It was a moment of pride for the country when the Pride of Pakistan JF-17 Thunder participated in Virtual Air Tattoo Show-2020 at the Royal Air Force Base Fairford (UK).
Besides the indigenously manufactured multirole fighter aircraft of No16 Squadron, the time tested C-130 Hercules from No 21 Squadron also participated in the mega event.
Pakistan JF-17 Thunder, for the first time, participated in Virtual Air Tattoo Show-2020 at Royal Air Force Base Fairford in United Kingdom today #PakistanAirForce #Pakistan #PAF #JF17B #JF17Thunder #PAFFalcons #AviationPhotography #FalconsSpottershttps://t.co/XRrunaQcjw
— Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) July 20, 2020
This year, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, air forces from all over the world were asked to send short video clips of the participating aircraft and aircrew.
As per the conditions, PAF sent short video clips of each participating aircraft along with a message from the aircrew. These clips were telecast on the official social media channels of RIAT and were widely appreciated by the online users.
The event would go a long way in showcasing the potential of JF-17 for the international market besides projecting the soft image of the country across the world.
Read more: Pakistani JF-17 has one major advantage over world’s best aircraft stealth F-35
Fans of the Royal International Air Tattoo enjoyed a weekend of virtual flying displays, interviews and never seen before aerial footages of modern aircraft.
Ranked among the biggest air shows of the world, Royal International Air Tattoo features aircraft from the leading air forces across the globe. Various Air Forces, aircraft manufacturers, aerospace technology firms participate in this mega show each year.
JF-17 4th generation
JF-17 Thunder Block-III 4+ Generation made its maiden flight back in December 2019 and Pak-China jointly built fighter jet proved its might and air superiority all over again. At Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group’s (CAIG) facilities, the first-ever powered up prototype was flown in a test flight hailing some major upgrades and technologies from China’s top of the line J-20 fighter jet.
Experts believe that this upgrade saw some major updates to the electronic gadgets of previous JF-17 Thunder that majorly increased its aerial combat efficiency. Hailing the serial number “3000” JF-17 was jointly developed by China and Pakistan that is used majorly by Pakistan.
JF-17 Block III
The JF-17 Block III changed the way the world looked at Pakistan’s Air Force capabilities. Superior in every way to the most advanced fighter currently in Pakistan’s service, F-16 C, Block III variant of JF-17 Thunder boasts some significant improvements.
The Block III version of the JF-17 receiveD the RD-93MA or Chinese WS-13 engine, while its previous version had a Chinese license-built Klimov RD-93MA turbofan engine. JF-17 Block III variant can exceed the speed of Mach 2, almost 2470 km/h.
The JF-17 Block 3’s avionics are nothing less than a state of the art. JF-17 Block III have a helmet-mounted display (HMD) and possibly an internal infrared search and tracking (IRST) system. The plane boasts a full glass cockpit and a new single panel multifunctional display.
Pakistan negotiated with British and Italian defense firms regarding avionics and radars for the JF-17 development. Radar options include the Italian Galileo Avionica’s Grifo S7 the French Thomson-CSF’s RC400 (a variant of the RDY-2), and the British company SELEX Galileo’s Vixen 500E active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.
Fifty JF-17s were to be upgraded and an optional fifty from 2013 onwards, at a cost of up to US$1.36 billion. The RC-400 radar, MICA AAMs, and several air-to-surface weapons were believed to be in the contract. The PAF also held talks with South Africa for the supply of Denel A-darter AAMs.
Online Int’l News with additional input by GVS News Desk