Main Battle Tank

Originally, the battle tanks were divided into three groups – heavy, medium, and light. However, in the post-war period, with the medium tanks having almost reached the capabilities of heavy tanks while remaining in the same weight class, the medium and heavy tanks were united into one group – main battle tanks (MBT).

The best MBTs of the world nowadays include (left to right on the geographic map according to the location of the manufacturer) M1A2 Abrams SEP (USA), Challenger-2E (UK), Leclerc (France), Ariete (Italy), Leopard-2A6 (Germany), T-84 (Ukraine), Merkava Mk4 (Israel), T-90S (Russia), Type 99 (China), Type 90 (Japan). Al-Zarrar T-59 Pakistan.  / Al-Khalid Pakistan MBT-2000 . Arjun mbt india

Information about how many MBTs of different types are in service with various countries can be seen on-line at this site or at the World Defence Almanac published by the Monch Publishing Group (Germany).

Custom-Designed Rifle Aims to Fit Commandos’ Special Needs

U.S. special operations forces this summer will begin testing a new assault rifle, which is expected to be more accurate and less cumbersome than current weapons.

Known as the special operations combat assault rifle, or SCAR, the weapon comes in 5.56 mm light and 7.62 mm heavy versions that are designated the Mk 16 SCAR-L and Mk 17 SCAR-H. Variants include standard, close quarters combat and sniper.
The SCAR-L is intended for close combat while the SCAR-H is meant for longer ranges. The initial production plan also includes an Mk 18 enhanced grenade launcher. More variants are expected to evolve from the core design.
Troops will be able to fire a variety of ammunition from the same rifle, and the entire SCAR family will have interchangeable parts, said Army Lt. Col. Deac Heilig, systems acquisition manager at the U.S. Special Operations Command.
The manufacturer of the rifle, FN Herstal, is testing different interchangeable barrels, he said in an interview.
Commonality of parts between SCAR versions is meant to reduce the training, supply and maintenance burdens. “Currently our special operations folks have a golf bag filled with guns,” said Paul Evancoe, director of military operations at FN Manufacturing. “We’ve given them a truly modular weapon … That eliminates the requirement for all the other clubs in the bag.”
The SCAR-L will replace the M4A1 close-quarters battle rifle and Mk 12 weapons now used by special operators. The SCAR-H will replace the M14 and Mk 11. All six variants of the two main versions share the same control arrangement, handling and maintenance procedures. “Once you’re trained on the gun, it’s the same for any variant,” said Evancoe.
Common parts also help cut costs, Evancoe noted. “They engineered it with a concept of keeping the cost of manufacturing down for both heavy and light by using just about the same stuff for everything.” The one-piece rail and frame of the new rifle enables the operator to change and level barrels quickly, which permits tailoring the gun to different situations.
All SCAR versions also use the same accessories, including sights and scopes. They will accommodate the accessory kit known as “special operations peculiar modification,” now under development for the current M4 rifle. SCAR can also be fitted with M4-style grips and other aftermarket items. “Special ops guys love to customize their personal weapons,” said Evancoe.
SOCOM launched the program in September 2003, and touted SCAR as the first assault-rifle competition since 1941. Fourteen operators tested competing weapons at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, Ind.
After it was selected to make the rifle, FN Herstal continued to modify the design based on input from users. Operators, for example, asked for a folding sight. FN engineers at the company’s rapid-prototyping facility in Belgium fabricated one overnight. A pushbutton lock for the sight was added in hours. “To duplicate that capability [in the United States] would require a heck of a capital investment,” said Evancoe.
A SOCOM team continues to visit the Herstal facility to review engineering changes to the weapon. “This is a very efficient way to do it because the contracting officer who has to approve the changes is sitting right there with the operators,” he added.
Relying on anthropometric analysis, SCAR designers sized the pistol grip to accommodate most hands. Ambidextrous safety mechanisms, magazine and bolt releases, and charging handles can be used by southpaws and even by operators wounded in combat. A telescoping, folding stock adjusts the length of the weapon to individual body size and firing positions, and makes the SCAR easier to hide under clothing or in small bags. The folding stock is also an advantage for operators parachuting from aircraft, fast-roping from helicopters or simply entering or leaving ground vehicles, explained Evancoe.
FN engineers gave the SCAR-L and SCAR-H a relatively low rate of fire of 600 to 650 rounds per minute on automatic. Most weapons like the M16 and M14 fire around 800 rounds per minute but make it difficult to hold the weapon on target for the full burst. “A high cyclic rate doesn’t buy you anything,” said Evancoe. “If you’re more accurate with a lower rate of fire, you’ll use less ammunition because you can put your first, second and third rounds on target.”
SOCOM wants the rifle to fire both existing and yet-to-be-developed rounds, said Heilig. “The exact caliber and ammunition will be determined based on optimum accuracy and lethality in each of the intended operational scenarios as well as availability.” A gas port selector was engineered into the SCAR to accommodate new types of ammunition.
Another SOCOM priority was reliability in harsh operating environments. Special coatings make the rifle suitable for Navy SEALs, who may have to fire weapons that were submerged for long periods.
The manufacturer claims that the weapon will fire 90,000 rounds without overhauls. The intended barrel life is 35,000 to 40,000 rounds—twice that of M16-family weapons. Barrels can be changed in the field, which cuts back on depot maintenance, said Evancoe.
SCAR prototypes will be distributed to operators for testing on an undisclosed schedule. “What they’re going to do is tweak that gun and come back with engineering change proposals,” said Evancoe. FN Herstal will produce the rifles at its South Carolina manufacturing line. The company has made M16A-2s and A-4s for U.S. military for the last five years and will use the same production machinery and workers for SCAR.
The original SCAR solicitation specified production quantities of 84,000 SCAR-L standard, 28,000 SCAR-L for close-quarters combat, 12,000 SCAR-L sniper, 15,000 SCAR-H standard, 7,000 SCAR-H close-quarter combat and, 12,000 SCAR-H sniper variants.

