A very interesting situation has been developing recently with the renewal of the aircraft fleet of the Pakistan Air Force. Despite the fact that at the end of 2015 - beginning of 2016, dozens of notes appeared in the Russian and foreign media regarding the upcoming contract between Rosoboronexport and the Ministry of Defense of Pakistan, through the FS MTC, for the purchase of super-maneuverable multipurpose Su-35S fighters, in November 2016, all rumors were overnight denied by the statement of the director of the Second Department of Asia of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Zamir Kabulov, who confirmed the absence of negotiations between Moscow and Islamabad on a deal on these machines. The Sputnik agency noted that it was the Russian side that initiated the rejection of the Pakistani Defense Ministry's request. This is not surprising at all, because any sale of new generation Russian weapons to potential adversaries of India causes great indignation in official Delhi, which subsequently negatively affects interaction on such serious multi-billion dollar programs as FGFA, where the Indians represented by the aircraft building company HAL and so often require too many technological "goodies" from the "Sukhoi" Company, in particular, the manufacturing technology of the "Product 30" turbojet engine and advanced airborne radar systems with an active phased array Sh-121 (N036 "Belka"), including additional side-looking antenna arrays N036B-1 -01B / L.
The multifunctional Su-35S, which is a very serious type of tactical weapon capable of "wrestling" air superiority even from such machines as the F-22A "Raptor", were sold to China as the most important and time-tested strategic ally in the Asia-Pacific region; moreover, relations between Beijing and Delhi are fairly balanced. It is too early to include Islamabad in the list of such close partners. And the level of stability of the regime in the Celestial Empire fully guarantees a far from pro-Western further foreign policy, which cannot be said with certainty about Pakistan.
For this reason, the latter can only rely on the technology of its closest ally - China, as well as on defense products of Western European, South African and Turkish origin. The former include the JF-17 Block I / II multipurpose tactical fighters of the 4+ generation, which are manufactured under license at the Pakistani enterprise Pakistan Aeronatical Complex (PAC); The Pakistani Air Force is armed with 81 vehicles of this type, and a promising version with a reduced radar signature JF-17 Block III with an active phased array and its modification of the 5th generation are under development. The second group includes high-precision weapons, as well as suspended optical-electronic sighting systems: South African planning UAB "Raptor-1/2", tactical cruise missiles "Raptor-3" and Turkish optical-electronic systems WMD-7 "ASELPOD". The far from modern tactical fighters Mirage-III-EP / O, Mirage-5-PA / DPA and F-16C / D Block 52 are still in service.
Possessing far from the most powerful airborne radars with SHAR AN / APG-68 (V) 9, which have low noise immunity and a detection range of small targets with an EPR of 3 m2 of about 105 km, Pakistani Falcons cannot provide pilots with full information about the tactical air situation at a distance of more than 120 km, even without the use of the enemy (in our case, India) of airborne electronic countermeasures. With the use of the latter, the range is reduced to 40-60 km. In such conditions, the Pakistani Air Force, in the event of a conflict with Delhi, will not be able to oppose anything to the most powerful Indian Air Force even in local air battles on separate VNs, because the number of Su-30MKI alone (225 fighters capable of detecting JF-17 at a distance of 180 km) exceeds the entire Pakistani aircraft fleet of the 4th generation, and there are also such "tactics" as "Tejas Mk1 / 2", "Rafale" and far from the worst MiG-29UPG. To begin with, Pakistan needed a quick, effective and inexpensive solution capable of increasing the information coverage of all fighter aviation squadrons, as well as ground air defense systems, by an order of magnitude. This decision was the purchase of Chinese and Swedish radar patrol and guidance aircraft, which should be given special attention.
