Pakistan-China joint venture JF-Thunder aircraft takes off Today
By 'Pakistan Times' Special Correspondent

CHENGDU (China): A prototyped fighter aircraft JF-Thunder-17 (FC-4) a joint venture of Pakistan and China is scheduled to take off from People's Liberation Army Air Force airbase here Wednesday.

It will be a maiden operational flight, enabling the two countries to formally start its production. Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mehmood Ahmed who has arrived here along with other members of his delegation will witness the flight operation.

In the beginning, the aircraft equipped with advanced electronics and weapon systems will be manufactured at Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (CAC) in China's Sichuan province. Later, Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), Kamra will start production of the aircraft in June 2007, said an official of the Pakistan Air Force.

He said, the first formal flight ceremony of the fighter aircraft will be a historic event and it is to go a long way in developing Pakistan's indigenous capability to meet the requirements of the armed forces and achieving the goal of self-reliance.

While earlier prototypes FC-1, FC-2 and FC-3 have focused on operational flight capabilities, the FC-4 prototype is expected to test the aircraft's avionics and weapons integration.

Incorporating advanced design and state-of-the-art technology, the aircraft will envisage comprehensive combat capability of a third generation fighter.

Experts say, with advanced design and manufacturing technology, the export-oriented fighter plane is small, low in cost and suitable for modern warfare and the demands of military fighters.

The development program for the new-generation fighter aircraft was officially launched in 1999, led by the CAIC-I, China's leading operator in the aerospace industry.

PAF sources said that they were expecting the delivery of its first multi-role combat aircraft in early 2007. The Air Force plans to induct more than 100 JF-17 Thunder aircraft to replace a fleet of ageing Mirage fighters.

It may be mentioned here that President Pervez Musharraf during his State visit to China last February availed the opportunity to visit Chengdu Aircraft factory to inspect design and research institutes of the facility and its avionics laboratory. He also witnessed the assembly line of the fighter aircraft and inspected two prototypes at the Flight Test Station.●