Russia Bans Sale of S-300 Missiles And Other Weapons to Iran

 

 

Russian President  has signed a decree banning the delivery of S-300 air defense systems and a host of other major arms to Iran, the Kremlin said Wednesday.

The ban, which includes battle tanks, armored vehicles, large-caliber artillery systems, warplanes, military helicopters, ships and missiles, is part of measures Russia is taking to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 1929 of June 9, 2010.

  

Earlier on Wednesday, Chief of the Russian General Staff Army Gen. Nikolai Makarov said Russia would not deliver S-300 air defense missile systems to Iran as planned because such transfers are prohibited under UN sanctions.

Medvedev also banned entry to and transit via Russia for a number of Iranian nationals connected with the country's nuclear program, and banned Russian individuals and legal entities from rendering financial services if the services relate to Iran's nuclear activity.

Russia signed an $800 million contract on delivery to Iran of S-300 systems to equip at least five battalions in late 2007. The contract's implementation had so far been delayed. Experts are considering whether the missiles fall under the sanctions imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in June.

The sanctions include a ban on supplies of conventional arms to Iran. According to the document, "states are prohibited from selling or in any way transferring to Iran eight broad categories of heavy weapons (battle tanks, armored combat vehicles, large caliber artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles or missile systems)." However, the S-300 air defense systems are not included in the UN Register of Conventional Arms.

Israel and the United States have voiced concerns over Russia's plans to supply high-precision S-300 systems, capable of destroying aircraft at ranges of 150 km (90 miles) and at altitudes of up to 27 km (17 miles), to Iran. No such systems have been delivered to the Islamic Republic yet.

Commenting on Medvedev's decree to ban the sale of weapons to Iran, Russia's envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin said: "If this decision was made, it was solely due to Russia's national security."

International pressure on Iran increased in early February when Tehran announced it had begun enriching uranium to 20 percent in lieu of an agreement on an exchange that would provide it with fuel for a research reactor. In June, the UN Security Council passed a resolution imposing a fourth set of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.

Iran currently has some 2.8 metric tons of low enriched uranium and 22 kilograms of 20 percent enriched uranium, according to the latest IAEA report. Experts say that these 22 kilograms are already enough to produce a nuclear bomb.

J-10 vs F-16 Technical Comparison

 F-16 was designed from the outset as a dog-fighter. The moderate sweep of the wings and aspect ratios were ideal for this. The trade-off however, was greater supersonic resistance. The thrust offered by the two engine options on the F-16 is impressive even to this day.
TWR in air combat is about 1.15, ensuring impressive climbing rates and sustained turn rates. As noted, the F-16 sacrificed supersonic performance, not only in its wing design but also in its fixed air intakes. In supersonic flight, engine thrust is lost. While it can reach Mach 2.0, pragmatically it has poor supersonic performance.

While the F-16 sacrificed supersonic performance for subsonic dogfighting, the J-10 did not make the same sacrifice. Thus, while when the F-16 was designed, turning dogfights were what was projected as the bread and butter of air combat, when the J-10 was being designed, the BVR era had arrived (or re-arrived).

 The J-10s aerodynamic design, including wing design and inlet design, take this into account. For instance, the J-10 visibly has greater wing sweep and a variable inlet. With the J-10B, a DSI intake. While the J-10B sacrifices maximum theoretical top speeds with its DSI intakes, for all relevant combat speeds, it gives the J-10 superior performance.

Under modern BVR conditions and higher altitude combat, the J-10 is significantly superior to the F-16. This is also reflected in its higher instantaneous turn rates. The Mirage-2000s have been a point of major concern both for the Pakistanis and the Turkish air forces, because of these aerodynamic issues, despite the Mirages weak engines.

The Greeks, who operated both the Mirage 2000 and F-16C considered the F-16 to be better at low altitude, low speed, hard turning fights, and Mirage 2000 to be superior at hi-hi.The F-16 would have to attempt to survive the first merge in an air combat scenario, which becomes increasingly suicidal with high off-bore sight missiles.

BVR further compounds these problems for the F-16s. In previous eras, flying hi and fast was fine, but you often had to come down low to engage a low flying enemy aircraft. Today, that becomes less relevant with longer range BVR missiles and look-down shoot-down capabilities.

The F-16 has also been adding weight over time and attempting to counterbalance this with increased engine thrust. However, since wing area remained the same, maneuverability has been sacrificed. Higher wing loading is particularly detrimental for higher altitude maneuverability. The J-10 on the other hand, has all the wing area it could ever need with a delta canard layout.

The newer block F-16s however, are great for low altitude air-to-ground missions. The high wing loading favors low fliers and the moderate wing sweep helps handling at lower speeds often necessary during ordnance delivery. The J-10 is thus not ideal for the CAS role. However, because of the range and payload advantages, the J-10 can be considered an effective deep striker. CAS was never a pressing need for the PLAAF, and the PAF has the JF-17 which is ideal for that role.

China and Saudi Arabia

1. Political Relations

Chinaand Saudi Arabiasigned the Memorandum of Understanding on Mutual Establishment of Trade Representative's Office on November 11, 1988. Trade representatives from the two countries assumed their posts in 1989. On July 21,1990, Chinaand Saudi Arabiasigned a Communiqué and announced the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The Chinese Consulate General in Jeddah opened on April 25, 1993. In April 1998 Chinaagreed on the establishment of the Consulate General in Hong Kongby Saudi Arabia.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, important exchanges of visit by the leaders of the two countries include:

Saudi Arabian official who visited China are as follows:Foreign Minister Faisal (in the capacity of King Fahd Ibn Abdul-Aziz's special envoy in September 1990), Undersecretary of Foreign Ministry Thonayan (in the capacity of King Fahd's special envoy in December 1990), Minister of Finance and National Economy Aba Al Khail (November 1992), Minister of Commerce Sulaiman Salaim (Mar 1994), Minister of Oil Hisham Nazer (May 1994), Chairman of Consultative Council Jubil (October1995), Minister of Oil Naimi (December1995 and October.1997), Minister of Finance and National Economy Assaf (February 1996), Deputy Foreign Minister Mansori (October 1996), Minister of Higher Education Anqari (October 1997), Minister of Commerce Faqih (Junuary1998 and September1999), Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister, Commander of the National Guards Abdullah (October 1998), Emir of Riyadh District Salman (April 1999), Minister of Information (February 2000), Minister of Agriculture and Water Conservancy (April, 2000), Second Vice Prime Minister of National Defense, Aviation Sultan Bin Abdul-Aziz (October 2000) and Vice Foreign Minister Madani (May 2001), Hamid, Chairman of the Consultative Conference of Saudi Arabia (April 2002), Minister of Higher Education Anqari (December 2002), and President of China-Saudi Friendship Association and Chairman of Saudi Arabian Council of Industry and CommerceHilashi (January 2003).

