Pakistan Overhauls FC-1 Fighter Aircraft

The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) has carried out overhaul and fuselage evaluation of the FC-1 fighter aircraft also called the JF-17.

“On December 28, 2015, Pakistan held a ceremony of 2015 production delivery of the 16th FC-1 in the 2nd batch and the accomplishment of the first FC-1 fuselage evaluation that is entitled self-production towards maintenance,” the Aviation Industries Corporation of China (AVIC) said in a statement.

From the day when the first coproduced FC-1 rolled out on November 23, 2009 until now, the China-Pakistan’s team has made remarkable achievements, said the statement adding that in 2015, facing the challenge of the 16th aircraft production delivery, both sides finished the task making Pakistan’s aviation manufacturing capability grow up steadily.

“Pakistan carried out the FC-1 overhaul and finished the first FC-1 fuselage evaluation, which lays foundation on the Pakistan’s overhaul,” the statement said suggesting that the future overhaul of the FC-1/JF-17 could be done in Pakistan.

The FC-1/JF-17 is in service in China, Pakistan and has recently been sold to Nigeria and possibly Myanmar. The single engine aircraft is said to have the performance of the US-made F-16 fighter at less than half the cost.