Latest JF-17 II Equipped with BVR & Precision Strike

DEFENSE AND TECHNOLOGY -- Through the 1990s and most of the 2000s, the backbone of the PAF’s fleet was composed of the Chengdu F-7P/PG Skybolt and Dassault Mirage III & 5. In addition, the PAF also operated the A-5 (a ground-attack variant of the Shenyang F-6) and General Dynamics (later Lockheed Martin) F-16A/B Block-15, the latter split between two squadrons (down from the original three when the fighter was originally inducted).

To help ease the shortfalls experienced as a result of the Pressler Amendment, the PAF also inducted surplus Mirage III & 5 aircraft from Australia, Spain, Lebanon and Libya, and subsequently upgraded many of the airframes under the Retrofit Strike Element (ROSE) program. The ROSE I program was, at least on its own terms, a good upgrade as it allowed the PAF to equip its Mirage IIIs with a suite comprised of a modern radar, avionics and some electronic warfare (EW) and electronic countermeasures (ECM) equipment. In addition, it imbued the Mirage with the capability to use beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles (BVRAAM) and precision-guided munitions (PGM), though it is unclear if the PAF ever actually inducted BVRAAMs for the Mirage (ambiguous media reports notwithstanding). However, it did integrate its Mirages with the H-2 and H-4 series of precision-guided glide bombs (likely based on the Denel Raptor-I and II).

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