Author: Rahul Datta
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: November 10, 2000
The Pakistan Air Force
will have an edge over the Indian Air Force (IAF) by the end of year 2003
when 150 FC-1 fighter jets start rolling out of Pakistan Aeronautical Complex,
Kamra, near Ismalabad. These jets will be an improved version of
MIG-33.
The designs of MIG-33
were acquired by China from Russia in 1998 shortly before the Kargil war
and passed on to General Parvez Musharraf who was visiting China then.
Costing Pakistan 15 million dollars per jet, these planes will be fitted
with the Klimov Design Bureau (Russian company) RD-93 engines. They
are a more powerful version of RD-33 engines fitted in MIG-29 jets flown
by the IAF, the forthcoming edition of Security and Political Risk Analysis
(SAPRA) journal reveals.
SAPRA is a non-governmental
security think-tank of serving armed force officers and security analysts.
The deal to manufacture
150 FC-1 (Fighter China) jets was struck when General Musharraf visited
China just before the Kargil war. He reportedly told the Chinese
that the Pakistan Air Force was in a bad shape and urgently needed new
generation of jets.
A Chinese company named
Chengdu Aircraft Industrial Corporation then approached the Russians and
purchased the design of the MIG-33. The Russian company Mikoyan OKB
Design Bureau, which designs all MIG series of aircraft, gave the design
of MIG-33 to the Chinese, the journal states.
Pakistan and China had
earlier entered in a joint venture to manufacture a fighter jet named Super-7.
The project, however, never took off thereby causing concern amongst the
Pakistani military strategists. They, therefore, approached the Chinese
in1998 and managed to bag the design for an improved version of MIG-33
named FC-1.
This aircraft will be
fitted with RD-93 engine, Russian made air-to-air missiles and fly-by-wire
system besides avionics from a third party. Pakistan is likely to
opt for a western firm for fitting avionics, the journal claims.
The Pakistan Air Force,
at the moment, has 20 operational squadrons comprising the Chinese versions
of MIG-19s and MIG-21s. The 20-squadron fleet also includes two squadrons
of 40 F-16s. These aircraft, however, are now ageing and Pakistan
failed to purchase the advanced version of F-16 from the United States
of America.
The indigenously manufactured
FC-1s will give Pakistan an edge over the IAF in the next five years, security
strategists say. The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) prototype of India,
meanwhile, is yet to be tested. Its approval and subsequent production
and induction into the IAF will take at least seven years, experts explain.
China has also embarked
upon a massive modernisation plan of its air force. It will acquire
and manufacture more than 300 SU-27 and SU-30 fighter jets. This
will see China gaining air superiority over India by the year 2007.
Incidentally, the IAF, till now, is considered superior to their Chinese
counterparts, analysts say.
India has 35 operational
squadrons including MIG-21, MIG- 29, Jaguars, Mirage and SU-30s.
The IAF is getting its MIG-21 fleet upgraded in Russia. Strategists,
however, are concerned over the fact that the IAF is unable to draft a
20-year perspective plan due to paucity of resources.
China and Pakistan, on
the other hand, are rapidly modernising their air force to tilt the balance
in their favour, informed sources admit.
