Great article below on the defence industry. Of particular note is the fact that the Saudis are testing the Al-Khalid.
ISLAMABAD: Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, speaking yesterday during a visit to Pakistan, has urged the Islamic world to benefit from Pakistan’s “rich experience” in defence.
“Pakistan has achieved excellence in the defence field and the Muslim countries must benefit from its experience,” he told reporters after visiting a heavy industry plant near Islamabad, which indigenously manufactures the state-of-the-art Al-Khalid tanks and other military equipment.
Pakistan sells weapons and military equipment including lightweight aircraft worth millions of dollars every year to a number of countries particularly in Africa, the Middle East and the Gulf.
The Al-Khalid tank is currently undergoing trials in Saudi Arabia after the latter showed an interest in buying it.
A number of countries in the Gulf and Middle Eastern regions are also regular buyers of Pakistani Super Mushshak or Cessna aircraft, manufactured at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC).
Pakistan is also set to begin serial production of JF-17 (Thunder) combat aircraft from next year, which it jointly manufactured with China. The aircraft has already carried out test flights in China.
“The Muslim World is proud of Pakistan’s achievements in the defence field,” said Saleh, who arrived in Pakistan on Monday on a two- day state visit.
He said the country’s heavy industry products were of high quality and could compete with European, American and Russian defence equipment.
Saleh said his country wanted to enter into a defence purchase deal with Pakistan. However, he did not disclose what equipment Yemen would like to buy.
The Yemeni president also watched a demonstration of Al-Khalid and another locally manufactured Al-Zarar tanks and armoured personnel carriers (APCs).
Saleh held talks with his Pakistani counterpart Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad on Monday, which focused on ways to boost co-operation in the areas of trade, economics, education, defence, security and counter-terrorism. – DPA