Project ROSE
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.
[5] The upgrade package included the installation of a Grifo radar with a detection range of approximately 75 km, in-flight refueling probes, and airframe overhauls to extend service life.
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.
[5] 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.
Restrictions on the Pakistan Air Force, which relied heavily on American-built infrastructure, prompted the development of solutions to maintain combat readiness.
[3] In 1992, the Pakistan Air Force devised a strategy on increasing its self-reliance and immediately launched the ROSE program, as well as Project Sabre II which resulted in the development of the JF-17 aircraft.
[3] Although the United States raised objections to the program, the PAF procured Mirage fighters from various countries including Australia, Belgium, Lebanon, Libya, and Spain from 1992 till 2003.
[5] A project team was formed to manage the program and held review meetings frequently in both Pakistan and France where problems were discussed.
[7] In 2003, the PAF bought a total of about 50 grounded Mirage 5 fighter jets from Libya along with 150 engines still in sealed packaging and a huge quantity of spare parts.
Out of the 50 Dassault Mirage III fighters received from Australia, 40 were found to be suitable for service with the PAF,[11] 12 of them were overhauled at PAC and made operational.
In early 1999 it was stated that problems in "certain parameters - and errors in certain modes" had surfaced during flight trials of the Grifo M3 radar in the Mirage III, but these were later solved.
[14][15] Other optional modes include Raid Assessment, Non Cooperative Target Identification, SAR (synthetic aperture radar) and Precision Velocity Update.
Digital adaptive pulse-compression technology, dual channel receiver, scanning coverage +/-60 degrees in both azimuth and elevation, air cooling, weighs less than 91 kg, MTBF (flight guaranteed) over 220 hours.
27 Tactical Attack "Zarrar" Squadron, to operate the Mirage 5 ROSE III fighters and specialize in night-time surface strike missions.
It was based on the ROSE III upgrade standard, but it also included the installation of the Grifo 3 radar, AIM-9L/M capacity, as well as the Dart targeting pod, derived from the Litening.
[12] The ROSE program was successful and saved Pakistan Air Force's financial capital to be spent in a huge amount on foreign exchange.
[5] The program was meant to be continued for some time after 2003, but the Pakistan Air Force had to terminate it due to a combination of high costs and aging Mirage III/5 airframes.
