It’s a milestone and memorable day for Pakistan Air Force (PAF), when it launches first ever locally made JF 17 Thunder combat aircraft on 23^rd November.  Pakistan is thence made its place in the list of combat aircraft producing countries. JF 17, which is equivalent to F 16 in performance, but lighter in weight and much cheaper, has strengthened PAF to a great extent.

Originally known as Super-7, JF 17 was developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (CAC), China and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), Kamra, under a joint venture of China and Pakistan. The JF 17 (Joint Fighter 17) Thunder, which is known as FC-1 (Fighter China) in China, is a lightweight multi-role fighter capable of boarding any sort of warhead. It is capable of beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air combat, as well as laser-guided weapons delivery. Because it has been developed primarily for the PAF and export market, it provides a low-cost replacement for many developing countries. The unit price is estimated to be US$15 million.

The maiden test flight of the first prototype took place during 2003 in China, later test flights of a more advanced version taking place in 2006. The first two SBP (small batch production) aircraft were delivered to the Pakistan Air Force on 12 March 2007 for further flight testing and evaluation.

Chengdu was selected as primary contractor and the Russian Mikoyan Aero-Science Production Group (MASPG) was contracted to provide the Klimov RD-93 turbofan engine and design assistance too.

The PAF has committed to the acquisition of 150 JF-17, whilst China is expected to buy 250. Pakistan will initially produce 50% of the aircraft locally, progressively increasing to 100%.

PAF plans to make the first JF-17 squadron officially operational in early 2010.

Technical Specifications of FC-1/JF-17:

Dimensions: length 14.97 m (49 ft 1 1/2 in); height 4.77 m (15 ft 8 in); wing span 9.46 m (31 ft 1/2 in)

Weights: empty 6,411 kg (14,136 lb); Normal Take-Off Weight 9,072 kg (20,000 lb); Max Take-Off Weight 12,474 kg (27,500 lb)

Performance: max level speed ‘clean’ at altitude Mach 1.6 or 1,909 km/h (1,186 mph); service ceiling 15,240 m (50,000 ft); ferry range 2,037 km (1,266 miles); operational radius 1,352 km (840 miles).

Armament: JF-17 can be armed with up to 3,629 kg (8,000 lb) of air-to-air and air-to-ground ordnance, as well as other equipment, mounted externally on the aircraft’s seven hardpoints (part of an airframe designed to carry an external load).

Among potential customers of this Pakistani fighter plane are Azerbaijani Air Force, who has negotiated with Pakistan for the purchase of 26 JF-17, worth between 16 and 18 million dollars each. Besides that,  the Sudanese Air Force is also negotiating for 12 aircrafts.The Zimbabwe Air Force reportedly ordered 12 JF-17 in 2004. Several other countries including Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran and Nigeria, and Malaysia have been identified as potential buyers.

Courtesy: Pakistan Aeronautical Complex