Pakistan fighter jets to get radar upgrade

China will upgrade Pakistan Air Force JF-17 fighter jets with a world-class radar system that will substantially improve the combat capability of the aircraft, a top Chinese radar researcher said.

Hu Mingchun, head of the Nanjing Research Institute of Electronics Technology in Jiangsu province, said the KLJ7A active phased array radar will give the JF-17 many advantages in an aerial combat.

“Our product will tremendously extend the fighter jet’s detection range, giving it a much longer sight that will help it detect the enemy’s aircraft before they do, and this is very important because in real combat if you see first, you fire first,” he said. “The radar is capable of tracking dozens of targets and engaging several of them simultaneously. It also has a good jamming-resistant capacity that keeps the plane away from enemy’s electronic interference.”

The KLJ-7A radar can be mounted on light- or mediumweight fighter jets. It is one of the best of its kind in the world in terms of technology and capability, Hu said.

Nanjing Research Institute of Electronics Technology, part of the State-owned defense giant China Electronics Technology Group Corp, is the country’s largest and strongest developer of military radar. Its products have been sold to more than 20 nations in Africa and Asia.

The JF-17, known as the FC-1 in China, is a lightweight, multirole fighter jet codeveloped by Aviation Industry Corp of China and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex.

The plane is widely deployed by the Pakistan Air Force and some reportedly have been purchased by the Myanmar Air Force.

Meanwhile China and Pakistan have spared no effort to find new buyers.

Wu Peixin, an aviation industry analyst in Beijing, said the upgrade with a type of cuttingedge radar will undoubtedly enhance the JF-17/FC-1’s appeal.