Pak-China Air Power Cooperation

Contributing Editor Air Marshal (Retd) AYAZ AHMED KHAN evaluates induction of Chinese made fighter into the PAF.

It was in October 1989 that the US Congress had passed the Pressler law and the Bush Administration had blocked the supply of duly paid 71 F-16 fighters to the PAF. The Government of Pakistan tried everything under the sun including regular payment of instalments for the release of 60 F-16 fighters whose delivery had been negotiated under a duly approved and signed Pak-US accord. But the US Administration could not be persuaded and as the years passed, the combat capability of the PAF fell, because the PAF could not find a substitute for the F-16 multirole fighters. The PAF morale suffered because while India continued to bolster its air power, PAF was stranded for want of force multiplier like the F-16, which had given a qualitative edge over the adversaries air force. PAF always had a qualitative edge over the Indian Air Force. And during the last two decades it was gradually lost because the IAF was given very high priority by the government of India, and was able to procure highly advanced aircraft and weapons from Russia. The governments here could neither provide the funds for the purchase of modern fighters from Western countries, and under US pressure European countries and even Russia refused to sell advanced fighters to Pakistan.

China our steadfast and trusted friend and partner has once again offered readiness to sell fairly modern combat aircraft, and go into a joint venture to design and develop a state of the art multirole combat aircraft to challenge the current qualitaitive edge of the Indian Air Force. It must go to the credit of the Musharraf government that a substantial number of F-7MG advanced fighters have been ordered from China, and would be soon delivered to the PAF. The sagging morale of the PAF would go up by the news that four decades old F-6 fighter squadrons in the PAF will be re-equipped by the lively F-7 MG combat fighter aircraft. Air Chief Marshal Mushaaf Ali Mir had flown to China on February 16, 2001, to accelerate the process of F-7 MG’s induction into the PAF. The Chief of the Air Staff during his ten days visit to China discussed with the Chinese authorities early delivery of the F-7MG to the PAF. According to the latest press report Pakistan has purchased four squadrons of F-7MG supersonic fighter aircraft from China. The deal has already been finalized, and government has also allocated the required funds for the purchase of the new aircraft.

While the Pakistan Air Force has faced serious problems of modernisation since the imposition of the Pressler Amendment in October 1989 the Indian Air Force during this period has been reinforced with advanced multirole fighters like the Russian SU-30K and the Mirage-2000. The shock of American dishonesty and perfidy was so great that the stupified Pakistani bureaucracy kept paying full instalments for the F-16, unwillingly to believe that the deal had been cancelled finally.

It took many years to realize that Pakistan needed to go back to its trusted friend China to help salvage the PAF. After the Pressler Amendment was slammed, it has taken eleven years to launch a joint Pak-China programme for the design, development and manufacture of a modern fighter aircraft for the Pakistan Air Force. While the F-7MG fighters have been purchased off the shelf, progress on the joint development and production of Super-7 fighter was also reviewed during the Air Chief’s visit to China. It is hoped that the Sino-Pak joint Super-7 project has been expedited. According to the newspaper reports the prototype of Super-7 will be rolled out by the end of the current year. During the PAF Air Chief’s visit to China some of the F-7MG’s were test flown by PAF pilots. In fact this aircraft had already been test flown by PAF test pilots in China, and several modifications were suggested. Air Chief Marshal Mushaaf Ali Mir is satisfied with the performance of the F-7MG, and its early induction into the PAF will help create a balanced force for the air defence of Pakistan.

It must be understood that designing, development and production of an aircraft is a highly complex venture. For a resourceless, under-developed country under UN-US sanctions, it truly is a herculean challenge. And it does lot of credit to Pakistan and to the Pakistan Air Force that inspite of so many hurdles the decision has been taken for the co-manufacture of a multirole advanced fighter aircraft. The delays in the development of Super-7 multirole combat aircraft joint project have been overcome. Incountry manufacture of fighter aircraft in the past was reckoned as impossible even by PAF elites. With opponents, who have been recklessly saying that Pakistan does not need an air force, and cannot afford an airforce, it is marvellous that Pakistan is on the threshold of manufacturing own fighter aircraft. Then the new strategists insist that Ghauri and Shaheen missiles are an effective deterrent and are a logical replacement of air power. Obviously they lack understanding of the nature, capabilities and employment of air power in tactical and strategic roles i.e in conventional conflicts and nuclear wars. Neither the land, naval or the strategic nuclear forces have the flexibility, speed, accuracy, concentration of firepower, pre-emption, surprise and coordination capabilities of air power and its role and potential in peace and war. This is a vast subject, but a few words on the subject are in order.

