Project ROSE

Three-view of the Mirage IIIE

Project ROSE ("Retrofit of Strike Element"[1]) was a program by the Pakistan Air Force to upgrade the avionics of its ageing Dassault Mirage III and Mirage 5 fighter jets.[2] These had originally been built either by Dassault Aviation in France, or by the Government Aircraft Factories (GAF) in Australia. The program, based at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, focused on upgrading the military avionics and onboard computer systems, with equipment supplied variously by Pakistani Margella Electronics, French SAGEM and Italian SELEX consortia.[3]

Conceived in 1992 by the Pakistan Air Force, the program started in 1995 on main considerations of retiring the A-5 Fantan from active service.[1] The Pakistan Air Force, which was already operating Dassault Mirage IIIs and Mirage 5s, began its procurement of second-hand Mirage fighters from Australia, Lebanon, Libya, and Spain at the price range within the MoD's financial capacities.[4] Over 90% of the aircraft were retrofitted at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra with the remaining being upgraded in France.[4] Between 1996 and 2000, several Mirage IIIs and Mirage 5s were bought from other countries and were upgraded under this program at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex.[4]

The upgrade package included the installation of a Grifo radar with a detection range of about 75 km, In-flight refuelling probes along with a comprehensive overhaul of the airframes to increase their service life. After the ROSE-III upgrade, locally manufactured weapons like the H-2 and H-4 SOW, the Takbir glide bomb, and stealth nuclear cruise missiles such as the Ra'ad Mk-1 and Ra'ad Mk-2 were integrated with the weapons suite of the aircraft. Further considerations for upgrades were recommended but the program was terminated due to the increasing cost of spare parts and the condition of the second-hand airframes at the time of their procurement.[4]

It is currently expected for the upgraded fighter jets to remain in service with the Pakistan Air Force beyond 2020 in specialized tactical attack roles. They are expected to be replaced by either the JF–17 Thunder (Block 3, Block 4 and Block 5), additional F-16s, or the 5th generation stealth fighter in development under Project Azm; but there are no publicly confirmed timelines or details about any of these programs.[1][5]

  1. ^ a b c "Project ROSE". grandstrategy.com. Grand Strategy. 22 June 2013. Archived from the original on 24 November 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  2. ^ Pike, John. "Mirage-III and Mirage 5". global security.org. Global Security. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  3. ^ Sheikh, PAF, Air Marshal Rashid (2001). The story of the Pakistan Air Force, 1988-1998 : a battle against odds. Pakistan: Shaheen Foundation. p. 432. ISBN 978-9698553005.
  4. ^ a b c d "Mirage-III/Mirage-5". paffalcon.com.pk. PAF Falcon. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  5. ^ "Pakistan Air Force".