Whenever we hear a PAF official speaking about the JF-17, they usually compare it to the Viper. Leaving aside avionics, the hopes of all pilots in the PAF is that the Thunder will one day match the maneuverability of the Viper, as dictated by the culture within the PAF pilot community, which still places a special emphasis on dogfighting. They realize BVR combat is necessary, but the CCS in Sargodah will never de-emphasize WVR, I think, unlike NATO.
Regarding this ambition/hope, I have some concerns regarding the Wing Loading and Thrust/Weight ratio of the JF-17. I made a table comparing the values of the Viper-C Block 50 with the Block I. Obviously the Block III's values are incomplete, but let's use Block I to see what the delta is currently. Please see attached:
(if there are any errors in these calcs please let me know)
The publicly available stats for the Block I, place it far behind the Viper-C in TWR and slightly behind in Wing Loading. The question is, will the Block III be able to close this gap much?
The Block III's WS-13E has been estimated as having 22.5K lb max thrust, and is reported to be lighter, which should improve the TWR. Also, there are reports of more composite materials being used in the airframe, which will also reduce the weight, thus potentially improving TWR and Wing Loading (provided no other weight gains.)
The wing area on the Block II has already increased slightly, with the F/A-18E style enlarged LEX, which will help in this regard. It is possible more airframe changes (which are rumoured) have been made for the Block III, but at this point, I doubt the shape will change much.
What this means, basically, is that the simplest way to get both the TWR and Wing Loading to improve for the Block III, is with a substantial weight reduction, via composites and replacing mechanical components with electronics (e.g. full FBW). All else being equal, the required reduction in weight will need to be 3,000 lbs in order to get into the Viper's regime, which is the oft-stated ambition of the PAF. That means almost 20% of the Block I's empty weight has to be shed.
But is that even possible at this stage?
Regarding this ambition/hope, I have some concerns regarding the Wing Loading and Thrust/Weight ratio of the JF-17. I made a table comparing the values of the Viper-C Block 50 with the Block I. Obviously the Block III's values are incomplete, but let's use Block I to see what the delta is currently. Please see attached:
(if there are any errors in these calcs please let me know)
The publicly available stats for the Block I, place it far behind the Viper-C in TWR and slightly behind in Wing Loading. The question is, will the Block III be able to close this gap much?
The Block III's WS-13E has been estimated as having 22.5K lb max thrust, and is reported to be lighter, which should improve the TWR. Also, there are reports of more composite materials being used in the airframe, which will also reduce the weight, thus potentially improving TWR and Wing Loading (provided no other weight gains.)
The wing area on the Block II has already increased slightly, with the F/A-18E style enlarged LEX, which will help in this regard. It is possible more airframe changes (which are rumoured) have been made for the Block III, but at this point, I doubt the shape will change much.
What this means, basically, is that the simplest way to get both the TWR and Wing Loading to improve for the Block III, is with a substantial weight reduction, via composites and replacing mechanical components with electronics (e.g. full FBW). All else being equal, the required reduction in weight will need to be 3,000 lbs in order to get into the Viper's regime, which is the oft-stated ambition of the PAF. That means almost 20% of the Block I's empty weight has to be shed.
But is that even possible at this stage?