Pakistan acquires Mirage planes, spare parts

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has purchased fifty Mirage, 150 sealed pack engines of the Mirage planes and huge quantity of its spare parts on cash payment for Pakistan Air Force (PAF) from Libya that will cater needs of spares for the planes already Pakistan has, for another seven to ten years.

Highly governmental sources told The News on condition of anonymity that the supply of the planes’ engines and spare parts has begun and wide body transport planes are unloading the material arriving from Tripoli on the PAF bases. The supply is supposed to continue till some time and some supply will be reaching the destination through ships.

Mirage-three and five are already flying with the PAF while the Mirages purchased from Libya are also in both the variations. The Mirages and other stuff purchased from Libya are in excellent condition but the Libyan Air Force was dormant for quiet some time due to sanctions imposed on that country the Air Force was not flying the planes regularly.

It grounded most of its planes and now the United States and other Western countries are lifting the sanctions. It is expected that Libyan Air Force would be reinvigorated through new type of most sophisticated multi-role planes very soon. The PAF will examine the used planes purchased by Libya in first place and decide about their use.

The sources said that most of the planes would be scrapped to use their spare parts for the planes already flying for the PAF. The PAF badly needs the spares for its planes including the Mirages since they are very expensive.

Pakistan has planned to upgrade and refurbish its old Mirages and new radars, avionics and weapon systems are being acquired for the fleet. This will be done in phases, the sources added.

With the induction of Mirages obtained from Libya Pakistan would become the country that will be having the highest number of the Mirage planes with its Air Force even larger than the manufacturer of this type of planes, France, the sources said.

Pakistan first purchased the Mirages in 70s from France and then 40 old Mirages were purchased from Australia in 90s. These planes were upgraded by SAGEM and converted their utility in many fold. The fresh deal will help enabling the PAF to bring a numerical balance in South Asian airs, the sources opined.

By Muhammad Saleh Zaafir

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... and then 40 old Mirages were purchased from Australia in 90s


History Blurb on RAAF Mirages in PAF

Australian Mirages

On 24 April 1990, the Australian Defence Ministry announced the sale of fifty used Mirage fighters and spares to Pakistan for A$36 million. There were concerns among ministers and senior officials that this could be politically embarrassing for Australians, as the Indian Government was, true to its usual form, sure to raise a hue and cry over the proposed sale.

The Indian High Commissioner issued a statement the same evening saying, 'The sale will not contribute to stabilization of the situation in South Asia which is the stated aim of Australian policy towards the region.' The statement also added that the aircraft had a lethal potential and the sale would hardly send a message of restraint to Pakistan. Next, the High Commissoner choose to speak on TV and radio channels and he tried to portray Pakistan as the mastermind behind the freedom movement in Kashmir. He expressed the view that the sale of Mirages to Pakistan would put Pakistan at an advantage vis-a-vis India.

This generated a debate in the Australian media about the timing of the sale and its possible reprecussions. The media enlisted the views of the government, opposition leaders, and defence analysts. A foreign Affairs spokesman said, 'The Indian Government had been kept fully informed of the negotiations by the Australian High Commissioner in New Delhi as well as through the Canberra mission. Both India and Pakistan had been told that the contract would be reviewed if there was any outbreak of hostilities between the countries. We can understand Indian concern but we have at all times kept them informed. The aircraft were sold by tender after being advertised worldwide in a purely commercial exercise.' The Australian Prime Minister also said that in case hostilities broke out, the sale could be reviewed.

Almost all the defence analysts interviewed by the press and the electronic media, were unanimous in their view that the sale would not affect the balance between Pakistan and India as the latter already enjoyed military superiority over Pakistan. The Pakistan Embassy in Canberrra also took timely and effective action to counter the Indian propoganda.

A Pakistani team was sent to Australia to inspect the aircraft. All these planes had been protected from corrosion in three different hangers. Originally purchased at A$11 million each when new, the Mirages remained in service from the early 1960s until November 1987, when they began to be mothballed and replaced by F-18s. The package, apart from the fifty Mirages, consisted of aircraft engines, drop tanks, ground support equipment, and manufacturing raw material and spares. After Pakistan decided to avail of this attractive opportunity, Air Chief Marshal Hakimullah formed a project team on 12 April 1990 to oversee and manage the entire process of induction of these aircraft into the PAF. The contract was signed on 15 April 1990 for A$27 million, with the payment spread over a seven year period at an average rate of A$3.5 million a year. The PAF budget had to share 50 per cent of the cost of this acquistion, with the rest coming from government sources

The consignment was transported from Australia to Pakistan on a Pakistan Navy vessel. From the Karachi harbour to PAF Base Masroor, the entire load was conveyed on trailers specially hired from civilian sources. Parking places for the aircraft, and hangers to house the bulky containers were made available at the Base. Then came the evaluation and inspection of the aircraft, stores, and equipment, as well as the modification status and history of lifted components. PAF Base Masroor was initially selected to recover these Mirages. However, it was later realized that the facilities at Masroor were not adequate; therefore, the whole programme was shifted to Kamra in January 1991.

