Posted on 04/29/2018 12:38:34 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
KAMRA, PAKISTAN: The sprawling complex at Kamra, west of Islamabad, reverbates at the thundering take-off of a Mirage Rose-1, the latest ageing fighter jet to have been gutted and reassembled by the Pakistani Air Force.
Fifty years after Pakistan bought its first Mirages, many planes in the venerable fleet are still being patched up, overhauled and upgraded for use in combat, years after conventional wisdom dictates they should be grounded.
That includes one of the first two planes originally purchased from France's Dassault in 1967, which was in a hangar at Kamra after its record fifth overhaul when AFP visited recently.
The techniques they have developed are reminiscent of -- but far more high-tech and lethal than -- the improvised methods used to keep classic American cars running on the streets of Havana.
Technicians work on a Mirage aircraft during a full overhaul by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF)
"We have achieved such a capability that our experts can integrate any latest system with the ageing Mirages," says Air Commodore Salman M. Farooqi, deputy managing director of the Mirage Rebuild Factory (MRF) at the Kamra complex.
Pakistan bought its first Mirages to diversify its fleet, which in the late 1960s largely consisted of US-built planes: F-104 Starfighters, T-37 Tweety Birds and F-86 Sabres.
The Mirage became a popular choice, with the Air Force buying 17 different variants in later years, eventually owning the second-highest number of the fighter jets after France.
They performed bombing missions during Pakistan's failed war with India in 1971 -- one of the shortest conflicts in history, lasting just 13 days and leading to the creation of Bangladesh.
(Excerpt) Read more at ndtv.com ...
Delta wing fighters. The exact opposite of stealth.
“We’ve got to get these Dassault weapons off our streets!”/ silly sarc
“Delta wing fighters. The exact opposite of stealth”.
Actually, it’s economic and thereby a good strategy. Their only potential adversary is India and the chances of the two going to war is remote. Both countries have nukes which keeps them both in line.
I’ve always harbored affection for our own delta darts and daggers. But then I like the P-80s looks over those of the F-86. And heavens to murgatroid, although I love both. I like the looks of the P-40 (in full shark mouth or not) over the P-51(and I like the razor back version of the P-51 over the bubble canopy).
Nothing to do with fighting ability at all. Just my own coolness factor going back to my likes as a kid in the 50s, 60s.
I like the P-47 Thunderbolt and the F-4U Corsair. Not the prettiest, but gluttons for punishment that could still fight and hammer anything in its cross-hairs.
There was an American night-fighter called The Black Widow (P-61? Not sure...) that didn’t get the attention that I also like. The lines in that one can be found in the ARC-170, a craft that flies in the opening sequence of the Star Wars movie Revenge of the Sith.
Are there B-52s in our fleet older than those Mirages? Surely, there must be some!
“Quantity has a quality all its own”
Old Uncle Joe, and others.
Wikipedia says all the B-52s in service were made in the period 1952–62 and that they’re supposed to be in service into the 2050’s.
Imagine a real centenarian taking it to the bad-guys. “I’m still bringin’ it, bichiz!”
I know B-52H AF Ser. No. 61-0040 is the youngest in the fleet being delivered in 1962.
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