JF-17 Thunder
//Public Intel-Report
Last updated: 20230825
In-DCS Unit View:
JF-17 Thunder
RWR: 17
Originators Designation: FC-1 Xiaolong
NATO Reporting Name: Thunder
Description:
is a lightweight, single-engine,
multi-role combat aircraft developed jointly by the
Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) of China and the
Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC).
[1] It was designed to replace the ageing
A-5C,
F-7P/PG,
Mirage III, and
Mirage V combat aircraft in the
Pakistan Air Force (PAF).
[2] The JF-17 can be used for multiple roles, including
interception,
ground attack, anti-ship, and
aerial reconnaissance. The Pakistani designation "JF-17" stands for "Joint Fighter-17", with the "-17" denoting that, in the PAF's vision, it is the successor to the
F-16. The Chinese designation "FC-1" stands for "Fighter China-1".
The JF-17 can deploy diverse
ordnance, including
air-to-air and
air-to-surface missiles, including
anti-ship missiles, and a 23 mm
GSh-23-2 twin-barrel
autocannon. Powered by a
Guizhou WS-13 or
Klimov RD-93 afterburning
turbofan, it has a top speed of
Mach 1.6.
[3] The JF-17 is the backbone and workhorse of the PAF, complementing the
Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon at approximately half the cost,
[4] with the block II variant costing $25 million.
[5] The JF-17 was inducted in the PAF in February 2010.
[6][7]
Fifty-eight per cent of the JF-17 airframe, including its front fuselage, wings, and vertical stabilizer, is produced in Pakistan, whereas forty-two percent is produced in China, with the final assembly and serial production taking place in Pakistan.
[8][9] In 2015, Pakistan produced 16 JF-17s.
[7] As of 2016, PAC has the capacity to produce 20 JF-17s annually. By April 2017, PAC had manufactured 70 Block 1 aircraft
[10][11] and 33 Block 2 aircraft for the PAF.
[12] By 2016, PAF JF-17s had accumulated over 19,000 hours of operational flight.
[13] In 2017, PAC/CAC began developing a dual-seat variant known as the JF-17B for enhanced operational capability, conversion training, and lead-in fighter training.
[14][15] The JF-17B Block 2 variant went into serial production at PAC in 2018 and 26 aircraft were delivered to the PAF by December 2020.
[16] In December 2020, PAC began serial production of a more advanced Block 3 version of the aircraft with an
active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, a more powerful Russian Klimov RD-93MA engine, a larger and more advanced wide-angle Head-Up Display (HUD), electronic countermeasures, an additional hardpoint, and enhanced weapons capability.
[17]
PAF JF-17s have seen military action, both air-to-air and air-to-ground, including bombing terrorist positions in
North Waziristan near the Pakistan-
Afghanistan border during anti-terror operations in 2014 and 2017 using both guided and unguided munitions,
[18][9] shooting down an intruding Iranian military drone near the Pakistan-
Iran Border in
Balochistan in 2017,
[19] and in
Operation Swift Retort during the
2019 Jammu and Kashmir airstrikes and aerial skirmish between
India and Pakistan.
[20]
Defensive Maneuvers:
Specifications: