The Pakistan Air Force's plans to upgrade its equipment have recently become a hot topic. According to reports, they plan to phase out all third-generation combat aircraft by 2030 and instead update them to fourth-generation, four-and-a-half-generation aircraft, and introduce fifth-generation stealth fighters around 2030. While this plan may seem in line with the trend, it is an ambitious challenge for the Pakistan Air Force.
At present, the Pakistan Air Force has 135 Mirage Frame Mirage-5 and nearly 60 J-7PG fighters, forming 11 combat squadrons, constituting an important tactical force. However, although these third-generation aircraft have been upgraded in recent years, most of them were bought in 80-90 years, and even some are second-hand fighters, and their potential has been fully tapped, and the upgrade space is limited. Coupled with the age, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain the uptime rate.
As a result, the Pakistan Air Force will need to retire nearly 50 combat aircraft each year over the next seven years. Even more pressure on Pakistan is that the Indian Air Force will grow steadily. India has not only chosen to purchase 12 new Su-30MKIs, but also plans to increase the total number of Su-30MKI fighters to 272 after 2025. In addition, the Indian naval aviation is armed with 43 MiG-29Ks and 28 Rafale Ms are ordered.
Overall, the Pakistan Air Force will face the threat of about 700 fourth-generation naval and air aircraft fleets of the Indian army after 2030. However, in the face of this challenge, the Pakistan Air Force did not back down and chose to rise to the occasion. They have set out to upgrade their main fighter, the JF-17 Lightning, commonly known as the Thunder.
Currently, the Pakistan Air Force has delivered about 150 JF-17s, Lightning fighters, including 50 Block 2 and 15 Block 3, with another 35 on order. In addition, there are 26 JF-17B two-seater aircraft.
In addition, the Pakistan Air Force has also introduced J-10CE fighters from China, the first batch of 24 has been purchased, and 2 squadrons have been formed, and more may be purchased in the future. In March 2022, the Pakistan Air Force received the first batch of J-10CE fighters, and after a period of use, the J-10CE performed well, which impressed the Pakistan Air Force and decided to continue the introduction.
The Pakistan Air Force has shown admirable ambition, and their tireless efforts have become the hope of peace in the skies of South Asia. However, in the face of the challenge of the Indian Air Force, the Pakistan Air Force needs more support and assistance. We hope that the Pakistan Air Force will achieve more brilliant achievements in the future tests, and at the same time, we hope that the cooperation between China and Pakistan in the military field will be further deepened to jointly safeguard regional peace and stability.
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