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Pakistan to counter Indian AWACS deal: daily

IRNA

Islamabad, Oct 20, IRNA -- Pakistan has claimed it can counter the 
Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) India is poised to receive
from Israel, local press reported Monday. 
According to the daily The News, China has agreed to support 
Pakistan in dealing with the strategic challenge posed by the 
Indo-Israeli military deal. 
Last Friday, Pakistan`s Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal 
Kaleem Saadat declared that Pakistan was taking appropriate steps to 
counter the purchase of Falcon radar system by India. 
"I would not go into details but everything is going well and 
Inshallah you will hear good news by June 30 next year," he said 
speaking to newsmen at the inauguration of the three-day Airshow 
at the Walton Airport in Lahore. 
The newspaper maintained that Chinese `AWACS killers` will play a 
key role in countering Indo-Israeli Falcon under a US dollar 1 
billion deal. 
FT-2000 commonly known as AWACS killers, surface-to-air missiles 
(SAM), designed by Chinese experts are considered to be the most 
appropriate option, if the US refuses to provide the same kind of 
AWACS to Pakistan, which are being sold to India by Israel under the 
approval of Washington, the daily said. 
The acquisition of the radar by India has been seen in Pakistan 
as a disturbance to balance of power between the two countries. 
Meanwhile, Pakistan will acquire high-tech multi-role aircraft 
for its airforce from other sources if F-16 were not supplied by the 
US, the newspaper said. 
Islamabad will go for more than one source for its high-tech 
planes even after getting F-16s as it has done in case of medium-tech 
and low medium planes, the daily added. 
The Dawn wrote that Pakistan was eyeing Euro-fighter, which has 
`outsmarted` F-16 and other contemporary planes in various roles. 
These fighters can be available to Pakistan on hard cash payment 
but the supply of the same would commence in a couple of years, which 
would make the proposition difficult for Pakistan. 
Pakistan and China are also accelerating pace for production of 
their joint venture of multi-role JF-17 Thunder plane. It is expected 
that JF-17 would be inducted in PAF earlier than expected, according 
to the daily. 
Regarding the purchase of F-16s from Belgium and Dutch Air 
Forces, he said they have re-structured their forces and the equipment
was in excess to their requirement and therefore they are looking for 
a buyer. 
MHA/TSH/210 
End