Pakistan will induct its first squadron of JF-17 fighters by the yearend and acquire mid-air refuelling and airborne early warning aircraft by next year, the country's air force chief has said.

Pakistan and China last week began production of the JF-17 multi-role jet, which they developed jointly, and Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed on Wednesday said the first squadron of the jets will be operational by the yearend.

"That will be the starting point for our transition into a new hi-tech air force by 2012-15. We will keep inducting 15 to 20 (JF-17s a year and) increasing to 25 to 30 aeroplanes," he told media persons at a ceremony at Shorkot airbase in Punjab province to mark 50 years of two air force combat groups.

"Other than that, we have signed up for the most modern F-16s, which are supposed to arrive in 2010 and they are on track," he said.

"We have also signed up for the air-to-air refueller and airborne early warning system, which should be arriving in the middle of next year and getting operationalised by the end of next year."

Ahmed did not give details of the mid-air refuelling and airborne early warning aircraft.