Latest news with #JF17Thunder
Arab News
19-07-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Pakistan wins top honors at UK air show after JF-17 deployment post-India clash
KARACHI: Pakistan Air Force has won two prestigious awards at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) in the United Kingdom, said an official statement on Saturday, where its newly deployed JF-17 Thunder Block-III fighter jets made their debut amid heightened interest following a recent military standoff with India. The JF-17 Block-III was awarded the coveted 'Spirit of the Meet' Trophy, a rare honor given to the aircraft that best embodies the ethos and excitement of the global event. Pakistan's C-130H Hercules, painted in a custom livery themed 'Eyes in the Skies,' also received the 'Concours d'Elegance' Trophy for best-maintained and most aesthetically presented aircraft, according to Pakistan's military. The awards come just days after Pakistan deployed these aircraft to the RIAT, one of the world's most prestigious military air shows, as part of a broader push to display its airpower and modernization drive. 'Winning these prestigious awards is a testament to our professionalism, technical expertise and relentless pursuit of excellence,' said Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, who congratulated the PAF contingent on its performance, according to the military's media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). 'Keeping the nation's flag high has always been the hallmark of Pakistan Air Force,' he added. The JF-17 Block-III is a 4.5-generation, multi-role fighter equipped with a long-range beyond-visual-range missile capability. Co-developed by Pakistan and China, the aircraft is central to Pakistan's indigenous defense strategy. It also played a vital role in the intense, four-day military standoff with India in May when Pakistan shot down advanced Indian fighter jets. The aircraft flew from Pakistan to Royal Air Force Base Fairford in southern England earlier this week, successfully conducting air-to-air refueling mid-flight — a maneuver the military described as evidence of the PAF's growing long-range operational capabilities. 'PAF's outstanding performance at RIAT-2025 not only cements its standing among leading global air forces but also serves as a source of immense pride for the entire Pakistani nation,' the ISPR said. Pakistan has previously won honors at RIAT in 2006, 2016, and 2018, reinforcing what the statement described as a consistent record of aviation excellence.
Arab News
17-07-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Pakistan flexes aerial reach with JF-17 jets deployment to UK air show after India clash
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has deployed its latest JF-17 Thunder Block-III fighter jets to the United Kingdom for the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT), said an official statement on Thursday, marking a high-profile demonstration of airpower weeks after a brief but tense military standoff with neighboring India. The aircraft landed at Royal Air Force Base Fairford in southern England ahead of RIAT 2025, one of the world's largest and most prestigious military aviation exhibitions. Held annually, the three-day event attracts air forces from around the world, offering a platform for aerial demonstrations, aircraft displays and military diplomacy. This year's show includes participation from over 60 nations and is themed 'Eyes in the Skies,' highlighting advances in airborne surveillance and global security. 'Contingent of the Pakistan Air Force comprising state-of-the-art JF-17 Thunder Block-III fighter aircraft and the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, has landed at the Royal Air Force Base Fairford, United Kingdom, to participate in the prestigious Royal International Air Tattoo – 2025,' the military's media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement. 'Pakistan Air Force's JF-17 Thunder Block-III fighters executed successful Air-to-Air Refueling operations en route to United Kingdom with the support of a PAF IL-78 aerial refueling tanker,' it continued. 'The intricate refueling operation demonstrated PAF's long-range operational capabilities and the proficiency of its air and ground crew in conducting extended operations beyond national borders.' The JF-17 Block-III is a 4.5-generation, multi-role fighter equipped with an AESA radar and long-range beyond-visual-range (BVR) missile capability. Co-developed by Pakistan and China, the aircraft has become the centerpiece of Pakistan's indigenous airpower strategy. The deployment is part of PAF's broader effort to highlight its modernization and operational readiness. The statement also noted heightened interest in the JF-17's arrival, particularly among defense observers and aviation enthusiasts following the recent India-Pakistan conflict, during which the PAF downed several Indian fighter jets.
Forbes
08-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How Armenia Might Respond To Azerbaijan's JF-17 Fighter Acquisition
In an acquisition that will significantly alter the military balance in the South Caucasus, Pakistan is selling 40 fourth-generation JF-17 Thunder fighter jets to Azerbaijan. The move will undoubtedly worry neighboring Armenia. Azerbaijan has officially expanded its order for JF-17s from 16 jets to 40 as part of a $4.6 billion defense agreement, the Pakistani government confirmed in a post on the social media platform X on Friday. It is Pakistan's largest-ever defense export contract and undoubtedly a boost for the aircraft, which Pakistan co-developed with China. Azerbaijani media reported in late May that Baku had increased the number of jets and the value of the deal from $1.6 billion to approximately $4.2 billion. However, such reports were not immediately publicly confirmed by either Baku or Islamabad. Azerbaijan took delivery of its first JF-17 on September 25, 2024. Baku is receiving the latest version, the JF-17C Block III, equipped with active electronically scanned array radar and other systems and weapons typically found on advanced 4.5-generation aircraft. 'While the fourth-generation fighter has some notable operational limits, such as the lack of complete stealth compared to fifth-generation fighters and certainly six-generation ones in development, from Baku's perspective, these are likely outweighed by numerous upsides,' Sam Lichtenstein, Director of Analysis at the risk intelligence company RANE, told me. 'First and foremost is that the JF-17 is a cost-effective option compared to many competing Western or Russian options, and acquiring more would also help upgrade Azerbaijan's older and less capable Soviet-produced aircraft,' Lichtenstein said. 'With continuing Western sanctions on Russia and uncertainty over whether Russia's defense industry has sufficient capacity to provide new systems, or even replace certain key parts, acquiring more JF-17s enables Baku to skirt concerns about acquiring more military capabilities from Russia,' he added. 