 |
| Chinese J-10A (File Photo) |
By WENDELL MINNICK and USMAN ANSARI
TAIPEI AND ISLAMABAD — Tough International Monetary Fund conditions on Pakistan and concerns about untested technology likely will delay Islamabad’s plan to buy 36 J-10B Vigorous Dragon multirole fighters from China under a $1.4 billion deal signed in 2009, analysts said.
Current economic conditions “preclude any possibility of acquiring new weapon systems in the next two to three years, at least,” said retired Pakistani Air Commodore Kaiser Tufail, a veteran fighter and test pilot who is now an independent military analyst in Lahore.
Under IMF loan terms, the government faces harsh conditions on raising revenue and controlling spending, including on military equipment.
Read the full story at DefenseNews