Major visits to Saudi Arabia by Chinese officials are as follows:State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qian Qichen (July.and November 1990), Premier Li Peng (July 1991), President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries Han Xu (November 1992), Vice Premier Li Lanqing (June 1993), Vice Foreign Minister Tian Zengpei (June 1994 and January 1997), State Councilor and Secretary-General of the State Council Luo Gan (August 1995), Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee, State Councilor and Defense Minister Chi Haotian (June 1996), Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Ye Xuanping (November 1996), Vice Foreign Minister Ji Peiding (May 1999), President Jiang Zemin (October 1999), Vice Governor of Hebei Province Guo Shichang (February 2001), Vice Minister of the General Administration of Sport Yu Zaiqing (April 2001), President Wang Tao of the Sino-Saudi Friendship Association (October 2001) Vice Governor of Hebei Province Guo Shichang (Feb. 2001),Vice Minister of the General Administration of Sport Yu Zaiqing (Apr. 2001), President Wang Tao of the Sino-Saudi Friendship Association (October 2001),State Councilor Wu Yi (April 2002), Vice Foreign Minister Yang Wenchan (October 2002), and Minister of Water Resources Wang Xucheng (October 2002).

The two countries founded Sino-Saudi Friendship Association and Saudi-Sino Friendship Association respectively in October 1997.

2. Trade Relations, and Economic and Technological Cooperation

The bilateral trade volume has achieved a steady growth since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Chinaand Saudi Arabia. The trade volume between the two countries grew from US$290 million in 1990 to US$5.1 billion in 2002, of which China's export was US$1.67 billion and import US$3.43 billion. China's main exports to Saudi Arabiaare garments, mechanical and electronic products, and textile, etc. Chinamainly imports from Saudi crude oil, liquefied petroleum gas, and primary plastics.

Since 1989, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade has held six Chinese export commodity fairs in Saudi Arabia. In February 1996, the first meeting of the Sino-Saudi Joint Commission on Economic, Trade and Technologic Cooperation was held in Beijing. In November 1999, the second such meeting was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In August 2001, the trade office of the Saudi Embassy in Chinawas established.

3. Exchanges in the Fields of Youth, Culture, and Information.

In May 2002, the Cultural Delegation of the Chinese Government headed by Vice Minister of Culture Zhou Heping visited Saudi Arabia.

In May 2002, the Chinese photo exhibition entitled "The World Heritages in China" was held at the King Fahd Cultural Center of Saudi Arabia.

In June 2002, the Chinese Information Delegation led by Deputy Director Wang Guoqing of the State Council Information Office visited Saudi Arabia.

4. Chinese Muslims' pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia

From 1955 to 1964, Chinasent Muslims every year to Saudi Arabiafor pilgrimage. The pilgrimage was suspended for a period of time. In 1979, Chinaresumed the pilgrimage activities.The number of people going to Saudi Arabiafor pilgrimage was about 5,000 in 2002 and the number is expected to reach 10,200 this year.

5. Communiqués and Important Bilateral Agreements Signed by the Two Countries

The Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Chinaand Saudi Arabia(July 21, 1990)

The Agreement on Economic, Trade, Investment and Technological Cooperation between Chinaand Saudi Arabia(November 1992)

The Exchange of Notes on Mutual Rendering of the Most Favored Nation Treatment between Chinaand Saudi Arabia(December 1993)

The Agreement on Mutual Promotion and Protection of Investment between Chinaand Saudi Arabia(February 1996)

The Memorandum of Economic and Trade Cooperation between Chinaand Saudi Arabia(October 1998)

The Agreement on Educational Cooperation; The Agreement on Radio and Television Cooperation between China's Radio and Television Bureau and Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Information; The Agreement on Information Exchange and Cooperation between China's Xinhua News Agency and Saudi Arabia News Agency;The Memorandum of Understanding on Petroleum Cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia (October 1999).

The Agreement on Water Conservancy Cooperation between the Government of the People's Republic of Chinaand the Government of Saudi Arabia (October 2002)

The Agreement on Cultural and Educational Cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia (December 2002)

Pakistan's Future ICBM

I think Pakistan Must develop & well develop its ICBM Capability.
Reasons are as under according to my personal view:

Pakistan would be able to hit more high value targets and potential threats within a wide range.

Other enemies than India would have to think 100 times before they try to bring any aggression to us.

Pakistan will stand high in Islamic Ummah & they will feel a bit more secure

India would develop its strategic assets in future Far away from its borders , Pakistan would be able to take'em Out.

It will kick start Its Space Industry , and we are going to put 2 satellites By 2011 Inshallah.

it would have a psychological impact on any aggressor nation .

Israel is not our most important Target but it is a potential Target if they Keep threatning us and calling us the supreme Enemy , then we must think about them too but by not being over provoked !!

Pakistan will join the list of ICBM capable Nations list.

Most important thing in this regard is that we must not listen to "Loud mouth" Individuals arround us , suggesting us not to have an ICBM , " How come they can know better than us about our Intrests?"

Top 10 Modern Assault Rifles

15 year old boy made a history to become soldier of Pakistan Army

15 year old boy made a history to become soldier of Pakistan Army

| Published Saturday, 14 August 2010

On the 63rd Independence day Master Abdul Basit a 15 year old boy madea history to become soldier of Pakistan Army for a day. The young,patriotic lad, who is suffering from blood cancer had expressed hisdesire to Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani through anNGO "Make A Wish Foundation" that he wanted to be soldier of PakistanArmy, may be for a day. Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq ParvezKayani took special interest and allowed the child to become a soldierfor a day and spend time in a unit on the Independence Day of Pakistan.


Master Abdul Basit, though very weak and fragile, because of hisailment put on the uniform like a professional soldier and reported tounit of Punjab Regiment at Malir Cantt Karachi. The young soldier waswarmly welcomed at the unit. Later, Master Abdul Basit spent a busy daywith officers and men of his unit.

Master Abdul Basit after a day’s work with soldiers said that his lifetime dream to join Pakistan Army has come true and he cherished everyminute spent with the soldiers.
Master Basit, 15 years old boy who is suffering from blood cancer,coming to join an army unit at Malir Cantt Karachi for a day. MasterBasit　desired to become a soldier of Pakistan Army. He has beenpermitted by Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez kayani tobecome a soldier of Pakistan army for a day. (14-8-2010).
Major General Asfand Yar Patodi, General Officer Commanding presentingsouvenir to Master Basit who became soldier of Pakistan Army for oneday. Master Basit is suffering from blood cancer and he desired tobecome a soldier of Pakistan Army may be for one day. COAS, GeneralAshfaq Parvez Kayani permitted Master Basit to become soldier inPakistan Army for a day. 

South Korea's Utility Helo Makes Maiden Flight

SEOUL - The first prototype of the Surion utility helicopter, co-developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Eurocopter, successfully completed its first flight March 10, about seven months after its rollout, South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced.
The 30-minute flight took place at an air base in Sacheon, some 430 kilometers (about 265 miles) southeast of Seoul, before a crowd of about 160 guests, the agency said in a news release.
Two test pilots and an engineer maneuvered the 8.7-metric-ton aircraft through taxi, hover and hover turns. The helicopter performed a stationary hover at 30 feet, the release said.
"The Surion will be test-flying at an altitude of 2,000 feet and a cruising speed of 140 knots by April," a DAPA spokesman said. "A full-scale flight test will begin in May before initial production in late 2010."

c-17 globemaster iii crash

A Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, operated by the United States Air Force, crashed on Wednesday near Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska at about 6:15 pm (0215 Thursday UTC), killing all four crew members. The plane was practicing for the 2010 Arctic Thunder air show.
These facts were confirmed by Air Force Lt. Gen. Dana Atkins, Commander of Alaskan Command NORAD, in an impromptu press conference later in the evening. Col. John McMullen, commander of the 3rd Wing (under whose authority the plane belonged), announced the four deaths on Thursday. Three were members of the U.S. Air National Guard, one was active duty. Names are being withheld pending the notification of family members.
The Elmendorf base is near Anchorage, Alaska, and the fireball and plume were visible from that city's downtown. "It was a big, gray plume of smoke and I saw a fireball go up in it," said Anchorage Fire Dept. Captain Bryan Grella in an interview with the Associated Press.
The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III aircraft is designed for rapid response strategic airlift, medical evacuation, and airdrop roles, carrying cargo and troops. The aircraft are used by the United States, the United Kingdom, NATO, Australia, Canada, and Qatar.

                                      

JF 17 - Pakistan's Pride

A new aircraft programme for Pakistan has brought benefits not only to the air force but to its aerospace industry. Air Commodore Azfar A Khan (retd) describes how and why the aircraft that marks a milestone in the aviation history of Pakistan was developed.

