Pakistan launches homemade JF-17 jet

US weighs reinforcements for troubled Afghan province: Gates
London (AFP) June 8, 2010 - The United States is weighing sending US reinforcements to Afghanistan's troubled southern Helmand province, where British troops are "in the thick" of fighting, officials said Tuesday. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he spoke to his British counterpart about deploying additional US troops to assist British forces stationed in the Sangin district, a centre for the opium trade in Helmand. "The question of whether there need to be additional American forces there to help was discussed," Gates said at a press conference with British Defence Secretary Liam Fox. British troops in Sangin are "in the absolute thick of the fight," he said.
b But he said that it was up to the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, to assess whether US troops are needed to complement the British units in Helmand. "Fundamentally, this is an issue that needs to be evaluated by General McChrystal," he said. Both Gates and Fox said it was highly unlikely that British troops would be pulled out of the area, as some media reports had suggested, and sent to neigbouring Kandahar province. US commanders have portrayed Helmand as the scene of relative progress where substantial forces are already in place, after a US-led offensive in February in the Marjah area, southwest of Sangin. Amid a troop buildup, McChrystal and his officers are increasingly focused on Kandahar, launching a make-or-break operation to push back the Taliban from their spiritual homeland. But deploying possible reinforcements to Helmand raised questions about the course of the war as well as London's plans for its Afghan mission, which has become increasingly unpopular in Britain.

It was unclear if the option for US reinforcements reflected setbacks in Helmand or a way to prepare the way for the eventual drawdown of British forces. Gates said the Sangin district, which British troops dubbed "Sangingrad" after intense fighting three years ago, is "one of the toughest areas in all of Afghanistan." With a dam in the area needed to provide electricity to the local population, Gates said the district -- which lies on the eastern edge of Helmand province -- carried strategic importance. It was an area that "we cannot turn our backs on," he said. Fox said British troops had suffered heavy casualties over the years in Sangin but had developed an "expertise" for the area and it would make little sense to withdraw and deploy to Kandahar.

by Staff Writers
Islamabad, Pakistan (UPI) Jun 8, 2010
Pakistan has announced plans to begin production of avionics and related gadgets for the Sino-Pak JF-17 Thunder fighter jet.

The launch, announced at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra, outside Islamabad, is being billed as a vital move for making the country's air force "self-reliant."

"A strong air force is essential for our nation's survival," said Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman at the ceremonial launch. "Self-reliance for the Pakistani air force is an important factor and this ... is an important step in this direction."

To date, the bulk of avionics made in Pakistan have been manufactured as part of joint ventures with foreign companies. In the past, these have included Selex Galileo radars produced for the air force's fleet of Mirage III and F-7P Fishbed fighters.

On the occasion of the presentation and speaking at the Kamra manufacturing plant, Air Marshal Farhat Hussain Khan also presented an appraisal of JF-17 avionics program activities. These include four indigenously designed and developed avionics systems currently being developed at the Kamra Avionics and Radar Factory, Sify News reported.

Khan said the production scope "would be progressively broadened" to include the creation of a complete JF-17 avionics suite at the complex.

Neither Khan nor other Pakistani military officials elaborated on the plans.

Defense News reported, however, that "at least two of the domestically designed and produced systems include a head-up display and a weapons and mission management computer."

It said previous avionics projects had included a radar honing system for the 1960s F-104 combat aircraft; IRST pod and modifications to the GEC 956 head-up display and, most recently, the weapon aiming system for the F-7P jet in the 1990s.

Originally known as Super 7, the JF-17 Thunder was developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corp. under a joint venture between China and Pakistan, Sify News reported.

It said that the Pakistani air force was set to acquire 150 JF-17s but China's final order -- anticipated at 250 -- would hinge on the final evaluation of the fighter jet.

Military experts assess Pakistan's move into domestic avionics production as an economically viable decision after ill-fated attempts in the past.

By some accounts, the JF-17 is gaining popular demand. As many as 17 nations have placed orders while Pakistan is considering deploying the aircraft in strategic parts of the country. Exports have also surged for the K-8 fighter, which is jointly designed and produced with China.

"China brought in its production facilities while Pakistan brought in ideas, design from its invaluable experience using Western planes like Mirages and F-16s," Ruppe News reported. "It was a perfect symbiosis."

Share This Article With Planet Earth

del.icio.us	Digg	Reddit
YahooMyWeb	Google	Facebook

Related Links
News From Across The Stans

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS
Solar Energy Solutions
Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ...

Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News

NATO's deadliest days in Afghanistan
Kabul (AFP) June 8, 2010
A string of attacks in Afghanistan killed 12 NATO troops and two foreign contractors in the bloodiest 24 hours for the alliance this year. Seven Americans, two Australians and one French soldier were killed on Monday, one of the deadliest days in the nine-year war to crush the hardline Islamist Taliban. Two more soldiers were killed on Tuesday. According to an AFP tally, based on a count ... read more

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement