Project ROSE
Project ROSE ("Retrofit of Strike Element") was a program by the Pakistan Air Force to upgrade the avionics of its ageing Dassault Mirage III and Mirage 5 fighter jets,. 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.
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. 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. Over 90% of the aircraft were retrofitted at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra; few were upgraded in France. 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.
The avionics of the aircraft were improved: some aircraft received the Grifo radar with a detection range of about 75 km. In-flight refuelling probes were added on some aircraft too. Their airframes were overhauled, and their service life was increased. 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 added to the weapons package of the aircraft. Further considerations for upgrades was 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 from various countries.
It is currently expected for all ROSE-upgraded Mirage fighter jets remain in service with the Pakistan Air Force beyond 2020 in specialized tactical attack roles. They are expected to be replaced by the JF–17 Thunder (Block 3, Block 4 and Block 5) or additional F-16s, or the 5th generation stealth fighter coming out of Project Azm; but there are no publicly confirmed timelines or details about any of these programs.