World War II (1939-45) and all the wars since i.e the Korean war, the Arab-Israeli wars, the Indo-Pak wars and the Gulf war have established that air power properly exploited is a major factor in winning wars and sustaining and maintaining peace. The Gulf war has established the primacy of modern air power in war. India our main adversary has given top priority to the development and expansion of the Indian Air Force, which has been renamed the Indian Aerospace Force. All strategic nuclear and missile assets have been placed under command of the Chief of the Air Staff IAF. And this should be a lesson for us.

Pakistan had a strong Air Force, but it was allowed to wither away by lack of commitment at the highest level, ignorance, ill-advice, poor funding and mis-direction. After the imposition of the highly discriminatory Pressler Amendment by the US Congress and the Bush Administration in October 1989, clear vision and courage was required to steer the PAF out of the mire of Pressler law. Astonishingly Pakistan kept making yearly payments for the procurement of 71 F-16 fighters, when the US Administration had made it amply clear that Pressler law does not permit delivery of F-16 fighters to Pakistan even if they had been paid for. Air Chief Marshal Farooq Feroze Khan and his principal advisors at the Air Headquarters had advised the government to discontinue payments, but this advice was overruled. A huge amount of US Dollars 658 million was paid to the manufacturer for no purpose at all and was wasted. Frankly, Farooq Feroze Khan should have resigned in protest when his advice was brushed aside. But resigning on principles is not part of the Pakistani culture. Had this payment been stopped and a part of it diverted into a joint fighter design and development venture with China, the PAF by now would have had a front line combat aircraft to challenge the Indian Mig-29, Su 30-K and Mirage 2000 fighters. The government at the time and its advisors in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence are to be blamed for the immense damage done to the Pakistan Air Force and to the country for continuing with the payments when supply of F-16 fighters was totally barred under the US law. The government could order an enquiry to establish why Pakistan paid the huge amount of USD 658 million, when it was clear that the United States of America will never release the held up 71 F-16 fighters to Pakistan. The people concerned may be held responsible and accountable for the huge losses suffered by Pakistan by the F-16 deal with the United States.

During the three year tenure of Air Chief Marshal Abbas Khattak (1994-1996) it was realized that in view of the F-16 embargo the PAF must do everything possible to acquire alternate combat aircraft. A deal was signed with the government of France for the supply of updated Mirage-3/5 fighters, which already were the mainstay of Pakistan Air Force. Forty of these have now been received. Planning was also started for the co-manufacture of fighters with China’s help. Grumman Aircraft Corporation in the United States was tasked to evolve a new design out of the existing F-7 (Mig-21) fighters in PAF’s inventory. The Grumman feasibility report came out with a design which was not up to what PAF had wanted for a joint venture with China. Grumman feasibility report, therefore, was turned down though some funds had been spent on it. Realising the urgency of the situation Air Chief Marshal Abbas Khattak left no stone unturned to buy Mirage 2000-5 multirole fighters from France. But Pakistani wheeler and dealers conspired with French officials and the price of Mirage 2000-5 for Pakistan was jacked up to twice its market price. France sold 60 Mirage -2000 to Taiwan for USD 45 million a piece, while it was offered to Pakistan at USD 70-90 million per aircraft. Because of the uproar in the press about the suspected kickbacks and the unaffordable price, this expensive deal was scuttled. Efforts were also made to buy Russian Su-27 fighters and Swedish Grippin fighters. But US pressure on Moscow and Stockholm made it impossible to buy Russian or Swedish fighter aircraft. Abbas Khattak did everything to induct into the PAF a modern figher to replace the F-16 but the US sanctions ie the Pressler Amendment, corroded environment and shortage of funds came in the way.

The Chendu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) in China in the meantime continued with the work and came out with a new design which was carefully studied by the PAF and approved by the government. During the visit of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to China an MoU was signed in February 1998 for the design and joint development leading to manufacture of a multirole fighter aircraft for the Pakistan Air Force, and for the PLA Air Force. PAF named it Super-7. Originally the name given was Sabre II. The name relates to the

F-7 fighter which is a frontline fighter of the PAF and the mainstay of the PLA Air Force. The same aircraft for the PLA Air Force was named FC-1. A contract was signed during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s second visit to China in June 1999 for the detailed design and development of the Super-7 multirole aircraft. Super-7 design is based on advanced aerodynamics and will have advanced avionics. There will be some differences between the Super-7 for the PAF and the FC-1 for the PLA Air Force. The Super-7 will be manufactured to meet the defined Air Staff requirements of the PAF, while the FC-1 will be developed to meet the ASR’s of the PLA Air Force. Primarily there will be differences in avionics and weapons. Both the aircraft will be fitted with the modified Russian RD-33 engines. This modified engine is called the RD 93 configuration. The RD-33 powers the Russian Mig-29 fighter and has logged hundreds of thouands of flying hours since twenty years. It is a reliable and a powerful aircraft engine. The major modification is the placement of the gear box. The PAF Super-7 was to have Western avionics including radars, radar warning receiver, multi-function display, head up display (HUD), helmet mounted displays, mission computers, ring laser gyros and chaff dispensers. The Super-7 will have short range and medium range beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missiles. It will also carry Exocet missile and laser guided bombs. It will be a potent and lethal weapons system in the F-16 and Mirage 2000-5 class of multirole fighters.