The aircraft were dismantled and transported in C-130s to PAC Kamra, where according to the directive of the CAS, the aircraft were systematically inspected and serviced at the Mirage Rebuild Factory (MRF). Inspection at the MRF revealed that all the Mirages did not require a complete overhaul. A new 2P+ inspection was devised, which extended the life of the aircraft before reaching the General Overhaul (GOH) stage. Those already nearing the GOH stage were put through this inspection. For this purpose, the MRF had to operate six docks and work on a two-shift basis for an early recovery of the aircraft. Any additional manpower required by PAC Kamra to complete the manning requirements of the second shift was provided by the PAF. The Ministry of Defence provided extra funds required for this recovery effort.

A team of engineering officers from the PAF and PAC was formed to carry out a comparative analysis of the maintenance concepts followed by the PAF and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) for the Mirage Weapons System. A comprehensive report was thus put up for streamlining and standardizing the maintenance practices in the PAF. It was initially decided that out of fifty aircraft, twenty would be recovered. The Air Staff decided to get the remaining aircraft repaired by buying the parts required for replacement. The aircraft wings had limited life. By fitting used wings on those aircraft, which were available for sale in France, South Africa and other countries, the PAF could recover as many as forty-five aicraft. The Air Staff decided to exercise this option and a target was set for the recovery of the planes. Both the options i.e. modifying the existing wongs or replacing them with used wings, were studied. Finally, the PAF managed to procure fourteen wings in 1992 at a very low price.

To operate these aircraft after recovery was quite a risk. Therefore, a lot of maintenance and quality assurance processes had to be introduced to make sure that the first aircraft to be flown completely satisfied the pilots. Both the French and Australian components were studied at the Component Wing, MRF Kamra, and the life of each component was fixed in a manner that was both economical and safe for the PAF.

The second major problem faced by the PAF was recovery of the engines that had been grounded for five years before. It was, therefore, decided to carry out a major inspection on these engines at Sargodha and Masroor. After the engines passed the initial test, they were sent to Kamra, which had the advanced test bed facility to check the operation of the components as well. During this process, about 20 per cent of the engines were rejected.

Out of a total of forty-five aircraft recovered, thirty-three were given the 2P+ inspection, which is a lower level inspection than the General Overhaul; and the remaining twelve aircraft underwent General Overhaul. All thirty-three aircraft were upgraded with the latest standard avionics package and later improved with additional upgradations. The avionics upgrade project named the 'Retrofit of Strike Element' (ROSE was conceived in 1992 and commenced effectually from April 1995. The avionics package included Inertial Navigation System, Head Up Display, Airborne Video Tape Recording System, and self protection systems like RWR, Chaff and Flares. A modern airborne radar, the Griffo-M was also retorfitted. When the Americans released 360 AIM-9L missiles under the Brown Amendment, it was decided that the Mirages being upgraded and equipped with the Griffo-M radar must also be made capable of carrying the AIM-9L missiles. The hardware modification of this project had been completed, but its software was under development. The SAGEM company, which was carrying out the upgradation of the Mirages, had developed their own Forward Looking Infra Red (FLIR) Pod. They needed to carry out the proto-typing of this equipment on an aircraft, free of cost, so that if found fit, the PAF could buy them. FLIR modification on these aircraft was also in progress.

Of the forty-five aircraft eventually recovered at PAC Kamra, there were seven dual-seat models that were allotted to No. 5 Squadron. Out of the forty-two single-seat Mirages, thirty-two with ROSE configuration, were allotted to No. 7 and CCS Squadrons. Four aircraft belonging to Photo Reconnaissance category and an additional aircraft were recovered and allotted to the No. 5 Squadron. One aircraft crahsed prior to ROSE modification and the remaininf five aircraft were found beyond recovery and were reduced to spares.
French Mirages


In the second half of 1992, the PAF had a genuine concern over the gap that would be created by the phasing out of the A-5s in 1997. After considering various courses, the purchase and re-lifting of some used Mirages seemed a practical option. The sources included Belgium, Spain, France, Lebanon and Zaire. In 1995, the planners at Air Headquarters established an operational requirement for at least fifty such aircraft. On the directive of the CAS, the feasibility of a package of forty Mirages was validated and the case for allocation of funds was taken up. The government released the necessary funds.

In order to reliably assess the physical condition of these Mirages, a PAF team visited Spain, France and Lebanon, while the Air Attache in Paris was asked to inspect the Belgian aircraft. During their visits, the team inspected seventy-one Mirages and submitted their report. Similarly, the Defence and Technical Attache in Paris inspected twenty-five aircraft from SABCA, Belgium.

On 25 May, 1995, after a post visit presentation to the Air Board, the CAS approved the formation of a project team to manage all aspects related to a cost effective induction of about forty Mirages in the PAF fleet. These aircraft were to be of a single varient, capable of a surface attack role, not exceeding a total cost of $120 million, and were to form two viable and homogenous squadrons, fully suportable with the PAF maintenance resources and infrastructure.

