Originally posted by 38�Ž:This is a very interesting piece of news. The SD-10 will (or already has) enter production in the 2005-2006 period. Details about it have been hazy but it is regarded by experts as utilizing a license built Italian Aspide missile combined with components from the Russian AA-12 'Adder' BVRAAM with an indigenious Chinese active radar seeker.
OK, very interesting, premium American & Chinese fighters will service side by side in one air force. And Chinese SD-10 and American AIM-120 AMRAAMs will both be adopted by Pakistani Air Force (PAF) .
And if Pakistan obtains J10 fighter, the USAF will be keen to have COPE Pakistan held with PAF.
[b]Pakistan to shop for U.S. and Chinese warplanes
http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-04-13T210439Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-244753-1.xml
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's cabinet has given its air force clearance to open negotiations to buy 36 Jian-10 fighter aircraft from China and 62 F-16s from the United States, defence officials said on Thursday.
The newspaper, quoting an official document, reported that in addition to the aircraft, the government gave approval for purchase of 300 Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missiles of [color=orange]SD-10 type and 500 BVRs from the United States, 18 targetting pods and 500 joint direct attack munitions.
[/b]
Originally posted by ^Delta^:ItÂ’s very different from the appearance of the both AAM, to me, it's more like American AIM120
This is a very interesting piece of news. The SD-10 will (or already has) enter production in the 2005-2006 period. Details about it have been hazy but it is regarded by experts as utilizing a license built Italian Aspide missile combined with components from the Russian AA-12 'Adder' BVRAAM with an indigenious Chinese active radar seeker
Many however regard it as simply a Chinese version of the AA-12 with no major differences from the Russian weapon..
Thanks for the pics... So the SD-10 really uses the Aspide airframe, with new fins so it resembles an AMRAAM missile. But I bet its electronics are nowhere near the capabilities of the American weapon.Originally posted by 38�Ž:It’s very different from the appearance of the both AAM, to me, it's more like American AIM120
Again, u r not correct, the Aspide is a derivate of American AIM-7 “Sparrow” , the Italy exported some Aspide to China in later 1980s, then the Chinese developed the PL11 BVR AAM based on Aspide, here’s the photo of PL11:Originally posted by ^Delta^:Thanks for the pics... So the SD-10 really uses the Aspide airframe, with new fins so it resembles an AMRAAM missile. But I bet its electronics are nowhere near the capabilities of the American weapon.
ha ha..Originally posted by 38�Ž:Again, u r not correct, the Aspide is a derivate of American AIM-7 “Sparrow” , the Italy exported some Aspide to China in later 1980s, then the Chinese developed the PL11 BVR AAM based on Aspide, here’s the photo of PL11:
Well, If I were the decision maker of the Fighter purchasing, I would have cut the number of my procurement, That is, if the AIM-120 is far more superior to SD-10, why I bother to buy an additional stock of the totally new plane—the J10? Because I could just procure more F16s—brand new or 2nd hand, considering Pakistani air Force already has the existing logistics to support the F16s. However, by procuring the J10, the PAF will add a lot of jobs, say ground facilities, training, maintenance etc. so, the buyer’s judgment won’t put the rating of SD-10 too low if compared to AIM-120. Otherwise, they won’t buy it at 1st place.
Not exactly, USAF is retiring F16s in large numbers, as a matter of factor, the 26 F16s A/B for PAF are from US stockpile, US no longer view the F16 as sensitive weapons but rather some goods on sale or to be scraped. The risk of US sanction is rather low.Originally posted by spencer99:ha ha..
if u r decision maker. you will rem that US embargo the F16s that were meant for PAF.
As such, it make sense to diverse your figther procurement so that in case pakistan's ties with US sour, their figther force will not be left stranded.
remember pakistan is a muslim country, i can forsee potential fallout with the US in the future even though ties now are rosy.
the news procurement is rather political ones.....making both sdes happy.....Originally posted by 38�Ž:Not exactly, USAF is retiring F16s in large numbers, as a matter of factor, the 26 F16s A/B for PAF are from US stockpile, US no longer view the F16 as sensitive weapons but rather some goods on sale or to be scraped. The risk of US sanction is rather low.
Almost there~Originally posted by Shotgun:And the aspide itself is the italian license manufacture of the Sparrow. Hence the chinese PL11 essentially is a sparrow?
Chinese missile may be for Pakistan's F-16s
ROBERT HEWSON Editor Jane's Air-Launched Weapons
Bangkok
"China is about to bring a second beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missile (AAM) to the export market. The new weapon, to be known as the FD-60, is already in service with the People's Liberation Army Air Force as the PL-11.
In China it equips the Shen- yang J-8II 'Finback' interceptor but, according to the manufacturer, the export version is intended for the F-16 - a clear signal that Pakistan could be the lead customer.
Development of the FD-60 (PL-11) began in 1987 and was completed in 2000, according to the China National Precision Machinery Import & Export Corporation (CPMIEC). The weapon is described as an air-launched version of the LY-60 surface-to-air missile. It uses semi-active radar homing.
The missile borrows heavily from Aspide technology supplied by Italy before an arms embargo was imposed on China following the Tiananmen Square massacre.
China also had access to early-model US-built AIM-7 Sparrow missiles acquired via Vietnam, from which the Aspide itself is derived. Since the late 1980s Chinese technicians have been developing a Sparrow-class missile.
"Until now most observers had assessed the PL-11/FD-60 programme as a largely unsuccessful effort that had been overtaken by the more advanced PL-12/SD-10 active-radar AAM, developed under the leadership of the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corp (CATIC). However, it now appears that work on the PL-11/FD-60 has continued, perhaps to provide a back-up capability in the event of problems with the PL-12/SD-10 but also because CPMIEC has identified an export market for the missile.
As the FD-60 is based largely on the Aspide/Sparrow design, integrating it with US-built aircraft should be relatively straightforward. Such a missile would be of great interest to existing customers of Chinese equipment, such as Pakistan and Iran, that have inventories of US fighters for which they cannot obtain advanced weapons - chiefly BVR missiles.