'Furthermore, the JF-17 is compatible with a number of Turkish systems that Azerbaijan already has, making it even more attractive.' The acquisition is an enormous upgrade—both quantitatively and qualitatively—for the country's air force, which hitherto relied on just over a dozen aged MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters and subsonic Su-25 Frogfoot attack planes. According to Azerbaijani media, the JF-17s are not going to replace these older aircraft instantly, which makes sense given that Baku recently had its Frogfoots upgraded to carry Turkish weapons. The deal will undoubtedly set off alarm bells in Yerevan. Armenia had previously sought to enhance its modest air force, which lacked any fighter jets, through the acquisition of expensive Su-30SM Flanker fighters from Russia in 2019. While it initially sought 12, Armenia has only received four to date. Far from deterring Baku, these Flankers sat idle when Azerbaijan pulverized Armenian positions with modern Israeli and Turkish-made drones during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. The jets also failed to deter Azerbaijan in subsequent border clashes and the Azerbaijani military's September 2023 lightning offensive that captured the entire Nagorno-Karabakh and displaced its Armenian population. Now, with Azerbaijan acquiring 40 JF-17s, it will have ten times more fighters than Armenia—and that's not even counting its current fleet of MiG-29s or its extensive and expanding arsenal of advanced Israeli and Turkish drones. 'From Armenia's perspective, Azerbaijan's expansion of its fighter aircraft only worsens Yerevan's weak military position compared to Baku,' RANE's Lichtenstein said. 'Despite signing a peace deal in March 2025 designed to resolve their decades-long conflict, Azerbaijan is requiring Armenia to make contentious constitutional changes that are delaying the agreement's official signing and implementation,' he added. 'This delay, which is likely to persist until after Armenia holds general elections in 2026, leaves the door open to another military escalation as Baku grows impatient with Yerevan and calculates that it will engender little to no blowback from the West, Russia or other key external powers.' Despite sweeping Azerbaijani claims over sovereign Armenian territory, a full-scale invasion of Armenia seems unlikely. Nevertheless, there could be more ground incursions and border clashes, especially if Baku seeks to link up with its western Nakhchivan exclave by establishing its self-styled Zangezur corridor overland through Armenia's southernmost Syunik frontier province. 'With the threat of another conflict still on the table, Armenia is likely to leverage its growing defense partnerships with France, India and Iran – alongside an ongoing attempt to reduce tensions with Russia – to try to mitigate against Azerbaijan's military dominance,' Lichtenstein said. Armenia long relied heavily on Russia for discounted military hardware. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, 94 percent of Armenia's arms imports between 2011 and 2020 came from Russia. That drastically changed after Armenia suffered a disastrous defeat in the 2020 war. Yerevan has since sought to diversify its defense sources, reducing arms imports from Russia to as low as 10 percent by 2024. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently blamed the Ukraine war for delays in supplying Russian armaments to Armenia in recent years but still scrutinized Yerevan's growing defense ties with France, saying 'it does raise questions.' France recently sold Armenia Caesar self-propelled howitzers, a deal that both Azerbaijan and Russia criticized. It's unclear if Armenia will ultimately turn to France for multirole Dassault Rafale fighter jets to match Azerbaijan's JF-17 procurement, especially given the prohibitive price tag for Yerevan, which invariably has significantly less to spend on armaments than its oil-rich rival. 'While Yerevan will likely pursue multiple lines of effort, it is likely to focus on acquiring India-built Su-30MKIs given that they are far more cost-effective than French Rafales,' Lichtenstein said. 'Moreover, while much is still unclear about last month's confrontation between India and Pakistan, accusations that India's fleet of Rafales did not perform as strongly could also affect Armenia's calculus.' India builds the unique Su-30MKI variant of the Russian combat aircraft under license. It may soon export some of these aircraft and doubtlessly sees Armenia as a potential customer. Yerevan has already made record-breaking deals for Indian-made weaponry since the start of this decade. Furthermore, as previously outlined in this space, New Delhi is the ideal candidate for upgrading Armenia's existing Su-30SMs and making them compatible with various Indian-made munitions and weapons. 'India would likely also be interested in supplying these systems to counteract Azerbaijan's acquisition of fighters from Pakistan, India's arch-rival,' Lichtenstein said. 'Separate from acquiring new fighters to try to compete with Azerbaijan in the air, Armenia is also likely seeking to upgrade its air defenses with systems from India, Iran and/or others.'
South China Morning Post
18-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
How India-Pakistan conflict redefines the global security landscape
The recent armed clashes between India and Pakistan have created an unintended proving ground for competing military technologies. A more consequential narrative is unfolding: Chinese military hardware facing off against Western and Russian systems in real-world conditions. Pakistan's arsenal, shaped by extensive defence cooperation with China, has increasingly incorporated advanced air and missile systems, drones and multirole fighters, in contrast to India's diversified mix of Russian, Western and domestically adapted platforms. The price differential between Chinese and Western military systems is substantial. Pakistan's Chinese-made Wing Loong II drones cost around US$1-2 million per unit, while comparable Western systems like the American MQ-9 Reaper are reportedly priced at around US$30-40 million. This cost advantage also extends to fighter aircraft, with the JF-17 Thunder costing an estimated US$25-32 million per unit compared to India's French-made Rafale fighters' reported price of US$288 million. The battlefield testing of Chinese weapons systems may signal a strategic paradigm shift in global military dynamics. For decades, Western military technology – particularly American weapons systems – has maintained unquestioned superiority, justifying premium pricing and reinforcing geopolitical hierarchies. Even if Chinese technology demonstrated only 70-80 per cent of Western capabilities at 20-30 per cent of the cost, this creates quite a value proposition that could reshape global defence procurement and strategic alignments.
