Know how powerful are Pakistan's fighter jets

New Delhi: Pakistan has come a long way in terms of weapon power since the Kargil conflict. While Indian Army has nine combat-ready corps on standby, Pakistan has eight corps along the heavily armed border. A corps, it should be mentioned, is a platoon made of 20,000-35,000 troops.Here we take a look at Pakistan Air Force's powerful fighter jets: F-7/J-7 Airguard:It is a Chinese version of the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 aircraft.It serve as an interceptor, in several air forces. Pakistan is currently the largest non-Chinese F-7 operator, with almost 120 F-7P and almost 60 F-7PG aircraft. The Pakistan Air Force is to replace its entire fleet of F-7 with the JF-17 multi-role fighter, all F-7P are planned to be retired and replaced with JF-17 Thunder aircraft by 2015.It has a speed of 1,175 kt / 1,350 mph.It is armed with Two internal 30 mm Type 30-1 cannon or One 23 mm Type 23-3 cannon AIM-9L Sidewinder; PL-2, PL-5, bombs; rockets. J-10: It is a multi-role fighter aircraft designed and produced by China's Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation. It has a speed of Mach 1.85.In November 2009, Pakistan signed a deal with China to buy 36 J-10B fighters in a deal worth around $1.4 billion. Deliveries to Pakistan were expected to begin from 2014-15 and the aircraft was to be designated as FC-20 in Pakistan.It is armed with a combination of short range air to air PL-8 missiles, medium range air to air PL-11 missiles and additional tanks, air to ground rockets, bombs and a minimum of seven to a maximum of eleven weapon stations. Maximum weapon load around 18,518 lbs/8,400 kg. Built-in 23mm or 30mm cannon. JF-17 Xiaolong/Thunder: It is a light-weight, single-engine, multi-role combat aircraft developed jointly by the Pakistan Air Force, the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and the Chengdu Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAC) of China.It has a speed of Mach 1.6. It is armed with 1x23mm GSh-23-2 cannon pod on centerline, max weapon load 8,380 lb/3,800 kg. Mirage III: It is a tactical reconnaissance aircraft with attack capability, developed in France.Pakistan Air Force is the largest operator of Mirage III fighters, with 75 aircraft still in service.It has a speed of 750 kt / 863 mph. It is armed with option of carrying two 30-mm DEFA 552A cannon with 125rounds per gun and, in exceptional circumstances, air-to-surface armament.Mirage V: It is a supersonic attack aircraft designed in France by Dassault Aviation during the 1960s. It was derived from Dassault's popular Mirage III fighter. It has a speed of 1,030 kt / 1,188 mph.It is armed with two 30-mm DEFA 552A cannon with 125 rounds per gun, plus provision for up to 4000 kg (8,818 Ib) of disposable stores carried on seven external pylons for various combinations of weapons and/or tanks, including Magic or Sidewinder AAMs. F-16A/B Fighting Falcon: It is single-seat air-combat and multi-role fighter.Its maximum speed is 1,146 kt / 1,320 mph.It is originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF).It is armed with one 20-mm M61A1 Vulcan cannon with 500 rounds, plus provision for up to 9276 kg (20,450 Ib) of external ordnance on one under fuselage, six underwing and two tip hardpoints, this total declining to 5420 kg (11,950 lb) for sorties including 9-g manoeuvres; the ordnance can include AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, a wide range of disposable ordnance (free-tall and guided), drop tanks and electronic pods (ECM, reconnaissance and targeting).F-16C/D Fighting Falcon:It is a single-seat air-combat and multi-role fighter.It weighs around 8,273 kg / 18,218 lb max and 19,187 lb during take off. The F-16 Fighting Falcon is the first operational fighter to employ fly-by-wire flight controls, relaxed static stability, high-g cockpit, bubble canopy, variable camber wings, blended wing-body design, modular construction, and integrated digital avionics.Q-5 Fantan: It is a close-support fighter with secondary air combat capability. It is manufactured by China.Its maximum speed is 642 kt / 739 mph. It weighs around 6,375 kg / 14,054 lb max and 11,830 kg / 26,080 lb during take-off.It is armed with two 23-mm Type 23-2K cannon with 100 rounds per gun; provision for 2000 kg (4,409 lb) of disposable stores, including AAMs, free-fall bombs, cluster bombs, rocket-launcher pods, napalm tanks, drop tanks and ECMS pods, on 10 external hardpoints.