Air Chief, CJCSC vow to defend country’s airspace from any aggression

Earlier on March 5, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman (CJCSC) General Zubair Mahmood Hayat has said PAF – being the first line of national defence – has come up to the expectations of nation in the recent conflict against the enemy. Talking to Mujahid Anwar Khan today (Tuesday), he said the nation is proud of the valiant sons of the soil, who thwarted the enemy’s nefarious designs. Mujahid  Anwar also apprised the CJCSC about the operational preparedness of PAF and reiterated his resolve to safeguard the sovereignty of motherland, whenever challenged. Earlier, the final three Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder Block II multirole combat aircraft are set to be delivered to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) by late June. This was announced by PAF Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan during an interview with Jane’s, a foreign magazine. The aircraft are part of an order placed by the PAF in late 2017 for an additional 12 platforms that are currently on the Aircraft Manufacturing Factory (AMF) final assembly line at PAC Kamra. AMF has built more than 100 JF-17s since the first JF-17 (serialled 09-111) was rolled out in November 2009. Production of the Block III variant is expected to begin later this year PAF Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan told Jane’s, adding that the service “will make a decision on one of the two new Chinese AESA [airborne electronically scanned-array] radars we are currently evaluating for these aircraft”.