The head of the JF-17 sales and marketing team, Air Commodore Khalid Mahmood, would not comment specifically on any progress being made on acquiring an AESA radar for the JF-17 Block III beyond saying, "The AESA radar project is making steady progress. Installation of the radar will add significantly to the combat potential of our aircraft. We are satisfied and happy with the progress."
No comment was forthcoming from Mahmood on Pakistan's relationship with NAV Tech.
Though unaware what level of progress has been made on selecting an AESA radar, analyst Kaiser Tufail, former Pakistani air commodore and pilot, said if a Chinese AESA radar has been selected, it may have been the only realistic option.
"Given the Western concerns about transfer of sensitive technology, which could find its way further east, I think we may have had no other option but to buy Chinese," he said.
Analyst Usman Shabbir with the Pakistan Military Consortium think tank said that from his discussions with the JF-17 team at this year's Paris Airshow, he learned that a Chinese AESA radar option had gained favor over a European offering.