Pakistan Orders 40 JF-17 Fighter Aircraft, Contract signed with Foreign Customer

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is expected to order 40 JF-17 Thunder light fighter aircraft made the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and the Aviation Industries Corporation of China (AVIC).

The order adds to the 60 aircraft already in PAF service,  an AVIC statement said yesterday.

In addition, The AVIC –PAC partnership has signed a contract with a third party customer for the purchase of the JF-17 Thunder, AVIC Executive Vice President Liu Yu was quoted as saying in the statement.

However, the customer was not identified nor details of the sale revealed.

Liu Yu said JF-17 Thunder had demonstrated capabilities in air-to-air, air-to-surface combats and its great cost-effectiveness had received attention from the global aviation industry.

As China and Pakistan improve their ability and skills in co-developing JF-17 Thunder, the aircraft is becoming a “Blue Ocean product” with much market potentials as an ideal replacement for second-generation fighters in many countries’ air force.

AVIC and PAC anticipate a market for 300 JF-17 fighter aircraft in the near future.