Pakistan says it has fielded requests for its JF-17 fighter jet from five countries in recent months – a surge of interest that could overwhelm its capacity to jointly produce the jet with China.
In the past month, Iraq, Bangladesh and Indonesia have expressed interest in acquiring the JF-17 Thunder, according to Pakistan’s Armed Forces.
Saudi Arabia and Libya were also exploring the aircraft, Reuters reported separately, after Pakistan hailed the performance of its Chinese-developed jets during its conflict with India in May 2025.
Pakistan makes fewer than 20 JF-17s per year, and almost all go to its own air force. It is unclear whether Islamabad can expand capacity to meet the sudden demand – key to boosting its ambitions of being an arms maker for the developing world and extending Beijing’s influence in the weapons market.
The JF-17 is seen “as a market disrupter due to its affordable price tag and, more importantly, its recent success in combat”, said Manoj Harjani, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
“Not hard to imagine the JF-17 becoming more widely adopted, especially by militaries that cannot afford fighters produced by Western companies.”
South China Morning Post, News, Opinion, China, Hong Kong, World, US, Asia, Business, Economy, Technology, Lifestyle, Sport#Pakistans #affordable #Chinadeveloped #jet #victim #success1770097289
Affordable
Asia
business
China
Chinadeveloped
Economy
Hong Kong
Jet
lifestyle
News
Opinion
Pakistans
South China Morning Post
Sport
success
Technology
US
Victim
world
