Jane's Defence Weekly
簡氏防務周刊亞太版，7/23/2010

Farnborough 2010: Pakistan increases autonomy in production of JF-17 Thunder aircraft

Reuben F Johnson JDW Correspondent - Farnborough

Two Pakistan Air Force (PAF) JF-17 Thunder aircraft were displayed at the Farnborough International Airshow, marking the first appearance by that platform at any Western airshow. The aircraft were developed and built at China's Chengdu Aerospace Corporation (CAC) Aircraft Plant 132 in Sichuan Province under the FC-1 designator.

倆架巴基斯坦空軍JF-17雷電飛機在範保羅航展展出，標志該平台在任何西方航展的首次現身。該飛機由中國四川成飛132廠以FC-1為代號開發制造

The rebranding of the design as the JF-17 is intended to convey the message that the programme is a co-operative effort between CAC and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) in Kamra.

重新以JF-17為品牌是為傳達這樣一個信息：這是成飛與在Kamra巴方航空聯合體(PAC)的合作項目

However, the PAF and other senior technical personnel from the PAC have emphasised that "we are doing almost everything by ourselves now" and that where, at one time, assistance from the Chinese would have been required to integrate third-party onboard systems, "we are now able to complete this kind of work without the assistance of the Chinese".

然而，巴空軍和PAC的高級技術人員強調：“我們現在已經幾乎在自己做所有的工作了“。有一度需要中國人來集成第三方系統，但是，“我們現在能在不需中國人幫助下自己做這樣的工作了“

PAC officials told Jane's there has been considerable investment made in the PAC in order to support a full-spectrum capability to not only support the production of the JF-17, but also the manufacturing of its major onboard subsystems. The construction of additional facilities to support JF-17 production has resulted in the creation of four factories at the Kamra site facility that go far beyond its original capacity as just a [commercial] maintenance, repair and overhaul.

PAC官員告訴簡氏，PAC做了大量投資來得到全方位的能力，不只是生產JF-17,還生產主要機載子系統。建造了更多的設施包括KAMRA的4個工廠，遠遠超過了原來僅僅是維修的能力

The JF-17 programme is run by a PAF management team headed by Air Vice Marshal Mohammed Arif. Speaking to Jane's , AVM Arif said the team of engineers and designers supporting the JF-17 have proficiency with more than just the Chinese-designed hardware that constitutes the aircraft's configuration at present.

JF-17項目由巴空軍管理團隊以空軍副司令Mohammed Arif領導。Arif說工程師和設計人員熟悉飛機裡不只是由中國人設計的硬件

The concept for the JF-17 is to use it as a basic platform that can be exported to multiple countries and to fit it with whatever set of onboard systems a customer would prefer. "We have learnt how to integrate different avionics and weapon systems on to the JF-17," AVM Arif said. "There is still active interest in having the set of French-made hardware for the aircraft - the Thales RC400 radar and the MBDA air-to-air missiles - that have been under discussion for some time now."
JF-17的概念是，作為一個基本平台，可以加裝任何客戶喜歡的機載系統，出口多個國家。“我們已學會了如何給JF-17集成不同的航電武器系統“，Arif說，“我們還是有興趣為JF-17取得法制裝備 -- Thales RC400雷達，MBDA空空導彈 -- 已經進行了一段時間的談判
The integration of third-party, non-Chinese equipment onto the aircraft is an option that would primarily be at the request of an export customer. The PAC programme managers are satisfied with the aircraft's hardware and state that the JF-17's avionics fit and glass cockpit are superior to the older-model F-16A/B Block 15 aircraft that the PAF acquired in the 1980s.

集成第三方非中國設備是一個主要由出口客戶要求的選項。PAC項目管理經理滿意飛機目前的設備，聲稱JF-17的航電和玻璃座艙比巴空軍80年代得到的老式F-16A/B Block 15  要優越。

One of the systems the PAC designers give full marks to is the CETC/NRIET KLJ-7 radar set. A PAC programme officer told Jane's : "I have flown with this radar and with other models that we have looked at fitting to this aircraft, such as the Thales RC400, and the Chinese radar is every bit as capable as its contemporary analogues." He added that the performance of the CETC KG300G electronic warfare pod was effective and that "there will be an upgraded version available within a year-and-a-half".

