LE BOURGET: Pakistan has won the first-ever order for its JF-17 Thunder jet fighter, an air force spokesman said on Monday, as the revamped plane dazzled crowds at the Paris Air Show.

JF-17 is Pakistan’s first home-made jet, which has been designed with the help of China.

Commodore Syed Muhammad Ali, spokesman for the Pakistan Air Force, confirmed an order for the plane had been finalised.

However, he declined to give any details, citing sensitivities for not naming the client, the number of aircraft or the date of delivery.

The latest model, which is capable of Mach 2.0 (twice the speed of sound) with an operational ceiling of 55,000 feet, roared over the crowds on the first day of the Paris Air Show soon after the confirmation.

A report on the aviation website Flightglobal.com quoted another senior officer, Air Commodore Khalid Mahmood, as saying the sale had been made to an “Asian country” and the delivery would take place in 2017.

Islamabad hopes the updated JF-17, along with Pakistan-made tanks and surveillance drones, will help increase military exports and bring in much-needed foreign exchange.

‘An affordable product’

Analysts say the plane’s design and construction has generally been a success, and it has been promoted primarily on cost, which is likely to be substantially less than the $16-18 million price-tag of a US-made F-16.

Air Vice Marshal Arshad Malik told reporters “the JF-17 is an affordable product based on cutting edge technology.

However, a number of factors have prevented it from finding buyers.

“Any country entering the defence market will find it’s very, very crowded,” said James Hardy, Asia-Pacific editor for IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly in London.

“No one has a bad word to say about the JF-17. It’s very good at what it’s designed to do – as a low-cost, multi-role aircraft. But there are obstacles.”

Some of those are political and logistical.

Nato countries are not keen to buy a plane that won’t work easily alongside jets from its US and European allies. That may be why a mooted deal with Bulgaria has failed to make progress.

Myanmar was considering a purchase, but may have backed away as its relations with China turned frosty in recent months.

Pakistan also faces tough financial realities, Mr Hardy added. “It is up against countries that can provide many sweeteners,” he said, citing France’s shrewd deal with Egypt in which it secured the sale of 24 Rafale fighters by underwriting loans to pay for them. “And the JF-17 is not as proven,” he added.

AVM Malik said three squadrons were now using the plane, with a fourth due by the end of the year, and it had been inducted into Pakistan’s elite fighter training school “so it could be truly employed for any combat”.

Having unveiled the second generation JF-17 last year with improved avionic systems, air-to-air refuelling capability, additional weapons capability, Pakistan Aeronautical Complex is already working on the third, with rumours it will add a second seat, which is popular with international buyers.

The Paris show runs until Sunday, with the final three days open to the public.

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2015

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