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When the time came to replace its large, obsolete fleet with modern, lightweight, multi-role combat aircraft, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) opted for a low-cost solution and not pricier Western designs. The result was an aircraft that could be manufactured in Pakistan in collaboration with the People's Republic of China - the lightweight fighter bomber JF-17 Thunder.
Developed by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and Chengdu Aircraft Industry, China, production is being undertaken at Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, Kamra.
The PAF officially inducted its first JF-17 squadron on 18 February this year. Initially, about 10 to12 squadrons are to be produced, but the PAF will ultimately acquire up to 250 pieces. From 2011, 15-16 aircraft will be produced annually, which may eventually be increased to 25 per year.
It is hoped the JF-17 will provide a low-cost replacement for a number of developing countries currently operating ageing MiG-21/F-7 and F-5 aircraft, such as Azerbaijan, Algeria, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Nigeria. Some of these nations have already confirmed orders.
Specification
The JF-17 is powered by a single Russian RD-93 turbofan engine, a widely used model known to be reliable. The turbofan design gives more thrust and significantly lower specific fuel consumption than a turbojet engine. The engine has gained attention for its acceleration and quick response, with test pilots describing reactions as "virtually instantaneous". Using a single engine also significantly reduces both maintenance time and cost.

"Initially, about 10 to12 squadrons are to be produced, but the PAF will ultimately acquire up to 250 pieces."

The aircraft can be armed with up to 3,629kg (8,000lb) of air-to-air and air-to-ground ordnance along with other equipment mounted externally on the aircraft. The glass cockpit, meanwhile, incorporates an electronic flight instrument system (EFIS) and a wide-angle head-up display (HUD), and it has a minimum total field of view of 25 degrees. The EFIS provides basic flight information, as well as tactical, engine, fuel, electrical, hydraulics, flight control and environment control systems information. The HUD and multi-function display (MFD) are 'smart' (meaning they can be configured by the pilot to show any of the available information), the avionics system is all-digital and fully integrated, and the solid state avionics is of a modular design.
Several radars were tested onboard prototypes of the JF-17, including Israel's Elta EL/M-2032, Russia's Phazotron Super Komar, Italy's FIAR Grifo-S7, Brittain's GEC-Marconi Blue Hawk and France's Thomson-CSF RC-400. However, a Chinese radar was selected for the first batch of craft, although Italy and France are in the running for future contracts, according to reports.
The software written for the avionics comprises more than one million lines of instructions, making use of the concept of open architecture. This software is written using the popular civilian C++ programming language, rather than a military language such as Ada, to better utilise the large number of civilian software programmers available in the market.
Building
The production of JF-17 parts and components begun as far back as 2005 and manufacture of its sub-assemblies started in 2008. The production of major assemblies is undertaken by Pakistan's large public sector units (PSUs), while parts and components are provided by private-sector suppliers.
Pakistan has a highly skilled and trained technical workforce - a prerequisite for the manufacture of an indigenous aircraft - that can be cheaper to employ when compared with other areas around the world. For example, some of the workforce deployed for the production of the JF-17 are retired personnel from the Pakistan Air Force. This manpower is available at a rate of $10 per hour whereas the international market can charge up to $45 per hour.

"The total cost of the JF-17 programme is US$500m."

It is this cost-effectiveness that led the PAF to take on the task of making its own aircraft. The unit production cost of a JF-17 translates into approximately US$15 million apiece whereas a multi-role aircraft in the international market is available for US$50m a piece. Overall, the total cost of the JF-17 programme is US$500m, divided equally between China and Pakistan.
Furthermore, Pakistan will earn a good exchange rate through the sale of this aircraft and its associated spares to other countries, keep its retired aircraft workers employed, and provide the country's internal market with new opportunities to build technologies and develop new innovations.

  Main A JF-17 on display at the IDEAS 2008 defence exhibition in Karachi, Pakistan.

Philippine Army Looking For 155mm Howitzer

DND Shopping Around for Heavy Weapons, Trucks

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of National Defense (DND) is in the market for heavy guns as well as military trucks for the Philippine Army (PA) in line with its ongoing efforts to modernize the military.

While there was no mention of the exact amount allotted for the procurement, Defense Undersecretary Antonio Romero said they are looking forward to the purchase of 155mm howitzers for the Army.

At present, the Army is heavily dependent on 105mm howitzers, which only have a maximum range of less than 12 kilometers (air distance), for its counterterrorism, counterinsurgency and anti-lawlessness campaign, especially in Mindanao.

The 155 mm howitzers, which have a range of 15 kilometers (air distance), will boost the Army’s reach into enemy lines, considering that most areas of conflict in the country are confined to rugged terrain.