Chinese-Pakistani warplane almost ready to roll

ISLAMABAD, Apr 10: The Pakistan Air Force is expecting the delivery of its first multi-role combat aircraft modelled on China's FC-1 Xiaolong in early 2007, a spokesman said today.

The Air Force plans to induct more than 100 Joint Fighter-17 (JF-17) Thunders, jointly produced by China's Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, to replace a fleet of ageing Mirage fighters.

''The programme is on schedule and the fourth prototype would be tested by the end of April,'' Air Commodore Sarfraz Ahmed Khan said.

The flight will be used to test the aircraft's avionics and weapons integration.

Small batch production of the single-seat, single-engine JF-17, will begin in China in June and the aircraft would be delivered to Pakistan in early 2007, Khan said.

Serial production of the aircraft would start at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra by June 2007, with aim of supplying both the Pakistan Air Force and export markets.

Pakistan and China had been negotiating with different companies to buy the avionics package for the JF-17 aircraft, which at 12 million dollars apiece is half the cost of an F-16.

BAE Systems Plc was one option being considered for sourcing the avionics, according to defence and diplomatic sources.

Reuters