Pakistan provides key support to boost Myanmar Air Force

Pakistan's military partnership with Myanmar is set to gather momentum, with a team of 15 technical experts of the Pakistan Air Force scheduled to visit Mandalay air force station soon to provide training support for Chinese-made JF-17 fighter jets.

The team is expected to visit Meiktila Air Force Station in Mandalay regarding the setting up of a JF-17 simulator for training pilots of the Myanmar Air Force, ET has reliably learnt.

The team is also expected to visit Mingaladon Air Force Station in Yangon to address technical issues relating to JF-17s that the ground maintenance staff is facing, ET has further learnt.


In May, a Pakistani cargo plane had supplied spare parts of JF-17s to the Myanmar Air Force.

The military of India's eastern neighbour has been seeking to expand military ties with Pakistan and is eyeing to purchase Air to Surface missiles from Pakistan, ET has further learnt. These missiles are for their JF-17 fighter aircraft.

Myanmar cannot directly purchase these missiles from China due to a ban imposed by Beijing.

In 2015, Myanmar became the first country to import JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft, a lightweight, multi-role combat aircraft developed jointly by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group of China.

After the military coup in Myanmar, Pakistan - egged by China - sensed an opportunity to expand defence partnership with the country, an expert on Myanmar who did not wish to be identified told ET.

Islamabad is expecting deeper cooperation with Beijing in terms of sub-warfare equipment development, letting Pakistan do maintenance and overhaul for Chinese-origin equipment, and more importantly, pushing Pakistan's defence industry to become an avenue for Chinese defence sales.

One of the key interlocutors from Myanmar who is pushing military ties with Pakistan is Aye Ne Win, grandson of the country's former military dictator General Ne Win. Aye Ne Win has been a key figure in Myanmar's defence sector under military rulers over the last two decades and has been in touch with Pakistani diplomats in Myanmar in the recent past.

Last September, a high-level delegation from Pakistan's defence ministry made a visit to Myanmar unannounced by either side.

ET reported then that the visit saw the two countries hold talks on advanced ordnance technology, aircraft repair and maintenance, and naval munitions.