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Media outlets across Pakistan on Tuesday reported the country's air force had successfully test-fired an indigenously-built 'smart weapon' from a JF-17 fighter. Some Pakistani media outlets referred to the system as a 'missile' and others as a “extended-range smart weapon”. Several outlets also carried footage of the test of the 'smart weapon'. Interestingly, the video of the test, from the Pakistan Air Force, shows only hazy imagery of the weapon and effectively obscures it with a 'black box' before it impacts the ground. The perceived secrecy surrounding the 'smart weapon' has aroused debate about its origins and whether the test...

Cheap, Easy, Available: Asia’s JF-17 Thunder Contrasts U.S. and Russian Tactical Aircraft. Develop it faster, build it cheaper and make it more available. From electronics to automobiles, the Asian doctrine of the 20th century. With the rush toward globalization and the blurring of borders in the internet age, manufactured products in every category move across borders and subvert political boundaries with impunity. Tactical combat aircraft may be the next category. Traditionally, high level defense and aerospace programs have been slow to move toward global distribution largely because of regional security concerns, partially because of technology concerns, and definitely because of...

In early 2007, when the first production JF-17 “Thunder” fighter was unveiled to the Pakistani public, it failed to make much of an impression outside the Indian subcontinent. And for good reason. As a twenty-first century fighter aircraft, it appeared rather unremarkable; pedestrian, almost. It boasted neither the sleek lines of the F-16, nor the raw power of the MiG-29. Its capabilities could best be described as middle-of-the-road. Ten years on, the aircraft has acquired a history that belies its purported mediocrity. It has performed at air shows in Paris and Dubai; flown ground-attack sorties against the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan in...

New Delhi: India's Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, which was several years in the making, has now caught the attention of foreign buyers, with Sri Lanka and Egypt evincing interest in the indigenously built fighter jet. Sri Lanka had recently rejected Pakistan's JF-17 aircraft built with Chinese help, while Egypt had last year signed a contract for 24 French-made Rafale fighter jets. The two countries are interested in the current version of the Tejas and not the upgraded one which will be rolled out later. However, state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the manufacturer of Tejas, is focusing on delivering the aircraft...

The surprise visit of Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to Tehran late February comes on the heels of rapidly intensifying high-level defence contacts between the two states. Even before this latest visit there was a flurry of speculation on impending Russian arms sales to Iran, in part touched off by Iranian Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan’s visit to Moscow barely four days before Shoigu’s visit to Tehran. Latest reports on Russia finally shipping the S-300 air defence system to Iran appear to lend credence to reports centred on substantial new arms sales, in particular the sale of Sukhoi Su-30 fighters. If...

Not again. The jointly developed Sino-Pakistani JF-17 Thunder has apparently suffered another false start. As the Diplomat reported last month, Malaysian officials previously indicated that they were considering the JF-17 as a contender to its fighter replacement program. Kuala Lumpur’s interest in the aircraft was signaled last month by its High Commissioner to Pakistan, Dr. Hasrul Sani, who, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan, discussed the fighter against the backdrop of boosting the bilateral relationship in general. “I think the Malaysians might be genuinely interested because Pakistan has a respectable defense industry, with the products being considerably cheaper compared...

NEWTOWN, Conn. --- According to media reports coming out of the first day of the Paris Air Show, the Chengdu/Pakistan Aeronautical Complex JF-17 Thunder jet fighter has secured its first confirmed export deal with an unnamed Asian country. The lead sales and marketing official for the JF-17, Pakistan's Air Commodore Khalid Mahmood, declined to specify the customer and number of aircraft ordered due to client request, divulging only that deliveries will begin in 2017. This prompts the natural question: Who is the buyer? To begin with only a handful of countries in the Asia-Pacific Rim region procure military hardware from...

An article in Sina's Chinese-language military news web portal compared the abilities of India's HAL Tejas Light Combat Aircraft and the FC-1 Xiaolong/JF-17 Thunder developed jointly by China and Pakistan. Overview of the Aircraft The HAL Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) was named by former Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The development plan was approved by the Indian government in 1983. The government's requirements for the Tejas were to develop an all-weather supersonic LCA which could replace the MiG-21. Its main mission is to fight for control of airspace and to offer short-range support. The development of the Tejas...

A revamped version of JF-17 jet fighter took centre stage at 8th International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) in Karachi this week as the country looks to boost its role as a military exporter on the world stage. Pakistan’s military has long been a major importer of defence equipment, particularly from key ally China. But the country is hoping the updated JF-17, conceived and initially developed with the help of China, along with Pakistani-made tanks and surveillance drones, will help grow military exports and bring in much-needed foreign exchange revenue. The country’s forex reserves are slowly recovering after falling to...

In 1989, the Chinese Chengdu Aerospace Corporation unveiled a major upgrade for its locally-made F-7 jet fighter, a licensed copy of the classic Soviet MiG-21. The new F-7 variant moved the engine air intake from the nose tip to the sides of the fuselage, making room in the nose for a more powerful radar. Twenty-one years later, this upgrade—now named JF-17 Thunder—is flying combat missions with the Pakistani air force, so far its sole user. Further enhanced with a new wing, a cutting-edge intake design and a new, more powerful engine, the JF-17 is Pakistan’s most important front-line fighter—and a...

