Posted on 09/13/2007 10:42:07 PM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Pakistan seeks missiles, radar from France: Report
PARIS, Sept 13 (AP) - Pakistan is seeking to buy missiles and radar from France for a fighter plane that it is developing jointly with China, Jane's Defense Weekly said Pakistan is talking to France about getting air-to-air missiles from the MBDA company and radars from Thales for its JF-17 fighter, it said.
Those missiles and similar radars also equip Taiwan's French-built Mirage fighters, defences that could be compromised if Pakistan transfers the technology to China, according to Jane's. Asked Thursday about the report, Defence Minister Herve Morin replied: “To my knowledge, there is no arms embargo for Pakistan.” He noted that France has a system of controls on arms exports and referred further questions to the prime minister's office.
Without confirming that talks with Pakistan are under way, Defence Ministry spokesman Laurent Teisseire said: “We have no reason not to cooperate with Pakistan on its leading projects.” He dismissed concerns of any possible technology leak to China, citing arms control measures that would be part of any such sale.(Posted @ 20:25 PST)
No surprise here.
The french are well known in military circles for having highly specialized radar that can quickly identify the fastest and best escape routes when disengaging the enemy.
Is JF-17 a Chinese design?
That’s one ugly-a$$ paint job.
The JF-17 is the Pakistani designation of the Chinese aircraft called the FC-1.It was born out of the joint Sino-US ‘Super-7’ project which was designed as a successor to the F-7(Chinese Mig-21).It started in the mid-80s with Grumman signing a contract worth almost 600 million USD with the Chinese,only to be aborted by the Tianammen square massacre.
The Pakis came in in 1990 providing monetary support as the US had embargoed F-16 delivery,also loaning an existing F-16 to Chinese experts.The Chinese are probably not going to induct this aircraft,while the Pakis may buy upto 150 jets.
The paintjob is a tribute to Sino-Pakistani friendship.Green/white for the Paki flag,while the Red is for the PRC.
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