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| JF-17 Thunder (Wiki Info - Image: Wiki Commons) |
By Usman Ansari
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan is integrating its nuclear-capable Hatf VII/Vengeance VII Ra’ad air launched cruise missile onto its JF-17 Thunder aircraft, but analysts are unsure if this signifies a nuclear deterrence role for the aircraft.
Air Commodore Khalid Mahmood at the JF-17 Project Management Office said integration work was ongoing with Chinese and Pakistani weapons, and that “most weapons have been integrated”.
“Ra’ad and the H-4 [glide bomb] will be for the Block I and Block II” aircraft currently in or about to enter service, not just the forthcoming Block III variant, he said.
Former Air Force pilot and analyst Kaiser Tufail said, “It makes good sense to get on with the wiring as well as flight trials of these weapons on the JF-17 at this stage. For one thing, all subsequent production aircraft would have the mod integrated from the outset and there will be no need for retrofits that also result in long down times at the flight lines. Secondly, the whole process is lengthy and it was about time we started it.”
He added, “Possibly, by the time the mods are in place on the JF-17, the first of the older Mirages would be retiring.”
The Mirage III carries the Ra’ad and is the delivery platform for Pakistan’s airborne arm of its nuclear deterrent. Its avionics were upgraded in the 1990s under the Retrofit Of Strike Element (ROSE) program.
They have been in service for many years, however, and are approaching the end of their useful lives.
Read the full story at DefenswNews