Ukrainian company UkrSpecExport has successfully modernized the Ilyushin Il-78 aerial refueling aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). UkrSpecExport is a state-owned arms trading company and a part of the state conglomerate UkrOboronProm.
According to the official statement issued by UkrSpecExport, the modernization work of PAF’s Ilyushin Il-78 aircraft has been successfully carried out by its specialists at the Mykolaiv Aircraft Repair Plant in Southern Ukraine.
The Ilyushin Il-78 aerial refueling jet has already been transferred to Pakistan and will be officially inducted into PAF’s fleet in the coming few days, the statement added.
Speaking in this regard, Deputy DG UkrSpecExport, Artur Maksimov, said that the successful completion of the contract is a testament to the strong bilateral ties between Ukraine and Pakistan in the field of military-technical cooperation.
He added that UkrSpecExport expects bilateral military cooperation between the two countries to deepen and looks forward to completing more joint projects with the armed forces of Pakistan in the coming future
In June 2020, PAF and UkrSpecExport had inked a multi-million dollar agreement for the overhaul and upgrade of the Ilyushin Il-78 aerial refueling of the PAF.
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Although the agreement was initially signed for the modernization of one refueling jet, it included a clause for the expansion of the deal with UkrSpecExport to overhaul 2 more similar PAF jets.
However, the clause is subject to satisfactory work. If the upgraded Ilyushin Il-78 aircraft turns out as intended, the PAF would activate the special clause, which could take the total worth of the deal to over $30 million.
