Five countries considering purchase of Pakistan-China JF-17 fighter jet, report says

Five countries are currently considering the purchase of the JF-17 Thunder fighter jet jointly produced by Pakistan and China, according to a Bloomberg report on Tuesday. Iraq, Bangladesh, and Indonesia had already expressed interest last month, while Saudi Arabia and Libya are now also weighing potential acquisitions.

Background and Production

The JF-17 is a lightweight, all‑weather multirole fighter developed under a 1999 agreement between the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and China’s AVIC Chengdu facility. Pakistan manufactures about 58% of the airframe, with China supplying the avionics (42%), and engines provided by Russia’s Klimov. To date, the aircraft has been sold to Azerbaijan, Nigeria, and Myanmar—the first export customer.

Production Capacity and Cost

Pakistan currently produces between 16 and 18 JF‑17s per year, with each unit priced between $40 million and $50 million. The renewed international interest follows heightened visibility of the platform after clashes between Pakistan and India in May of last year, during which Islamabad claimed to have shot down several Indian aircraft—a claim New Delhi has partially acknowledged without specifying numbers.