Other overseas successes include:

— The Hongdu K-8 trainer and ground-attack jet, also developed jointly with Pakistan. About 250 have been sold to countries such as Egypt, Ghana, Pakistan, Sudan and, most notably, Venezuela, beating out Russian competition for China's first major sale in South America.

— The F-7 jet fighter, based on the Russian MiG-21. About 100 have been sold to Bangladesh, Namibia, Nigeria and other developing countries. In Nigeria's case, the arrival of 12 of the planes in April did much to revive a fighter fleet that had become largely inoperable.

— The WZ-551 armored personnel carrier, sold to Argentina, Sudan and a half-dozen other countries.

The growing sales coincide with a sharp decline in China's weapons imports, although it remains dependent on Russia for key components, including engines for the JF-17, G-10 and L-15.

Deliveries of ships, submarines and fighter planes from Russia peaked in 2006 and then went into sharp decline.

One reason was Russian wariness of Chinese reverse engineering: Stung by China's flagrant copying of the Su-27 — the Chinese version is known as the J-11 — Russian makers became increasingly reluctant to sell their most advanced technology to Beijing.

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

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DTN News: China And Azerbaijan Sealed Contract For FC-1/JF-17 Multipurpose Fighters

DTN News: China And Azerbaijan Sealed Contract For FC-1/JF-17 Multipurpose Fighters *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) BEIJING, China - December 15, 2009: China intends to supply FC-1 multipurpose fighters to Azerbaijan, according official reports referring to the information that design was made with the assistance of Russian Aircraft Corporation “MiG”. China is developing the FC-1 (Fighter China 1) lightweight multipurpose fighter based on the design for the MiG-33, which was rejected by the Soviet Air Force. The FC-1 is being developed with a total investment in excess of $500 million, including support from the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC), mainly for export to replace the 120 F-7M/P fighters currently in service in the Pakistani Air Force, though it is possible that the Chinese Air Force will use this aircraft as well. The deal to manufacture 150 FC-1 (Fighter China) jets was struck when General Musharraf visited China just before the Kargil war in 1998. According to the source, the contract for FC-1 production was signed by Rosoboronexport with the approval of Russian Federal Service of Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC). Zimbabwe is also among the potential buyers, whereas Beijing intends to launch a serial manufacturing of the fighters in Pakistan. Azeri Military Expert Uzeir Jafarov confirmed the information and added, “As far as I know, negotiations were held and our country intends to buy the hardware from China. Thus, I deem our defense ministry plans to purchase the equipment from the PRC.” Meanwhile, the expert was puzzled with potential possibility of Chinese equipment purchase – which he considers is not widely used. As per Chinese and Pakistani experts, up to 800 fighters might be sold. FSMTC seems to be comfortable about it, intending to supply China with 100 engines for FC-1, official says. Rouslan Pukhov, Russian defense analyst and director of the Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, declared that without Russian engines there cannot be any major export of Chinese fighters. “It’s another matter that China might act in its own way. They can sign a contract with us assuring the engines are intended for them, however resell them further, thus causing a direct damage to us,” Pukhov underlined.

DTN News: China's Unusual Deals Working To Grow African Arms Presence

DTN News: China's Unusual Deals Working To Grow African Arms Presence

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Defense Media

(NSI News Source Info) HONG KONG - October 13, 2009: In recent past, “Africa: The Next Defense Market Opportunity?” looked at projected trends, and discussed the reasons behind China’s resurgent status as an arms vendor to those states. The trainer was built through joint cooperation between the governments of Pakistan and the PRC. Initially, the aircraft was to feature many American parts, but due to political developments at the end of the 1980s, this plan was scrapped. The first prototype was built in 1989, with the first flight taking place at the end of 1990. *The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) first received fourteen jets in 1994 after which it decided to order 75 more to replace its fleet of Cessna trainers. *The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) received its first six jets in 1998. Later Chinese upgrades included indigenous engines. The PLAAF is anticipated to continue adding the trainer to its fleet in order to replace older trainers that are now obsolete. Other nations have shown interest in the trainer, and it now also serves in the air forces of *Egypt, *Sri Lanka and *Zimbabwe. While the plane primarily serves as a trainer, it can also be used in the ground-attack role. In 2008, the point was underlined by sales like the deal with Zimbabwe for 12 K-8/JL-8 jet trainers and light attack aircraft, but a number of deals are reportedly pending with various countries. These reportedly include everything from K-8 Karakorum jets and FC-1/JF-17 fighters, to WMZ-551 wheeled APCs, artillery, and of course the usual set of small arms and ammunition deals.

One of the challenges that the July 2008 Forecast International report had discussed is the region’s economic weakness, but UPI Asia notes that China has a solution. Zambia has used its copper resources to pay China in a number of military deals, Kenya has been negotiating with China to trade fishing rights for arms, and similar deals are under discussion elsewhere. While China’s economy has cooled as a result of the global recession, long-term, secure access to the resources needed to supply its growing economy is one of the regime’s top strategic priorities. Africa is poor by policy, but the continent has rich resources of oil and key industrial metals. This Chinese arms thrust is one component of a unified strategy that bundles weapon sales and economic ties.

Other building blocks include soft-power approaches, and a key component block was added recently with the launch of a PLAN hospital ship. Few countries own dedicated hospital vessels, which can serve in quasi-diplomatic goodwill roles, or function in their traditional role as high-capacity medical support for amphibious assaults. A combination of arms sales, naval activities, and economic ties is promising, but it will also require other forms of local relationship-building and military presence, in order to give China the full range of tools for influencing African regimes.

Oddly, none of these sales, deal structures, or strategic considerations were even mentioned in a recent SIPRI analysis of China’s stepped-up deployment of peacekeeping troops. Troops whose chosen missions appear to have a strong focus on African operations.