The project team obtained proposals for the intended purchase of Mirages from all the potential vendors, and simultaneously launched a market study. The PAF's own overhauling experiences in Kamra were kept in view to work out the expected costs of each aircraft and the related project. During a visit to France in 1995, the project team was pleasantly surprised to learn that forty Mirage Vs and about forty Mirage IIIs of the French Air Force were available for sale at quite a reasonable price. The French Mirage V suited the PAF requirement because of its longer range and additional payload. Later, through various coordination meeting in Pakistan, the PAF and AIRCO worked out a detailed proposal which included the required statement of work. Representatives from the French DGA and the French Air Force accompanied the AIRCO team, to demostrate their full support to the PAF-AIRCO agreements and obligations.

SAGEM is a French company that has Defence and Security Division as one of its main branches. In this division, SAGEM specializes in three specific categories, i.e. inertial navigation, electro-optic equipment, and system integration. In Project ROSE, the PAF was already acquiring thirty-six Mirages upgraded by SAGEM through their inertial navigation and system integration departments. In August 1995, SAGEM combined their upgrade skills with the potential sales opportunity, and proposed to the PAF a package deal of forty Mirages at a quoted cost of $150 million.

As the SAGEM proposal became more and more attractive and feasible, the PAF negotiated a further reduction in costs so that they actually fell into its feasibility regime. Through numerous discussions, SAGEM came up with a revised proposal of $124 million in November 1995. According to this proposal, the package was to consist of thirty-four Mirage Vs and six dual-seat Mirage IIIs, making a total of forty fully overhauled aircraft. Out of the forty aircraft, twenty Mirage Vs would be mordanized to the ROSE-II standards (ROSE-II modification is the same as ROSE-I, except the Griffo-M radar is replaced by FLIR). The engines installed on the aircraft would have a minimum life of four years and 300 hours. The package would also include the required ground support, alternate mission equipment, and line replaceable units. Besides, the kits for RWR, CFD and GPS would be installed in all aircraft.

Keeping in view the overall SAGEM package vis-a-vis quoted prices, the offer appeared quite viable to the PAF. According to a conservative estimate, the cost of this package should have been atleast $146 million. On 27 December 1995, the PAF gave the go ahead, and the contract for the forty Mirages was signed on 1 February 1996 for a total amount of 118 million.

This deal had become somewhat controversial mainly due to the misreporting of the press. The PAF preferred to have the necessary modifications done in France because PAC Kamra was, during that time frame, already busy overhauling the PAF's Mirages. Accepting any additional work would have unnecessarily deplayed the delivery of the French Mirages to the PAF wothout making any difference in cost.

SAGEM encountered problems on purchase of spares which they needed for the timely and efficient running of their work. Thus the programme suffered delays during most of 1997 and 1998. However, the company managed to get the first batch ready by September 1998, when PAF pilots ferried across eight Mirages on 22 September 1998. A second batch of eight was recieved in 1999 while the third batch of eight came to Pakistan on 22 June 2000. The deliveries of the rest were supposed to be completed by the end of the year 2000.

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The Mirage Rebuild Factory at Kamra, opened in 1978, can accomplish complete overhaul of Mirage III/5 aircraft. Atar 9C turbojets, and associated components and accessories, and has a current capacity of eight aircraft and over 30 engines per year. It has undertaken the overhaul of third country (UAE) Mirage III/5s and their engines. In 1988 it was being upgraded to enable it to overhaul the Pratt & Whittney F100-PW-200 turbofan that powers the F-16s in service with PAF. The MRF has a site are of some 810,000 sq meters or 8,715,000 sq ft and a workforce of nearly 1,700. It has undertaken the overhaul of 43 Mirage III O and 7 Mirage III DO aircraft , acquired from Australia and also recovered 3 crashed aircraft in 1996.

In June of 1998, the Mirage Rebuild Factory completed the last cockpit upgrade for 33 ex-Australian Mirage IIIs as part of Project ROSE (retrofit of strike element). Work involved the installation of a Sagem integrated navigation/attack system, HUDs, radar altimter, mulitfuntional displays and hands-on-throttle-and-stick-controls.

A second planned phase would include installation of Grifo M multimode radar, currently indergoing flight testing at Kamra. The factory undertakes two kinds of overhauls; GV1 after 1,200 flight hours and GV2 after 2,400 hours. The later entails a more extensive 11-month program including a complete diassembly of the wing and fuselage, landing gear teardown, and non destructive testing and repair.

On November 11, 1998 a roll-out ceremony was held at the factory to mark the 100th Mirage upgrarded at Kamra. It was attended by Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Pervez Mehdi Qureshi The F-6 and Mirage factories are also fitting all the airforces front-line fighters with new chaff anf flare dispensers and Chinese-designed BM/KJ8602 radar warning recievers produced locally by KARF.