In my opinion, PAF Mirages are on their own tangent, unlike any other Mirage users, including those of Mirage 2000. For example, Taiwan, India, and the UAE are all discussing retiring their Mirage 2000s, while PAF is deploying Mirage 3 and 5 in positions hardly thought of. It seems that Pakistan has mastered the deployment of Mirage 3/5 ROSE platform to a level where its newer cousin, the Mirage 2000, will retire almost simultaneously as that of PAF Mirages.
Pakistan Air Force | News & Discussions
- Thread starter ghazi52
- Start date
Yasser76
Elite Member
Yes, they have worked miracles with this bird. Kamra helped a lot as we could virtually rebuild an entire Mirage, zero hour the airframe. That and the PAF going on a crazy spare aircraft buying spree for Mirages in the 90s helped out as spares become less of an issue too.
ROSE upgrade it dated now, but simply the ability to fire longe range stand off weapons gives this platform a capability even the F-16s do not have. Very fast and stable at low level also helps here.
What an amazing plan and kudos to Dassault for the design and kudos to PAF for getting more out of it then anyone deemed possible
PAF mirage story is not short of a miracle - even French never thought of using this platform for that long and at this level. if you all remember the picture of mirage 5 with 10 cluster bombs , even mirage 2000 cannot carry that many of them. it is not configured.
Quwa
Research Partner
Fun story: In the early 1980s the PAF was seeking a new lightweight fighter to replace the F-6s and complement the F-16s. It had evaluated the F-20 and, for a time, even thought about the Mirage F-1. A retired AM told me that Dassault offered the whole production line of the F-1 and a large stockpile of ATAR turbojet engines.
This and the subsequent Sabre II project didn't go through because the economics of the F-16 were getting insane, to the point where it could be acquired in large numbers for a relatively low cost.
This and the subsequent Sabre II project didn't go through because the economics of the F-16 were getting insane, to the point where it could be acquired in large numbers for a relatively low cost.
Trailer23
Trusted Member
m52k85
Registered Member
Who said it was a No.7 aircraft? CCS Sky Bolts also fly Mirage Rose-I.
MirageBlue
Registered Member
IAF isn't going to be retiring it's Mirage-2000s for another decade at least. They even had negotiations with Qataris for their 11 Mirage-2000-5s.
ThrustVector998
Registered Member
It had bandits written on it
Another decade is not too long; by then, these mirages of the IAF will be 50 years old. I doubt they will carry them that long.
m52k85
Registered Member
There is past precedence to squadron marking not being removed when assets are transferred/ shared. That is a more likely explanation than a 1500 mile solo round-trip from Masroor done by the same airframe 4 or 5 times in a week.
ThrustVector998
Registered Member
It isn't based there anymore.
Trailer23
Trusted Member
Bandits have been relocated to Mushaf over a year back.
Here is the Base Commander of Mushaf wearing a Patch of Bandits during Indus Shield '24
Quwa
Research Partner
Just speaking hypothetically...
This isn't news. This isn't real information.
I'm just saying...
IF the PAF has a few squadrons in mind to phase over to the J-31/J-35, it would likely a couple among these ones:
It'd be interesting to see how they approach it. Being their largest and most capable fighter to-date, I wonder if they'll reduce squadron sizes down to 12~14 aircraft a unit. Or, maybe, shift to a composite model where they maintain a mix of ~12 crewed fighters plus ~12 UCAVs (mix of ~2-ton and ~5-ton designs).
Or, the PAF goes a whole other direction by maintaining full-sized crewed squadrons (20~24 jets) and starts shifting legacy squadrons onto new-gen UCAVs entirely.
@Oscar @arslank01
This isn't news. This isn't real information.
I'm just saying...
IF the PAF has a few squadrons in mind to phase over to the J-31/J-35, it would likely a couple among these ones:
- No.7 (Mirage)
- No.25 (Mirage)
- No.27 (Mirage)
- No.9 (F-16A/B)
- No.11 (F-16A/B)
It'd be interesting to see how they approach it. Being their largest and most capable fighter to-date, I wonder if they'll reduce squadron sizes down to 12~14 aircraft a unit. Or, maybe, shift to a composite model where they maintain a mix of ~12 crewed fighters plus ~12 UCAVs (mix of ~2-ton and ~5-ton designs).
Or, the PAF goes a whole other direction by maintaining full-sized crewed squadrons (20~24 jets) and starts shifting legacy squadrons onto new-gen UCAVs entirely.
@Oscar @arslank01
Oscar
Moderator
I would be surprised if they can afford more than 2 squadrons.
My guess is whatever PFX is may take over the Mirage sqds and J-35 is relegated to the F-16 squadrons. Kaan may eventually augment or replace 5 sq and then maybe older thunder airframes.
Yasser76
Elite Member
With the IAF down to just 28 Sqds (not including the MIG-21 units), it gives the PAF breathing room in terms of size. 1:2 is probably the best ratio PAF has ever had against IAF. So assuming all IAF's new inductions replace their Jaguars and MIG-29s, even if PAF reduced to a 14 Sqd force it can maintain a 1:2 balance. If that force is a combo of JF-17s, J-10Cs and J-35s, then we are in good shape
