Free Republic

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...

A MIRAGE III fighter plane that was sold in an auction in Cannes went for €106,675 – to Serge Dassault, the billionaire industrialist and senator who is CEO of the firm that made it. Estimated at €30-50,000, the plane was sold without its jet engines and weapons and it is in pieces with the cabin and wings dismantled. It was retired from military use in 1995 after being used in the Ardennes Squadron. Mr Dassault, whose father Marcel founded the Dassault group of companies including Dassault Aviation, wants to display the plane on a roundabout in Corbeil-Essonne, of which he...

Last week the Argentine Air Force formally bid farewell to the remaining French built Mirage jet fighters, which saw combat during the Falkland Islands conflict in 1982, since in three months time they will be decommissioned after four decades service. The occasion was the 103 anniversary of the Air Force (10th August but celebrated on the 13th). Despite having extended the lifespan and flying hours of the few Mirages left, the repeated problems with the obsolete avionics only allows them to fly during day light with pilots keeping visual contact. Since the current administration of president Cristina Fernandez will be...

The Pakistani Air Force (PAF) has acquired a squadron of F-16 multi-role fighter aircraft from Jordan. The early production Block-15 fighter jets will be inducted inducted into the service in March 2014, next month, Pakistan’s TheNews reports. Two Royal Jordanian Air Force F-16s fly alongside a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft while waiting to connect for fuel over Jordan. Photo: US Air Force Of the fighters acquired from the Royal Jordanian Air Force, 12 of the aircraft are single seaters A models and one is a twin-seat F-16B. Jordan has recently acquired 15 similar aircraft – F-16A/B MLU from...

SA sells Cheetah jet fighters to Ecuador Denel Aviation has sold 12 Cheetah C supersonic fighter aircraft to Ecuador, the company said on Monday. An agreement to conclude the deal was recently signed by Denel Aviation CEO Mike Kgobe in Ecuador's capital, Quito. Denel Aviation is the design authority of the single-seat fighter that was locally developed as a variant of the Mirage III in the 1980s. In terms of the agreement with the Ecuadorian Air Force, Denel Aviation would continue to provide a comprehensive maintenance and support service for at least five years following the sale, with an option...

Funding woes hamper Israeli air upgrades Published: Sept. 13, 2010 at 1:40 PM TEL AVIV, Israel, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- Budgetary constraints and the planned purchase of 20 Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighters for $2.75 billion are making it difficult for the Israeli air force to upgrade its older aircraft, although an unusual solution has been proposed. In particular, these concerns are hampering plans to phase out Israel's venerable A-4 Skyhawks acquired in 1967 and which were flown in several wars. The small jet's agility and versatility, along with its ability to take heavy damage in combat made it a...