Bangladesh building its own missile arsenal

Bangladesh is all set to build its own missile arsenal. The government in Dhaka is in the process of clinching a deal with an integrated European company MBDA for buying OTOMAT MK-II surface-to-air missiles and five launch systems. These missiles can carry a payload of 210 kg and can hit targets 180 km away.In addition, highly-placed intelligence sources say, the Bangladesh Air Force is negotiating with Turkish arms dealer ASELSAN to buy Shorad (Short Range Air Defense) system and 3D air defense radars during the current financial year.Bangladesh has already set up a missile launch pad near the Chittagong Port with assistance from China. Bangladesh's missile programme is a recent one. Its maiden missile test was conducted on May 12, with active participation of a group of Chinese experts. It successfully test-fired land attack anti-ship cruise missile C-802A with a strike range of 120 km from the frigate BNS Osman near Kutubdia Island in the Bay of Bengal.

The frigate, commissioned by the Bangladesh Navy in 1989, is a 1500-ton Chinese built Jianghu class warship, and the C-802A missile, according to experts, is a modified version of Chinese Ying Ji-802 with weight reduced from 815-715 kg to increase strike range from 42-120 km.

The radar-equipped missile can carry a 165-kg warhead. Since its guidance equipment has strong anti-jamming capability, the ships it targets have a very low success rate in intercepting the missile. The hit probability of the Ying Ji-802 is rated as 98%. It can be launched from aircraft, ships, submarines and even land-based vehicles, and is considered to be at par with the US Harpoon, the best anti-ship missiles of the present day missile system. Bangladesh building missile arsenal-India-The Times of India

The Impact of Pakistan's First Indigenous JF-17 Thunder

Pakistan's New Fighter Jets Can Change the Balance: The Impact of Pakistan's First Indigenous JF-17 Thunder

Squadron Deployment The manufacturing and deployment in Peshawar was done in a record time, one of the shortest time lines in the history of aviation.
The success story of Pakistani ingenuity and the will to survive repeated American arms embargos and Indian aggression goes far beyond this single feat. Since the uncertain days of Independence in 1947, no other country has come so far in defense production in such a short period of time. The impact of the JF-17 Thunder deployment can be heard far beyond Islamabad and Peshawar. Pakistan has now joined the ranks of the very few countries of the world that can design, produce and manufacture airplanes. This positions Pakistan on new geostrategic map. Within a few years Pakistani exports of the new fighter aircraft will exponentially grow into huge volumes. The revenue from the export of JF-17 Thunder will be ploughed back into research and development and the purchase of the best technology money can buy.After the 1965 war the U.S. placed an arms embargo on Pakistan. Despite being a founding member of SEATO and CENTO, Islamabad faced the American sanctions. During the 1971 war Pakistan was under another American arms embargo. During the 1990s, after winning the cold war for the USA, Pakistan was under U.S. sanctions and an arms embargo.All this is history.Today Pakistan is capable of producing as many planes as it needs–subject to production capacity constrains which can be ramped up if and when needed. The exports to many third world countries will expedite and enhance the production capacity of the Pakistan Air Force.
Pakistan has not only designed and jointly built the JF-17 Thunder; it now has deployed its first squadron in Peshawar–all in record time, one of the shortest time lines in the history of aviation. This is a major milestone for the Pakistan Air Force and brings it one step closer to becoming a major producer and exporter of planes around the world. About 17 countries are interested in the JF-17 Thunder which was a major attraction at the Pakistani IDEAS 2009 defense show this year. The success of the indigenous JF-17 deployment is a success story in many aviation failures around the globe. The American F-111 and the Indian Tejas are notable examples of abject failures. The most recent victims of failure are the American F-22 Raptor which was recently canceled by the U.S. Department of Defense.This success story of developing and manufacturing advanced weapons in Pakistan is not limited to the JF-17 Thunder. The Nuclear bomb, the missiles and the tanks were all produced in record time, considering that Pakistan had only one dysfunctional Textile Mill, one dilapidated University, and one archaic Jute Mill in 1947. No other country has come so far in defense production in such a short period of time.It took the Japanese from the Meiji revolution of 1893 to 1940 to produce the deadly aircrafts that devastated Pearl Harbor. The first American missiles and the entire Apollo program were built on Von Braun’s German technology. The Russian program was similarly also based on the German programs. In fact the first V2-rockets in the Museums in Washington are simply German rocket painted red 9for Russia) and other colors for America.The acidity of the comments from across the Radcliffe Line is palpable. The Indian press is noticeable only by its asphyxiated constipation. The silence is deafening.Pakistan rebounding from volatile events faced issues with many of its “allies” who were also the suppliers. The USA did not want to sell any arms to Pakistan. The UK and Russia did the same. Pakistan evaluated her dangerous geo political situation as well as a belligerent international atmosphere and made some strategic decisions. The sons and daughters of Pakistan pledged “Never again” and developed a comprehensive strategy to be self-sufficient in her defense needs. It created a nuclear deterrent, indigenous Al Khalid Tanks and a missile program that is the envy of South Asia. Neither the mercenaries sent from the across the border, not the blackmail can now harm the fabric of the country.The Pakistan Air force knew its needs, and prioritized its requirements. Both Pakistan and China had been jilted and were looking for plane to build. The new plane has exclusively been designed for Pakistani needs–deep penetration into India. The JF-17/FC-1 is designed to be a cost-effective plane which can meet the tactical and strategic needs of the Pakistani Air Force. The project was originally expected to cost about U.S. $ 500 million, divided equally between Pakistan and China. Each plane will cost Pakistan about US$ 15-20 million. The JF-17 Thunder initial development project was completed in a record period of four years. However, later improvements to the project have taken up more time.
Source: Pakistan's New Fighter Jets Can Change Balance the Impact of Pakistan’s First Indigenous JF-17 Thunder Pakistan Daily

JF-17 Huge Export Potential sales could go upto 1500

Market viability As a MiG-21 and F-5 replacement, there is obviously a huge market, perhaps a lot larger than everyone realizes. The large number of lesser-known Third World air forces in the world could all chip in to make a significant order. It is my belief that the JF-17 final count could be closer to1500. Below is indicated potential sales count by country that the JF-17 could possibly expect over the next 2 decades.Country Projected SalesAlbania–20, Argentina–50, Azerbaijan–6, Bangladesh–20, Bolivia–30, China-150, Congo-30, Egypt-150, Eritrea-12, Ethiopia-30,Indonesia-6, Iran-150, Lebanon-6, Malaysia-40, Morocco-20, Myanmar-30, Nigeria-30, North Korea-200, Pakistan-250, Sri Lanka-12, Sudan-20, Syria-50, Tanzania-6, Thailand-40, Venezuela-40.

Source: grandestrategy.com/2007/06/light-sabre-for-third-world-fc-1-jf-17.htmlGrande Strategy: A Light Sabre for the Third World: The FC-1 / JF-17.