BU DHABI — Saudi Arabia has been examining the prospect of becoming a partner in Pakistan’s fighter jet program. Officials said the Saudi Defense Ministry has been reviewing Pakistan’s JF-17 fighter jet program. The officials said representatives of the ministry as well as the Royal Saudi Air Force were examining the feasibility of procuring JF-17 as part of cooperation with Islamabad. “This project could provide the kingdom with technology that could be used in future projects,” an official said. On Jan. 20, Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Prince Salman Bin Sultan visited Pakistan and toured the JF-17 project, modeled after the...

KARACHI, PAKISTAN // Last week’s Dubai Airshow showed the extent of Pakistan’s cooperation with China on aviation and defence. The JF-17 Thunder aircraft put up by Pakistan Air Force (PAF) for display in the air show have been jointly developed by Pakistan and China. With its advanced design and state-of-the-art manufacturing technology, the JF-17 has the combat capability of a third-generation fighter plane and is on a par with the world’s most advanced light fighter jets. China, which has now emerged as a tough competitor challenging the United States, Russia, France and Britain and other long-time exporters in the international...

The market for the JF-17 fighter appears to be expanding in unexpected ways. At the Dubai Airshow, which opened on Sunday, the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex had a freshly minted example on display, complete with an array of Chinese-made missiles and bombs. The Pakistani company jointly produces the plane with China’s Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation; the fighter is seen as one of China’s efforts to move up the value chain in arms exports. But according to recent news reports, Pakistan has plans to export the aircraft itself. Who would buy a plane like this — equivalent to a “fourth-generation” fighter like...

Many countries express interest in JF-17 Thunder Numerous countries are interested in obtaining a fighter jet jointly developed by Pakistan and China, said a senior officer of the Pakistan air force. "We've been receiving inquiries and expressions of interest on the JF-17 Thunder from many countries in the Middle East, Africa and even as far as South America," Air Marshal Sohail Gul Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, told China Daily on Thursday. The JF-17 Thunder - or the FC-1 Fierce Dragon as it's known in China - is a third-generation multipurpose combat jet co-developed by Aviation Industry...

IN FOCUS: China awaits fighter export breakthrough The atmosphere in the Dubai air show briefing room in November 2011 was electric. Journalists occupied every seat and photographers squeezed into the back of the room. Also present were a dozen senior Pakistan air force officials, who were forced to stand along one wall, as well as several Chinese executives in business suits. The occasion was a briefing about the Chengdu/Pakistan Aeronautical Complex JF-17 Thunder fighter. Sharpshot gallery on AirSpace The Pakistani air force is the first customer for the JF-17 Yang Wei, the designer of the JF-17, Chengdu J-10 and China's...

CATIC offers JF-17 to Africa, Middle East China is looking to Africa and the Middle East to buy its JF-17 Thunder fighter jet, and anticipates countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Sudan, Venezuela, Turkey and Sri Lanka ordering 300 aircraft over the next five years. A spokesman from China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC) told Flightglobal that, "In the next five years, CATIC intends to sell up to 300 JF-17s to several countries in Africa and the Middle East". "CATIC sales and customer support teams are highly motivated and CATIC is looking forward to making the...

Pakistan offers cut-price fighter jet DUBAI | Sun Nov 13, 2011 5:57am EST DUBAI (Reuters) - Pakistan is pitching its new JF17 Thunder fighter jet, developed jointly with China, at an aggressive discount to dominant Western rivals, the country's defense minister said on Sunday. "You can buy three of our aircraft for one F-16," Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar told Reuters at the Dubai Air Show, where the aircraft is being displayed. He said that the producer, Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, was not able to keep pace with the requirements of the air force. "Three squadrons are already flying the aircraft in Pakistan...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — China has agreed to immediately provide 50 JF-17 fighter jets to Pakistan, a major outcome of a visit by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to Beijing this week, Pakistani officials said Thursday.

Pakistan's time-tested friend Farhan Bokhari writes: China's sale of 50 fighter planes to Islamabad will strengthen their six-decade-old bilateral ties By Farhan Bokhari, Special to Gulf News Published: 00:01 May 22, 2011 China's decision to use the trip by Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for announcing a ‘quick delivery' of up to 50 fighter planes to its South Asian partner, must not come as a surprise to anyone. For long, Beijing has built up its ties with Pakistan through repeated support for the country in a range of ways, notably through generous military assistance and economic support. At a...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — China has agreed to immediately provide 50 JF-17 fighter jets to Pakistan, a major outcome of a visit by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to Beijing this week, Pakistani officials said Thursday. China and Pakistan have jointly produced the JF-17 aircraft, but the new planes would be equipped with more sophisticated avionics, the officials said. The latest jet fighters would be paid for by China, they said. The announcement came as Pakistan’s already tense relations with the United States soured further after the killing of Osama bin Laden deep inside Pakistan on May 2. Last week, Pakistan’s...