The first contract for the purchase of 4 AWACS aircraft ZDK-03 "Karakoram Eagle" was signed between the Ministry of Defense of Pakistan and the Chinese corporation "China Electronics Technology Group Corporation" (CETC) in 2008; delivery was carried out in 2011-2013. Developed on the basis of the Y-8F-400, ZDK-03 transport aircraft, they carry on board a powerful all-round radar complex based on the AFAR with an instrumental range of about 450 km. Fighters of the 4th generation with an RCS of 1 m2 are detected at a distance of about 320 - 340 km, cruise missiles with an RCS of 0.1 m2 - at a distance of 175 km. Four air radars of this type are already enough for complete control over the Indian-Pakistani air border not only in the direction of the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir, but also in the region of the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. All 4 vehicles, which are in service with the 3rd Squadron of the Pakistani Air Force, are capable of simultaneously tracking more than 1,500 aerospace targets of various classes, giving out target designations for some of them to fighter squadrons.
Here it is necessary to clarify that, judging by the information provided by the quwa.org resource on April 5, 2016, only fighters with a Chinese element base, in particular, the JF-17 Block I / II / II, will be able to receive target designation from the ZDK-03 "Karakoram Eagle" because it is in their avionics that a tactical data exchange terminal via the Link-17 radio channel can be installed without any problems. Very little is known about the latter at the moment, but based on last year's very informative report by journalist Vajahat Said Khan on the activities of the combat use center (the so-called "School of Combat Commanders") of the Pakistan Air Force, the advanced tactical network "Link-17" has already passed a number of tests. on ground and air carriers. In particular, the possibility of using a new protected radio channel for transmitting target coordinates not only to the JF-17 fighters, but also to the SD-10 BVRAAM missiles launched by them, and later on the "direct-flow" PL-21D equipped with active RGSN, was discussed. This will enable Pakistani fighters to avoid a dangerous rapprochement with the Indian Su-30MKI at the launch range of the R-77 URVV, and even worse - to engage in close maneuvering combat, which the Su-30MKI will definitely win.
In other words, if the Link-17 network reaches operational readiness, and long-range air combat missiles receive the corresponding radio correction channel reception modules within this network, then the Pakistan Air Force will even be able to compensate for the lower capabilities of its fighters' on-board radars. For example, JF-17 Block II / III can be used exclusively as a carrier of DVB missiles, and target designation will be performed by ZDK-03 operators. Another example of network centrism in air superiority operations. Meanwhile, the pilots of the Indian "Rafals" may also have a good asymmetric response as a "direct-flow" long-range missile launcher MBDA "Meteor", but here everything is written with a pitchfork on the water, since there is no information about the attempts of Indian defense structures, including HAL and DRDO, equip their A-50EI AWACS aircraft with a device for a single data exchange channel with Raphael and Meteor missiles. It is possible that later such adaptation will be carried out for Indian Astra air-to-air missile systems.
At the same time, seeing the growing threat from the qualitatively and quantitatively superior Indian Air Force, Pakistan decided not to limit itself to four Chinese ZDK-03s, and at the same time signed a contract with the Swedish "Saab" for the purchase of another 4 AWACS aircraft "Saab-2000 AEW & C" with radar complex PS-890 "Erieye" on board. This station, designed by Ericsson, is also represented by a solid-state active phased array, but with a more primitive two-sided design. AFAR canvases of 200 transmit-receive modules on each are fixed on a flat container above the fuselage of a Saab-2000 turboprop aircraft. The main lobe of the directional diagram of each AFAR "looks" perpendicular to the plane and the rear hemispheres have “dark zones” of 30º each. To scan them, the plane needs to make turns. In the extreme parts of the viewing area, the energy potential of the APAR is reduced to minimum values, which leads to a significant decrease in the detection range. Operating in the decimeter S-band PS-890 has an instrumental range of 450 km, and the target detection range with EPR 1m2, exactly like the Chinese ZDK-03, reaches about 315 km. The cooling of the APM of the antenna sheets occurs due to the air flow coming from the frontal air intake on the container with the radar.
