"Safety is a state of mind, and accident is an absence of mind." Visitors to the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), about 75 km northwest of Islamabad, will not find this slogan difficult in this heavily-guarded aviation engineering base.

The complex comprises of four factories –the F-6 Rebuild Factory, Mirage Rebuild Factory, Aircraft Manufacturing Factory, and Kamara Avionics & Radar Factory over an area of 10 square kilometers. Its mission is “to produce and support weapon systems for a high state of operational readiness for Pakistan Air Force” according to officials.

In response to the Western arms embargo, Air Commodore Nadeem Aslam said that there are always ways to do something if people are determined to achieve the aim.

The official gave special thanks to China’s support to Pakistan’s air force and PAC, whose growing customers now include Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iran, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and South Africa.

PAC can provide a wide range of aviation engineering services, such as maintenance, repair and overhaul of C-130, F-16, Mirage and other fighter aircraft, airborne radars and engines.

It also has advanced facilities to test the JF-17 Thunder, jointly developed by China’s Chengdu Aircraft Industrial Corporation (CAC) and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex under a strategic collaboration project.