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Role Multirole fighter
Manufacturer Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation
Pakistan Aeronautical Complex
First flight 25 August 2003
Introduced 12 March 2007
Status Serial production beginning / In active service with Pakistan
Primary user Pakistan Air Force
Produced In China: June 2007–
In Pakistan: January 2008–
Number built 4 prototypes
10 delivered

Unit cost US$15-20 million (estimated





Specifications (JF-17 Thunder/FC-1 Fierce Dragon)
General characteristics

Crew: 1 (2 for proposed twin-seater)
Length: 14.0 m[32] (49 feet)
Wingspan: 9.45 m[32] (31 ft)
Height: 4.77 m (15 ft 8 in)
Wing area: 24.4 m²[32] (263 ft²)
Empty weight: 6,450 kg[32] (14,200 lb)
Loaded weight: 9,100 kg[33] including 2× wing-tip mounted air-to-air missiles (20,062 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 12,700 kg[33] (28,000 lb)
Powerplant: 1× Klimov RD-93 or WS-13 TianShan turbofan
Dry thrust: 51.2 kN (with WS-13 engine) (11,240 lbf)
Thrust with afterburner: 86.37 kN (with WS-13 engine) [4][5][33] (18,300 lbf)
G-limit: +8.5 g[12]
Fuel Capacity: 2300kg (5,130 lb) [34]
Performance

Maximum speed: Mach 1.6~1.8 [35]
Combat radius: 1,352 km (890 nmi, 1,025 mi)
Ferry range: 3,500km [6][7][36] (2,100 mi)
Service ceiling 18,000 m [8][9][37] (59,055 ft)
Thrust/weight: 0.95 [10]
Armament


Guns: 1× 23mm internal GSh-23-2 twin-barrel cannon (can be replaced with 30mm GSh-30-2 twin-barrel cannon)
Hardpoints: 7 in total (4× under-wing, 2× wing-tip, 1× under-fuselage) with a capacity of 3,629 kg (8,000 lb) external fuel and ordnance,
Rockets: 57mm/90mm unguided rocket pods [38]
Missiles:

Air-to-air missiles: PL-9C, PL-12/SD-10, A-darter
Air-to-surface missiles: anti-radiation missiles, anti-ship missiles, cruise missiles, etc.
Bombs:

Precision guided munitions, glide bombs, unguided bombs, etc
Others:
Up to 3 drop tanks (1× under-fuselage 800 litres, 2× under-wing 800/1100 litres each) for ferry flight or extended range/loitering time
Externally mounted avionics pods for Electronic Warfare, Electronic Counter-Measures, FLIR and Targeting:
Blue Sky navigation/attack pod
BM/KG300G self-protection jamming (ECM) pod
KZ900 electronic reconnaissance (SIGINT) pod
Avionics
KLJ-7 Radar






[edit] Confirmed Operators
Pakistan
Pakistan Air Force - The only current user of the JF-17, with 10 small batch production aircraft delivered, 150 currently ordered and a total of 250 expected. [24]
According to Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmad, the first JF-17 squadron will be inducted into the PAF fleet in the first quarter of 2009. [31]


[edit] Potential Operators
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan Air Force
China
People's Liberation Army Air Force - Under evaluation
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Air Force