From 1965, till today, USA puts embargo on Pakistan whenever Pakistan has gone to war with an enemy. USA is doing the same once again when Pakistan has started to win the war on its home ground. Pakistan is fighting a war on many fronts, its military is engaged on its Western border against TTP and other miscreant factions as well as north-eastern border on LOC against India. Basically Pakistan' military has been stretched towards both sides.
Pakistan was a major user of USA military hardware but that has slowly diminished over time. Though the saga of F-16's continue, PAF now has JF-17 with capabilities almost similar to F-16 in many aspects. The Army still uses USA made artillery however the offensive punch of MBT's has been shifted to Chinese, Ukrainian as well as Al Khalid series of locally produced tanks. The gunships are American but Pakistan is now looking towards China, Russia and Turkey. The Navy is also looking towards China and Turkey for modernisation of surface and sub fleet.
To sustain and win a war, constant supply of weapons, ammunition, spares, logistics, fuel etc is required. The WOT is complicated war and thus needs hi-tech machinery like sensors, intelligence sharing platforms, guided munitions etc. The terrorists can blend in common population and then strike when least expected. They have started to use weaponry and tactics which was not common in combat before especially in conventional warfare. The need for weapons like MRAP's for transport in turbulent areas, gunships with FLIR/Mmw Radars/guided and fire and forget missiles like Hellfire, UCAV's with large payload and endurance, Aircrafts with excellent A2G avionics systems and complimenting weaponry, Intel gathering and surveillance aircrafts as well as satellite coverage for areas which are hard to monitor is a must. To strangle Pakistan by denying such weapons, stretching Pakistan on opposite sides and then slapping sanctions to void spares, ammunition and support systems will never help the cause.
Pakistan on its own is taking the right measures for its own security now. Building the wall along the border; not only to stop cross border movement but also protect the CPEC routes inside the territory. This will help stop the blame-game of terrorists escaping to sanctuaries in Pakistan. A million Afghans have been told to move back into Afghanistan, which is after all their own soil. Some new forces have been raised like SSD, LCB's and existing ones like FC, Rangers, Police etc have been upgraded with their own SF teams.
Pakistan however still needs modern aircrafts as the likes of Mirage -III/V have reached the end of their life frames. This aircraft has been used in roles of strike, intercept and recon in PAF. It can carry and launch the ALCM, Ra'ad. Mirage has night strike capability and has been regularly used in WOT campaign. Its replacement is necessary at this stage so PAF doesn't lose its Strike element and the burden on F-16's is reduced completely. Since F-16 is sanction prone, the burden of all types of operations will fall on JF-17, which is still maturing and stepping into Block-III configuration. Considering the options which could be made available are SU-35 and then the J-31. SU-35 could be suitable choice though its numbers will be less considering the price tag and operating cost. Its been almost a decade that PAF has flown a twin engine fighter after retiring the F-6 and A-5. SU-35 has the capability to carry an amazing payload and can easily take over the role of Mirages. Technologically, it would be close to F-16 Block 52+ and could surpass some aspects too.
In Artillery, all the SPH are USA made. There are many options available in the market like T-155, PLZ-05 etc in tracked versions and Nora B-52, T5-52 etc. There was also a talk of Pakistan requiring some 500 wheeled SP guns. With IA going towards Korean K-9 SP gun, Pakistan Army will need a modern SP gun through a reliable supplier.
Thankfully, PAA is already in the process of selecting a gunship either from the Chinese Z-10 or Turkish T-129. It should only be a matter of time that a decision comes out. The AH-1Z deal is yet to be seen, if its rendered a green light or not.
With such options out there for procurement of different weapon systems, cost is a major issue. Pakistan has already paid a heavy price in human life (civilians and soldiers) as well as infrastructure, losing billions of dollars over time. On top of that,Pakistan's infrastructure (roads, bases etc) has been used by USA and its coalition for launching strikes into Afghanistan as well as inside Pakistan to take out terrorists and supplying its forces in Afghanistan. It has turned out that more losses have been incurred (100+ Billion $) for Pakistan than what has been received (30+ Billion $).
Although the bottom line is that during USA sanctions, Pakistan has turned towards indigenisation in the past and Pakistan still has the capability to do so now, the situation has become a bit tighter due to a constant WOT being fought by the Armed Forces, which although is bearing fruits but its end is not in sight yet.