PAC設計人員對一個系統特別滿意：CETC/NRIET KLJ-7雷達系統。一個PAC項目官員告訴簡氏：我飛過使用這一雷達和使用其它各種我們考慮裝備這一飛機的雷達，比如Thales RC400, 中國雷達在每一個方面都與當代類似的雷達一樣好“，他補充說CETC KG300G電戰吊艙很有效，並且“一年半後會有升級版“

One of the central question marks on the programme has been the aircraft's Russian-designed-and-built Klimov RD-93 jet engine, which is produced by the Chernyshev plant in Moscow.

一個核心問題是俄制RD-93發動機，由莫斯科Chernyshev廠制造

Just prior to the Farnborough Airshow, the Moscow newspaper Kommersant reported that Mikhail Pogosian, the general director for Sukhoi and RSK-MiG, had written an official letter to the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Co-operation (FSVTS), which regulates all exports of military-related items, and the Russian state arms export monopoly, Rosoboronexport, asking that the next tranche of 100 RD-93 engines to be shipped to CAC in Chengdu be cancelled.

展前，據莫斯科報紙報導，蘇霍伊和米格的總裁Mikhail Pogosian 寫信給FSVTS，要求取消下一批次100架RD-93的出口

The RD-93 is a specially configured variant of the MiG-29's RD-33, optimised for a single-engine aircraft. This version of the engine was originally conceived in the early 1990s as an option for upgrading older-model MiG-21 aircraft. A similar model of the engine, the SMR-95, was also developed in the same timeframe for use in the South African Mirage F1 and Cheetah D-2 aircraft. In both configurations, the gearbox and other components of the accessory pack are rotated from the top - where they are positioned on the standard RD-33 - to the bottom of the engine casing.

《一點兒RD-93 的背境資料，就不翻了》

Pogosian is reportedly requesting a halt to deliveries of the engine to CAC on the grounds that the re-export of the engine, once installed in the FC-1/JF-17, damages the interests of MiG in several markets. Negotiations for a MiG-29 purchase are supposedly ongoing in some of the same nations - Egypt, Algeria, Bangladesh and Nigeria - that have also been approached by the JF-17 sales team. For the moment, the contract for the export of these next 100 engines remains unsigned.

AVM Arif told Jane's that "if the Russians decide to cut off shipments of the RD-93 to us, then we still have other options. One of those is a Chinese-made WS-13 engine, which was certified by the Chinese in 2007 and has been in low-rate initial production since 2009. Pakistan industry officials confirm that it is currently undergoing flight tests on an FC-1 aircraft from CAC. Its thrust rating in the present version is almost 10 per cent higher than the RD-93 and an increased/enhanced performance engine version of up to 10 metric tonnes is in development.

AVM Arif告訴簡氏，“如果俄國決定中斷出口RD-93，我們有其它選擇。一個是中國的WS-13，2007 年就“Certified“了 （不知道啥意思），自2009年以來已在低速生產。 巴工業界官員證實WS-13目前正在CAC的FC-1上作飛行試驗，其推力比RD-93大10個百分點，還有一個增推到10噸的版本正在研制。

When asked about the WS-13, AVM Arif stated that "the Chinese engine needs time to mature and might not be available for five years or more". However, one of his deputies said privately that the air vice marshal was giving the "worst case scenario and being a bit cautious". The WS-13, they say, could be ready for use with the JF-17 as soon as two years from now.

當問及WS-13,Arif宣稱“中國發動機需要時間來成熟，五年之內可能不能應用“，但是，他的一個副手私下說，空軍副司令給了”一個最壞情況下的估計，有些謹慎了“。WS-13，他們說，可能兩年之內就可以給JF-17裝備。

The JF-17 has also completed trials of dropping of unguided bombs and firings of the Luoyang Electro-Optical Technology Development Center (LOEC) Pi Li PL-5EII infrared air-to-air missile. The LOEC Shan Dian-10 (SD-10), an active radar-homing air-to-air missile, is currently undergoing integration and will be finished with its demonstration firing before the end of the year.

JF-17也完成了投擲無制導炸彈的試驗，並發射了洛陽光電的PL-5EII紅外空空導彈。主動雷達制導的SD-10目前正在集成，預定年底完成發射演示

"The biggest plus for the JF-17 is the cost-performance ratio, which is exceptionally good considering what you get at this price," said AVM Arif. The long-term Pakistani plan is to have a high-low mix of fighters with the newer-model F-16C/D Block 52+ aircraft they are receiving from the US as the upper tier and the JF-17 on the lower tier.

“JF-17的最大優點是性價比，考慮其價格，尤其好“，Arif說。長期計劃是與F-16C/D Block 52+構成高低搭配。

One of the Pakistan Air Force JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft seen at the Farnborough International Airshow. (IHS Jane's/Patrick Allen)