Significant achievement

This is apropos a Business Recorder news item "PAF rolls out 50th indigenously overhauled C-130 aircraft" carried by the newspaper on March 16, PAF'S contribution to country's engineering progress on indigenization not only for complete C-130 overhaul but importantly, for huge development in JF17 thunder aircraft components and assembly production. It is truly remarkable how PAF has achieved this "super-progress" when the country's engineering industry has never been able to come out of the doldrums after most absurd nationalisation of nascent engineering industry in early 1970s.
With PAF's expertise and their immense sacrifices, nation looks for further contribution from PAF since there is really no engineering progress in these times, especially in the power sector.
Since PAF successfully maintains, installs and operates jet engines of different makes and sizes, it would be so good for Pakistan if they entered the power generation market since jet engines are basically gas turbine engines and these are used from small to medium-size, and further to large size, combined cycle/cogeneration power plants in Pakistan as well as throughout the world.
At present, all thermal power plants are totally based on imported components, with very little local contribution and the results are obvious - very high capital and maintenance costs! We could start with assembly/small part production in the range of 3 to 10MW gas turbine-based power plants (similar to engine sizes typically for small jet aircraft) which could be utilized in hundreds of industries and commercial buildings (hospitals, hotels, airport terminals, offices, etc.), for power/steam cogeneration and build-up expertise for further growth in a short time for utility power plants and thus making a drastic cost-effective change in our power availability and costs.
The advantages of such cogeneration/combined cycle power plants are recognised world-wide and just to give an example, the US has more than 80,000MW (4 times our entire power grid capacity) in cogeneration power plants, with planned doubling of this capacity by 2025! Europe and Japan also are top developers of this highly energy-efficient design for economical power generation.
The advantages of local manufacturing facilities for development of expertise in thermal power generation are immense. Firstly, the country will save considerable foreign exchange and these facilities will open avenues for gainful employment, especially for those who retire after spending their lifetime with jet aircraft engines. Also, like everywhere else in the world, there are good opportunities for making this a profitable venture since most components of cogeneration power plant, other than the jet engine itself; can be locally sourced. Overall, it can be a win-win situation for all the sectors! Dreams do come true and for one who has put 55 years of honest service in good engineering, it would be simply unacceptable not to hope for the "change for the better".