Old News Of PAF

[H Khan]

While going through my boxes of old information about Pak armed forces I have started to find tit-bits which might bring old memories back or better good for the record keeping. Here are some of them so far:

Aviation Week & Space Technology
May 2, 1977
SECTION: INDUSTRY OBSERVER; Pg. 13


Modernization of Pakistan's Dassault-Breguet Mirage fighters with modern gunsight and laser ranging equipment is under way. Competitors include teams composed of Kearfott and Sagem and of Litton and Ferranti. The program may prove the feasibility of weapon system updates on Mirages operated by a number of nations. The Pakistanis also are interested in modernizing their North American F-86 fighters by adding a laser-ranging gyro gunsight.

[H Khan]

Aviation Week & Space Technology
January 10, 1977
SECTION: INDUSTRY OBSERVER; Pg. 9


Dassault-Breguet is proposing to update Pakistan's Mirage 5PA bombers with an avionics system similar to one for the French navy's Dassault-Breguet Super Etendard strike fighter, to be housed in a new Mirage 5PA nose section. The package would include an inertial weapon delivery system built by SAGEM, based on a Singer Kearfott license.

[H Khan]

Aviation Week & Space Technology
January 6, 1975
SECTION: Pg. 14

Dassault/Breguet Mirage F1 equipped with the Snecma M53 engine made on its maiden flight at Istres with company test pilot Guy Mitaux-Maurouard at the controls. The aircraft reached a maximum speed of Mach 1.32 and an altitude of 38,000 ft. during the 1-hr. flight. The aircraft carried two Matra Magic air-to-air missiles. This aircraft is in competition with the General Dynamics YF-16, Northtop YF-17 and Saab Viggen as a replacement for the Lockheed F-104 in Europe. F1/M53 initial flight was on Dec. 22. Other countries which have shown interest in F1/M53 are Egypt, Pakistan and Spain.

[H Khan]

Aviation Week & Space Technology
February 3, 1975
SECTION: MANAGEMENT; Pg. 16

Egypt Shifting From USSR To France for Arms Supply

By Robert R. Ropelewski

General agreement reached last week on French supply of combat aircraft
and other military equipment to Egypt underscored Egyptian
dissatisfaction with Soviet support in several areas over the past 15
months.

Egyptian President Anwar Sadat left here Jan. 29 after two days of
talks with French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing that concluded
with an agreement in principle for the direct sale to Egypt of
Dassault-Breguet Mirage fighters, Aerospatiale Super Frelon and Lynx
helicopters, Aerospatiale Exocet anti-ship missiles, Matra/Thomson-CSF
acquisition radars and other equipment worth an estimated $2 billion.

Mirage F1 Buy

President Sadat spoke openly of the 38 Mirage 3s ordered by Saudi
Arabia in late 1973, which are now being given to Egypt, and he
indicated that Egypt is now interested in buying the Mirage F1, a more
recent version of the Mirage powered by the Snecma Atar 9K50 engine.
About 20 F1s ordered by Kuwait in late 1973 are already believed
earmarked for Egypt, but delivery of these aircraft to Kuwait has not
yet begun.

The version sought by Sadat is distinct from the Mirage F1E, powered by
the Snecma M53 and in competition to replace the Lockheed F-104 in
Europe (AW&ST Jan. 6, p. 14). The F1 has been under development 11
years and made its first flight in 1966. The F1E made its maiden flight
last December. Primary role of the F1 is all-weather interception.

Middle East sources indicate that a first group of Egyptian pilots
began training in the F1 in France last May, carrying Saudi Arabian and
Kuwaiti passports.

President Sadat visited Thomsom-CSF facilities during his stay in
Paris, and also met with top officials of Avions Marcel
Dassault-Breguet Aviation, Matra and Snecma.During the Thomson-CSF
visit, Sadat was particularly interested in air defense radar systems,
missiles, electronic countermeasures (ECM) equipment and surface radar
installations to control shipping in the Suez Canal and various
Egyptian ports.

Egypt's minister of military production, Gen. Ahmed Kamel el Badri, was
scheduled to remain here for at least three more days after Sadat's
departure to finalize arrangements for procurement of some of these
systems as well as the Mirages. Sadat said the total number of Mirages
being ordered was being kept secret, but he indicated later that the
number was 46-50.

Sadat continued to stress his dissatisfaction with the Soviet Union for
its failure to resupply Egypt with aircraft and arms following the
October, 1973, Middle East War. Egypt lost an estimated 200-plus
aircraft during the war, most of which have not been replaced by the
Soviets.This is obviously one of the reasons why the country is now
leaning heavily toward France for replacements.

Although Sadat contended that Egypt wants to maintain a rapport with
East and West, he acknowledged before his visit to France that
significant differences still exist between Egypt and the Soviet Union
not only in military, but in economic and political matters as well.

Egypt has been seeking a moratorium in its repayment of military arms
debts to the Soviets, but so far has been unsuccessful. Cairo paid over
$200 million to Russia last year in partial compensation.

The Egyptian government has been unable to raise a reply from Soviet
officials on a request submitted this year for a 10-year suspension of
payments on arms debts to allow Egypt to concentrate its investments on
internal reconstruction programs. Sadat has suggested that such an
arrangement has already been approved by the Soviets for Syria.

Despite these problems, it appears that Arab oil-producing nations are
providing substantial aid to Egypt in its military re-equipment
efforts. Sadat himself has acknowledged this aid, including continued
supplies of Russian equipment from Algeria and European equipment
channeled through Saudi Arabia. Sadat has contended that the arms
currently on hand in Egypt are sufficient to inflict "some very heavy
losses" on Israel.

Technological Cooperation

In addition to defense matters, presidents Sadat and Giscard also
discussed possibilities for economic and technological cooperation in
other areas. One subject favored by Sadat was possible purchase of
nuclear generators for Egypt, but talks in this area apparently did not
reach a very advanced stage.

For France, which was frustrated by its lack of influence in the last
Middle East crisis, Sadat's visit represented a major step toward
gaining a voice in Middle East affairs. Sadat encouraged this view by
acknowledging that France could play a part in the Geneva peace talks,
though "not at the beginning."