Threats, warnings and action to malign Pakistan's efforts and cutting promised aid will of course hamper Pakistan's efforts but it will also further distance Pakistan from USA and USA's planning for the region.
Pakistan was a major user of USA military hardware but that has slowly diminished over time. Though the saga of F-16's continue, PAF now has JF-17 with capabilities almost similar to F-16 in many aspects. The Army still uses USA made artillery however the offensive punch of MBT's has been shifted to Chinese, Ukrainian as well as Al Khalid series of locally produced tanks. The gunships are American but Pakistan is now looking towards China, Russia and Turkey. The Navy is also looking towards China and Turkey for modernisation of surface and sub fleet.
To sustain and win a war, constant supply of weapons, ammunition, spares, logistics, fuel etc is required. The WOT is complicated war and thus needs hi-tech machinery like sensors, intelligence sharing platforms, guided munitions etc. The terrorists can blend in common population and then strike when least expected. They have started to use weaponry and tactics which was not common in combat before especially in conventional warfare. The need for weapons like MRAP's for transport in turbulent areas, gunships with FLIR/Mmw Radars/guided and fire and forget missiles like Hellfire, UCAV's with large payload and endurance, Aircrafts with excellent A2G avionics systems and complimenting weaponry, Intel gathering and surveillance aircrafts as well as satellite coverage for areas which are hard to monitor is a must. To strangle Pakistan by denying such weapons, stretching Pakistan on opposite sides and then slapping sanctions to void spares, ammunition and support systems will never help the cause.
Pakistan on its own is taking the right measures for its own security now. Building the wall along the border; not only to stop cross border movement but also protect the CPEC routes inside the territory. This will help stop the blame-game of terrorists escaping to sanctuaries in Pakistan. A million Afghans have been told to move back into Afghanistan, which is after all their own soil. Some new forces have been raised like SSD, LCB's and existing ones like FC, Rangers, Police etc have been upgraded with their own SF teams.
Pakistan however still needs modern aircrafts as the likes of Mirage -III/V have reached the end of their life frames. This aircraft has been used in roles of strike, intercept and recon in PAF. It can carry and launch the ALCM, Ra'ad. Mirage has night strike capability and has been regularly used in WOT campaign. Its replacement is necessary at this stage so PAF doesn't lose its Strike element and the burden on F-16's is reduced completely. Since F-16 is sanction prone, the burden of all types of operations will fall on JF-17, which is still maturing and stepping into Block-III configuration. Considering the options which could be made available are SU-35 and then the J-31. SU-35 could be suitable choice though its numbers will be less considering the price tag and operating cost. Its been almost a decade that PAF has flown a twin engine fighter after retiring the F-6 and A-5. SU-35 has the capability to carry an amazing payload and can easily take over the role of Mirages. Technologically, it would be close to F-16 Block 52+ and could surpass some aspects too.
In Artillery, all the SPH are USA made. There are many options available in the market like T-155, PLZ-05 etc in tracked versions and Nora B-52, T5-52 etc. There was also a talk of Pakistan requiring some 500 wheeled SP guns. With IA going towards Korean K-9 SP gun, Pakistan Army will need a modern SP gun through a reliable supplier.
Thankfully, PAA is already in the process of selecting a gunship either from the Chinese Z-10 or Turkish T-129. It should only be a matter of time that a decision comes out. The AH-1Z deal is yet to be seen, if its rendered a green light or not.
With such options out there for procurement of different weapon systems, cost is a major issue. Pakistan has already paid a heavy price in human life (civilians and soldiers) as well as infrastructure, losing billions of dollars over time. On top of that,Pakistan's infrastructure (roads, bases etc) has been used by USA and its coalition for launching strikes into Afghanistan as well as inside Pakistan to take out terrorists and supplying its forces in Afghanistan. It has turned out that more losses have been incurred (100+ Billion $) for Pakistan than what has been received (30+ Billion $).
Although the bottom line is that during USA sanctions, Pakistan has turned towards indigenisation in the past and Pakistan still has the capability to do so now, the situation has become a bit tighter due to a constant WOT being fought by the Armed Forces, which although is bearing fruits but its end is not in sight yet.
Threats, warnings and action to malign Pakistan's efforts and cutting promised aid will of course hamper Pakistan's efforts but it will also further distance Pakistan from USA and USA's planning for the region.