JF-17 is long way down the road by now , and It is in the service of Pakistan Air Force.
The Block II is still in development and the PAF is contended with the performance of Block I, as a PAF official said "
Block I is better than we expected".
JF-17 Thunder has passed all the tests , and the PAF is aiming to make it the backbone of It's Air force.
However, the foreign Interest in the Aircraft is low, various countries has shown Interest but no deals has been signed yet.
These countries include
Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Uruguay.
JF-17 Thunder is an extremely efficient warplane with a low price tag, a perfect fit for 3rd world countries, however many 3rd world countries have only shown interest in the fighter,and no Investment has yet been done, which is something that we should wonder about, as why these Interest never changed into Investments.
Some analysts have stated that the market for the aircraft is limited.
In
2010 Egypt also discussed a deal with Pakistan to co-produce the
JF-17 Thunder for the
Egyptian Air Force.
In
2014 Argentina Air Force discussed the co-production of JF-17 Thunder with
Chengdu officials, and showed Interest in the aircraft.
Saudi Arab also showed Interest in the JF-17 in January, 2014, Saudi Defence Minister Prince
Salman bin Sultan also toured the JF-17 project during his visit to Pakistan.
The Azerbaijani Air Force has negotiated with China for several dozen JF-17s, worth approximately
$16–$18 million each, along side AAF , the
Sudanese Air Force is also reported to have shown interest in acquiring 12 JF-17 Thunders.
The
Zimbabwe Air Force reportedly ordered 12 JF-17 in
2004, however the Investment was never done hence the fighters were never delivered.
Iran showed Interest in the Air craft but due to sanctions they cannot purchase the aircraft.
Another ability is to question the delivering capability of the PAF if any deals are ever signed.
Can the PAF deliver these fighters in any given period of time? How much is the PAF ability to reproduce the JF-17 Thunder?
At which rate can they produce the aircraft?
These questions are also still not answered, and will only be answered if any deals are signed with any country, putting the PAF ability of delivering the aircraft to the test.
Pakistan will have economical benefits from the foreign Investment in the JF-17 Thunder and per fighter price will decrease for Pakistan.
Please add your opinions below, Thanks -
Faqir M. Abdullah @defense.pk
.. can you please throw more light on the "next Generation project"
