KARACHI: The JF-17 Thunder, the fighter jet that downed Indian aircraft flown by Abhinandan Varthaman in February 2019, is part of the display at the 11th edition of International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) 2022 currently underway at the Karachi Expo Centre.
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The jet belongs to the second generation of JF-17 series that was adopted by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in 2015. The first edition entered military usage in 2007. The plane was made by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, Kamra in collaboration with China.
“It is the same JF-17 Thunder (on display) that struck Abhinandan’s aircraft,” said a company representative while giving a briefing at the event on Wednesday. “It is the second generation of the series. Work is underway on the third generation model and it is expected to be adopted by the PAF soon.”
According to organisers, IDEAS 2022 has surpassed previous milestones in terms of space, booking, exhibitors and delegates from domestic and international firms this year.
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The Karachi Expo Centre has been booked to its capacity with more than 500 exhibitors from Turkey, China, North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Far East displaying their products. Nearly 60% of the stalls are booked by international enterprises while 40% are occupied by local companies.
Besides trade-oriented visitors, more than 285 high level delegates from 64 countries are expected to pay a visit to the exhibition.
IDEAS is a regional event that is organised biennially by Defence Export Promotion Organization (DEPO) in Pakistan.
Since its inception in 2000, IDEAS has emerged as an international rendezvous for defence manufacturers, entrepreneurs, research and development specialists, financial experts, and top level policy makers to promote cooperation, knowledge sharing and support ventures in the field of defence. According to details, Pakistan is an export partner of more than 60 countries.
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Khan GMB, a company from Dara Adam Khel, also put its products on display with dozens of models.
In another display of power by a Pakistani defence company, Heavy Industries Taxila put on show the Tank 'Haider', an upgraded version of Al-Khalid Tank.
“If a laser is pointed towards it, the tank releases smoke and becomes virtually invisible which makes it difficult for the target to assault it,” company representative said.
Among other features, it has laser-guided missiles having a range of 5 kilometres. It has a steering unlike Al-Khalid, which is driven with the use of sticks. It also has an automatic gearbox instead of a manual one.