Pakistan’s JF-17 Block III Fighter Integrates American, Chinese Weapons

The JF-17 Thunder Block III multirole fighter made by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC)/Chengdu marked its first international air show appearance at the Dubai Airshow 2023.

The static display aircraft was shown with its entire gamut of weapons and sensors including the U.S.-made MK-82, 83 and 84 bombs besides the Chinese C-802AK anti-ship missile and the SD-10A air-to-air missile.

In addition, the aircraft is equipped with an ASEL targeting pod made by Turkish firm Aselsan. The main improvement of the Block III over the earlier iterations is the inclusion of the Chinese-made KLJ-7A active electronically scanned array radar, which significantly increases target detection and tracking.

Other improvements include a new quad-redundant three-axis digital flight control system and revised avionics with a helmet-mounted display/sight and a wide-angle head-up display.

The JF-17 Block III is currently being pitched to Argentina where it is competing with the F-16 and the Indian LCA Tejas.

Nigeria is said to be considering the Block III aircraft after using the Block II version for over two years.