The Thunder Jet

As an icon of matchless friendship-elevated, towering, sky-scraping n’ virtually loftier than the mighty Himalayan peaks n’ summits-Pakistan and China have-eventually-set of the chivalrous n’ charismatic JF-17 Thunder lightweight, all weather, multi-role aircraft with a toning presentation of F-16 fighter plane.

The maiden flight of the daring jet-earlier acknowledged as cerebral name, Super-7 took place in China at the mid-week, with a remarkable n’ incredible result. The JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft took to the skies in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu in Sichuan province for an eight-minute run.

An exclusive video clip of the test flight shown by Chinese TV gave inspiring pictures of the plane performing heroic maneuvers before its landing-as smooth as silk. While on its test flight, the dazzling plane verified its stupendous n’ fantastic mobility, first-rate interception and ground attack capability.

Yet another excellence of the JF-17 is that it has been designed, developed and manufactured in a record time of eight years. In its own category the aircraft has finest performance. Simultaneously its’ outlay is much less as compared to other modern aircraft of analogous category produced anywhere on the global Atlas. Fabulous JF-17 Thunder substitutes the aging fleet of Mirage, F-7s and A-5s. It has already done a successful test flight on August-25.

It’s, of course, a cheering development that Pakistan has joined the select band of the countries having the capability of producing fighter aircraft as an upshot of the Pak-China collaboration in the arena n’ meadow of defence production. It also constitutes an key step towards obviating the negative tilt in conventional weapons in South Asia, as the newly built aircraft is considered, equivalent to the Indian Light Combat Aircraft [LCA] which New Delhi ‘desires’ to form the vertebrae of its Air Force in times ahead.

Amid the newest global requires of the 21st century epoch, Air Force has assumed an elementary role in a nation’s security perspective and Pakistan can not-evidently afford to overlook its compulsive security needs in view of the US abysmal ‘No’ to fulfil its set pledge to supply F-16s to Pakistan-overtly to ‘gratify n’ delight’ India, a paradoxical facet, as Washington is-well acquainted with the persistent Indian antagonism, which is posing awful perils to peace in South Asia.

It’s, however, encouraging that Pakistan has meticulously evaded the ‘tit for tat’ retort to India’s ‘familial defence production’ besides fanatical spree of acquiring weapons of mass destruction [WMDs] from every accessible font in the world. It indeed represents an intellectual deliberate policy-hallmarked by love n’ adore for poise n’ equanimity with serenity-as its podium by opting for ‘not to be sucked into an arms race with wicked India’.

As a matter of actuality, Pak-China teamwork-with marvellous esteem for each other-has a great potential in the field of defence production and has the unique ability of emerging as a major source of inexpensive weaponry for the smaller countries, which are obligated to defend their sovereignty despite economic adversities.

To overcome such a scenario, Arab world-too can be tapped for monetary resources to promote a Pak-China-Arab venture for defence creations. The Arab wherewithal need to be mustered n’ mobilized at one podium for eventual diversification towards such prolific utilization to promote their own security apparatus, which is so imperative for their survival with elegance, dignity, honour and above all to shield the self-respect of the Muslim world.

The misfortune is that bulk of the Western banks’ capital flows from the Arab world, yet they are being targeted, humiliated and coerced by the West. It’s thus an apposite time for the Arabs to ponder and take the initiative to build Pak-Arab-China collaboration in defence production-at-once.

Applauding the novel Pak-China magnificent, bravura n’ genius venture in the silhouette of the superb JF-17 aircraft, we are confident that its addition in the epic n’ classic fleet of the PAF will not only augment the operational capabilities of the custodians of Pakistan’s sanctified air space but would-in the long run-fetch a hefty foreign exchange when the process of its export to other countries-sets in motion.

By all raison d’être of pragmatism, JF-17 adds yet another dazzling feather to the miraculous PAF cap and at the same time, an allure for Pakistan’s truthful n’ candid friend n’ ally-China.