JF-17 Fighter Leading Pakistan Defence Equipment Export Success

Pakistan is said to be close to selling 25-40 JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft to Nigeria among a growing list of customers for its military hardware.

At the IDEAS exhibition in Karachi last week it was revealed that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Chief, air marshal Adesola Nunayon Amosu had visited the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) at Kamra in October following which the NAF has prepared a recommendation to buy the planes. Other potential customers include Egypt and Myanmar. “So far11 countries are talking to us”, Air Commodore Khalid Mahmood, director of sales and marketing for the JF-17, was quoted as saying during the IDEAS show.

Designed by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, the JF-17 Thunder is also known as FC-1 Xiaolong in China and is benchmarked against 4.5 generation western aircraft such as the F-16, Saab Gripen and the Eurofighter Typhoon.  More than 50 JF-17 fighters have entered service with the Pakistan Air Force since 2007. Chinese officials were quoted as saying during the Zhuhai Airshow last month thatAlgeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Uruguay are reportedly interested in purchasing JF-17 from either Pakistan or China.

Even if half the potential countries sign up to buy the aircraft, it will make the JF-17 one of the most successful fighter aircraft in the world. That Pakistan is aggressive in promoting the aircraft can be gauged from Khalid Mahmood’s reported statement that “potential customers are being offered a partnership, not just an aircraft”.

Pakistan’s military exports have doubled in a year, according to Minister for Defence Production Rana Tanveer who said while visiting the IDEAS show without revealing any figures. Pakistan Ordnance Factory (POF) has started exporting ammunition to Morocco, New Zealand and Thailand in recent months, according to POF Director Exports Tabassum Rahman  “We have also exported 400 semiautomatic MP5 carbines to the United States and Germany,” said Rahman adding that  POF-produced weapons, besides being reliable, had an edge over competitors in terms of price.

POF has also started selling its POF Eye – a rig that allows the user to look and shoot around corners – to the country’s security forces.  The POF launched its air-to-ground precision attack missile “Takbir” at the IDEAs showing its capability to develop sophisticated weapons.

Pakistan is keen to grow its defence manufacturing business by acquiring technology from abroad. "We’ll purchase a defence related machinery or equipment from any country only on the condition of transfer of technology to us", said Minister Rana Tanveer.

Defenseworld.net comment:

The Pakistan-China partnership in developing and marketing weapons is well-placed to supply weapons to countries in Africa, Middle East and Asia which cannot afford or denied western weapons. A market where affordability rather than sophistication is the key, the overall low cost of acquisition and maintenance would gravitate potential customers towards this emerging partnership.