Tuesday, May 10 2005 09:37 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Pakistan said yesterday (May 9, 2005) that it planned to produce four planes of the of JF-17 fighter aircraft capable of carrying short-range missiles, being manufactured in collaboration with China.

The process will begin next year and the serial production will start from 2007, Chairman of Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), Air Marshal Aurangzeb and Chief Project Director of JF-17 Air Vice Marshal Shahid Latif told newsmen.

The small batch production of JF-17 would begin in the second half of this year and first four aircraft would be delivered to PAC Kamra in December next year, they said at Kamra where Pakistan Air Forces (PAF) has its manufacturing centre.

China and Pakistan together developed the lightweight, all-weather and multi-role aircraft. Pakistan has committed to manufacture 150 planes and China 250 aircraft, they said.

Pakistani plans to produce around 20 aircraft per annum. Fifty percent of the airframe would initially be manufactured in Pakistan and it would progressively be enhanced to hundred per cent.

Similarly, cooperation with original equipment manufacturers would be expanded over a period of time for co-production of avionics systems.

Twenty-two avionics systems would be co-produced at PAC including radar, self-protection jammer, high-tech flight control and mission computers.

PAF plans to replace its ageing aircraft with JF-17s and the F-16 planes promised by the United States.

US offered to sell 24 new generation F-16s and Pakistan wants 70 planes.

Latif said aircraft would be capable of carrying short range, beyond visual range, anti-ship as well as anti radiation missiles.