Before signing the contract with China the PAF had floated an international request proposal for the avionics package. British Aerospace-Marconi, Thompson CSF and SAGEM from France and Griffo from Italy responded. PAF and Chinese experts evaluated their offers. Then in mid-1999 came the restrictions from the European governments. UK, France and Italy denied exports licences to the above companies.

This created a very difficult situation, but the PAF specialists under the command of Air Chief Marshal Pervez Mehdi Qureshi, (the recently retired COAS) instead of sitting idle as alleged, embarked on planning for alternate options. In fact the previous PAF bosses did not need to take immediate decisions since aircraft design work could continue in the absence of avionics. PAF teams were sent to China twice to evaluate the Chinese avoinic package. Their findings were that the Chinese avionics were not meeting the PAF’s Super-7 requirements. PAF kept trying by continuing contacts at the government level with the British MOD, and the French DGA. Furthermore, the European Union has not formalized sanctions against Pakistan i.e officially the French and the British governments have not embargoed military equipment sales and supplies to Pakistan. But for the time being export licences are not being issued to the concerned companies. Theoretically, therefore, the French and the British supply channels remain open. The outgoing PAF COAS, therefore, rightly assumed that the ban would be lifted and the desired avionic package for the Super-7 will be available.

The Super-7 design and development has started in China, but Pakistan is now faced with the problem that the avionic packages from European countries are not available. So the new Chief of the Air Staff PAF Air Chief Marshal Mushaaf Ali Mir has directed the concerned specialists to restructure the Super -7 programme using alternate solutions. His directive is that the pace of design work must not slow down. This is a big challenge for the Pakistani scientists and engineers, who Inshallah will come up to the expectations of the Pakistani nation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a distinct role, and a lot will depend on the commitment and persuasive talents of the Pakistani diplomats to pressure, persuade London, Paris and Rome for the issue of export licences to the concerned manufacturers. The US government has given permission to American manufacturers to supply engines, avionics, fly by wie control systems and hydraulics to India for the Light Combat Aircraft programme. The British government has allowed the sale of Sea King helicopters and spares to the Indian Navy and Hawk trainers to the Indian Air Force. The Pakistani Embassy in Washington DC and the High Commissioner in London need to take up the issue of discrimination and wavers. It is a bigger problem and relates to the political setup in Pakistan. European countries are likely to take a different view of defence relations with Pakistan as soon as democratic setup is in place. Nevertheless the Super-7 programme is on and during the forthcoming visit of Air Chief Marshal Mushaaf Ali Mir to China it is likely to get the required impetus. In due course the Super-7 combat air craft will be manufactured by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Kamra and by The Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) in China. The design, development and prototype work could take up to five years. After air testing series production may start after ten years. It is worth mentioning the Indian LCA has taken twenty two years to reach the prototype and air tests stage. It will be a big achievement if after ten years a Pakistani made supersonic multirole aircraft starts flying with the PAF.

The F-7MG is the other advanced fighter likely to enter service with the PAF in the near future. An agreement for the supply of 40 F-7MG fighters is expected to be signed by the concerned government functionaries during the forthcoming visit of the COAS to China. The F-7MG is a deravative of the

F-7 fighter already in PAF service. It has a modified delta wing with leading edge slats/flaps. By changing the wing plan and with the leading edge flaps the F-7MG will turn better, accelerate better, and in air combat will be controllable at low speeds. It has an improved engine ie better thrust. It will have superior air combat performance than the Mig-21, 23 and 27 of the Indian Air Force. Besides it will have nose fitted Grippo (Italian) or Super Sky Range radar. The F-7MG was displayed at the Zhuhai Air Show in China a few years back. Fortunately, a PAF team was present at the show. After evaluation and flight trails the F7MG was considered as a suitable replacement for the ageing F-6 fighters with the PLA. The induction of the forty

F-7MG fighters will surely boost the morale of the rank and file of the Pakistan Air Force. The government inspite of the ongoing economic crisis has given a green light to the Pakistan Air Force to re-equip itself with the state of the art aircraft and weapons. This surely will give a boost to the nation’s conventional military strength, and to some extent remove the growing military imbalance with the adversary.