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ISLAMABAD: A high-level defense delegation led by Chief of the Air Staff of the Bangladesh Air Force,&nbsp;Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, called on Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF),&nbsp;Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, at Air Headquarters, Islamabad, Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported on Tuesday.&nbsp;According to an official statement released by the military&#39;s media wing, the visit focused on enhacing operational cooperation and institutional synergy, with particular emphasis on training, capacity building, and collaboration in aerospace advancements.&nbsp;The Bangladeshi Air Chief was accorded a Guard of Honour.&nbsp; During the meeting, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu briefed the delegation on PAF&rsquo;s recent advancements and reaffirmed Pakistan&rsquo;s commitment to supporting the Bangladesh Air Force through a comprehensive training framework, ranging from basic to advanced flying courses and specialized programs across PAF institutions.&nbsp;He also assured the fast-tracked delivery of Super Mushshak trainer aircraft, accompanied by a full training and long-term support ecosystem.&nbsp;Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan praised PAF&rsquo;s combat record and expressed interest in benefiting from its operational expertise. He sought assistance in maintaining the Bangladesh Air Force&rsquo;s aging fleet and integrating air defense radar systems to enhance air surveillance. Detailed discussions were also held on the potential procurement of JF-17 Thunder aircraft.&nbsp;The delegation toured key PAF facilities, including the National ISR &amp; Integrated Air Operations Centre, PAF Cyber Command, and the National Aerospace Science &amp; Technology Park, observing capabilities in ISR, cyber, space, electronic warfare, and unmanned systems.&nbsp;The visit highlighted the strong historical ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh and reflected a shared resolve to deepen defense cooperation and build a long-term strategic partnership.

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The visit focuses on enhancing operational cooperation and institutional synergy, with particular emphasis on training, capacity building, and collaboration in aerospace advancements.

Bangladesh air chief visits Pakistan to strengthen defense ties

Pakistan TV Satellite

ISLAMABAD: A dramatic moment at the Dubai Airshow 2025 pushes India&rsquo;s LCA Tejas and Pakistan&rsquo;s JF-17 Thunder fighter jets into comparison, after the Indian combat aircraft suffered an oil leak that went viral on social media.&nbsp;The incident left Tejas drawing noticeably lighter footfall at its display area. In stark contrast, Pakistan&rsquo;s JF-17 Thunder continued to attract a steady stream of aviation enthusiasts, defence professionals, and families, reinforcing Pakistan&rsquo;s rising profile in the regional aerospace arena. Appearing on Pakistan Television&rsquo;s programme Newsroom, Air Marshal (retd) Arshad Malik, former vice chief of air staff, who played a key role in the development of JF-17, said both Tejas and the JF-17 were products of broader modernisation and self-reliance efforts by India and Pakistan respectively. &ldquo;India calls it Made in India, whereas Pakistan simply stated that it is going to be an indigenous product. Of course, we joined hands with our time-tested friend China,&rdquo; Air Marshal (retd) Malik said. The retired air marshal explained that when evaluating aircraft, experts focus on design, operational maturity, adaptability, flexibility, and overall feasibility. He said international airshows like Dubai, Farnborough, and Paris attract &ldquo;all aviation enthusiasts&rdquo; who closely examine the technical and aesthetic strengths of the aircraft on display. Referring to the Dubai incident, Air Marshal (retd) Malik said while technical issues such as leaks can occur in any aircraft, the manner in which the situation was handled raised concerns.&nbsp; &ldquo;When an aircraft projected as a modern, lightweight, indigenized platform starts to have leaks&mdash;well, leaks could be there, that&rsquo;s not a problem. But how you handle it, that&rsquo;s a pity,&rdquo; he remarked. Taking a swipe at the response to the oil leak, the former vice chief of air staff said: &ldquo;Putting up shoppers to control the leakage reflects the mindset, training, and skills of the Indian Air Force. It&rsquo;s worrisome not only for India but also for aviation enthusiasts observing these platforms.&rdquo; Calling the episode &ldquo;unprecedented&rdquo; and reflective of &ldquo;poor professionalism&rdquo;, he suggested that the Indian Air Force has struggled to project Tejas as a credible platform. In contrast, Air Marshal (retd) Malik highlighted Pakistan&rsquo;s success with the JF-17 program, particularly the Block III variant.&nbsp; &ldquo;Pakistan Air Force has demonstrated through the JF-17 program that it is a viable, adaptable, flexible, and versatile aircraft,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp; He emphasised that JF-17&rsquo;s integration flexibility, including modern radar systems and advanced onboard missiles, was achieved indigenously.&nbsp;&ldquo;We have combat-proven it in 2019 and again in 2025,&rdquo; he added. The retired air marshal said India would find it &ldquo;very difficult&rdquo; to prove Tejas is compatible with the JF-17, especially in light of international acceptance.&nbsp; &ldquo;Argentina has inducted JF-17. Myanmar has inducted it. And very soon, we are going to sign deals with Iraq and Azerbaijan,&rdquo; he said, describing these developments as signals of confidence from professional air forces. Discussing the production framework of the JF-17, he noted that 58% of the parts are manufactured in Pakistan and 42% in China, with 100% of the assembly carried out in Pakistan.

Articles tagged with "JF-17 Thunder"

Bangladesh air chief visits Pakistan to strengthen defense ties

As LCA Tejas embarrasses India, Pakistan’s JF-17 shines at Dubai Airshow