PAF J-35AE - News, Updates and Discussions

[WatchtowerWarrior4Ever]

Those things are geriatric planes that need to be put down asap. They serve no value in modern warfare...... time move past nostalgia.

Grounding the Mirages now would leave real gaps in strike and reconnaissance.

 

[Cipher212]

Those things are geriatric planes that need to be put down asap. They serve no value in modern warfare...... time move past nostalgia.

Mirages can still successfully strike Indian positions in a real war and come back alive. It can be done. The invincibility of modern radars and missiles is somewhat overstated. We are brainwashed by brochures and marketing material.

 

[Yasser76]

Grounding the Mirages now would leave real gaps in strike and reconnaissance.

Both statements can be true I think

 

[Ali_Baba]

Mirages can still successfully strike Indian positions in a real war and come back alive. It can be done. The invincibility of modern radars and missiles is somewhat overstated. We are brainwashed by brochures and marketing material.

It took 2 Mirages with 2 pilots + 2 WSO's to deliver one precision missile during the 2019 conflict with India and that still required "Line of sight control" putting at risk a Mirage + 2 officers at risk that had to fly a high mission profile guiding the missile to its target.

Now, a JF17 alone can deliver 2 precision cruise missiles on its own with just 1 pilot in a standoff manner...

The Mirages cannot generate the mission rate that the JF17 can, at the lower cost that a JF17 can...

Mirages are old, and will tire easily given the maintenance issues relative to their age. They need to be replaced with JF17s asap.

 

[Blain2]

It took 2 Mirages with 2 pilots + 2 WSO's to deliver one precision missile during the 2019 conflict with India and that still required "Line of sight control" putting at risk a Mirage + 2 officers at risk that had to fly a high mission profile guiding the missile to its target.

Now, a JF17 alone can deliver 2 precision cruise missiles on its own with just 1 pilot in a standoff manner...

The Mirages cannot generate the mission rate that the JF17 can, at the lower cost that a JF17 can...

Mirages are old, and will tire easily given the maintenance issues relative to their age. They need to be replaced with JF17s asap.

For the time being, Mirages have good high-speed, low altitude, strike capability and can operate effectively under the cover of a good escort.

I think it is a matter of time for them to be replaced. I don't think anyone's doubting that our newer multirole aircraft can do more than the Mirages but for time they are around, they have to be put to use.

This aside, how is any of this tied to the J-35 induction?

 

[White Privilege]

Hi,

The Mirages are not going nywhere soon.

All the 'informed rumors' indicate they have already been phased out from frontline combat duties. Nuclear delivery role, maybe, but in tactical attack role, Thunders provide much more at lesser fuel guzzling. Sidhu can keep a few for drag racing sure.....

 

[Blain2]

All the 'informed rumors' indicate they have already been phased out from frontline combat duties. Nuclear delivery role, maybe, but in tactical attack role, Thunders provide much more at lesser fuel guzzling. Sidhu can keep a few for drag racing sure.....

I don't think Pakistan has a "nuclear delivery role" for its manned squadrons any longer. Probably a last resort thing but the missile technology, range and payload has gone far beyond the need to strap a free-fall nuclear bomb to the belly of an aircraft and launching it towards a target for a toss-bombing mission.

A nuclear tipped ALCM is one option but I wonder about the efficacy of exposing manned aircraft for such missions when LACM, SLCMs can probably do this just as well.

 

[Ali_Baba]

For the time being, Mirages have good high-speed, low altitude, strike capability and can operate effectively under the cover of a good escort.

I think it is a matter of time for them to be replaced. I don't think anyone's doubting that our newer multirole aircraft can do more than the Mirages but for time they are around, they have to be put to use.

This aside, how is any of this tied to the J-35 induction?

To me, it would make sense to pause the J-10CE, go real big on the J-35AE and more JF17CE and sell off the 20 units of the J10CE to another operator - in my view of course. The J10CE is an odd ball relative to where we want the PAF to go and the J-35AE can do everything the J10CE can do, and alot lot more on top ... The PAF had to do an emergency buy of the J10CE to offset the Rafale, and I suspect PAF would have preferred to have waited for the J-35AE instead if it could.