The lightweight 900-kilogram two-sided radar with an active phased active array PS-890 "Erieye" has a length of 9750 mm and a width of only 780 mm, which makes it possible to convert a huge number of modifications of regional turboprop and jet aircraft into light "air radars". So, in the Swedish Air Force, this radar was installed: on a light passenger aircraft from the state company "Fairchild" - SA.227AC "Metro-III" (index SA.227 AEW) as an experiment, on the Swedish "Saab-340" as serial aircraft RLDN "Saab-340 AEW". The Air Forces of Greece, India and Mexico purchased the PS-890 based on the Brazilian jet aircraft "Embraer-145" (ERJ-145).
The stationary radar PS-890 "Erieye" is significantly inferior to the Chinese product, since its maximum efficiency is achieved only in a 90 - 120 degree scanning angle and requires periodic maneuvering of the carrier aircraft, while the Chinese model, on the contrary, provides an all-aspect view. Nevertheless, "Saab-2000 AEW & C" has its own tactical advantages, consisting in hardware "Erieye" and performance characteristics of the carrier. In particular, "Saab-2000 AEW & C" without any special adaptation problems are equipped with "Link-16" terminals. They are essential for transmitting tactical information to the Pakistani Air Force F-16C / D Block 52 multi-role fighters, which are not "sharpened" for use in the tactical network of the Pakistani-Chinese development "Link-17". As for the Pakistani Mirages, they can be equipped with Link-17 modules. Otherwise, these fighters will go to the target not by telecode information, but by voice messages of radio communication with the ZDK-03 "Karakoram Eagle" or "Saab AEW & C".
The list of advantages of the Saab-2000 air carrier includes: more than 2 times greater efficiency of two Allison AE2100A turboprop engines with a capacity of 4209 hp each. each (on the ZDK-03 there are 4 Zhuzhou Wojiang-6 turbofan engines with a capacity of 4252 hp each); as well as lightness and relatively low maintenance cost compared to a heavy Chinese vehicle. The ZDK-03 has its advantages associated with a 5-fold overweight in fuel mass (22909 versus 4640 kg), which allows you to compensate for a larger number of engines. Thanks to this, the "Karakoram Eagle" has approximately 2 times longer range (2500 km versus 1300), as well as the time spent in the air. If we do not take into account the need for more maintenance personnel and low fuel economy, then in its main purpose - long-range radar detection with a maximum stay in the air, the Chinese ZDK-03 is significantly superior to the Swedish Saab-2000 AEW & C.
Despite the above-described shortcomings of the Swedish RLDN, he fell in love with the Ministry of Defense and the command of the Pakistani Air Force, and at the end of April 2017, a contract was signed for 3 additional Saab-2000 AEW & Cs. Apparently, the Pakistanis, with their small length of the air border with India (about 1750 km), are quite satisfied with the existing range of the Swedish vehicle. Affected by the fact that the first contract (according to various sources) was paid by Saudi Arabia, which in the 14th year acquired only 1 aircraft of this type. One of the four vehicles received under the first contract was lost at Kamra airbase on August 16, 2012 at the time of the Islamist attack. Today, along with 3 ordered Saabs, the Pakistani Air Force has 10 AWACS aircraft capable of monitoring the situation over the entire territory of its own state, as well as deep into the airspaces of India, Afghanistan and the no-man's land over the Arabian Sea. Moreover, the above RLDN aircraft have hardware and software capabilities for conducting passive electronic reconnaissance in a wide frequency range (from L to Ka-band), which will not leave unnoticed any radio-emitting device of the Indian army at sea, on the ground and in the air, located in within the radio horizon.
By 2020, the Pakistani air radar fleet will be in 3rd place among the air forces of the states of Forward, South and East Asia, second only to the Chinese and Japanese; and therefore, after a large-scale upgrade program of the Pakistani Air Force with the advanced JF-17 Block III fighters, or the 5th generation J-31 Krechet aircraft, Islamabad, especially under Chinese auspices, will become the most serious military-political “counterweight” for Delhi's plans in Central Asia … And Pakistan will be able to look at the protracted territorial dispute over the ownership of the state of Jammu and Kashmir from a completely different angle.
