Pakistan invigorates its fighter fleet
If public announcements ring true, Pakistan will be the first country outside China to operate the J-10 fighter. (Gordon Arthur)
JF-17 Block III and J-10C fighters are joining the PAF this year.
Changes are afoot for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), with the first JF-17 Block III single-seat fighters set to be handed over and the J-10C fighter to be obtained from China.
Images of the first batch of JF-17 Block IIIs at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) were circulating on the internet, apparently taken during an unofficial ceremony on 31 December 2021. This date marked the beginning of production of the upgraded JF-17 at PAC Kamra a year earlier.
The pictured fighters powered by Russian RD-93 engines are still in their yellow-coloured primer but construction numbers witnessed up to ‘3P11’ indicate
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
Read this Article
Get access to this article with a Free Basic Account
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 2 free stories per week
- Daily news round-up email service
- Access to all Decisive Edge email newsletters
Unlimited Access
Access to all our premium news as a Premium News 365 Member. Corporate subscriptions available.
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 14-day free trial (cancel at any time)
- Unlimited access to all published premium news
More from Air Warfare
-
![Panama approves $187 million purchase of Airbus and Embraer aircraft]()
Panama approves $187 million purchase of Airbus and Embraer aircraft
The C295 and Super Tucano deals for its National Aeronaval Service were approved as part of an emergency procedure by the government on 11 March.
-
![US Navy tests new comms pod for Marine Corps’ MQ-9A Reaper]()
US Navy tests new comms pod for Marine Corps’ MQ-9A Reaper
The pod, named SkyTower II (STII) was tested ahead of the system’s initial operational capability (IOC) in 2026.
-
![US Air Force and Air National Guard test Northrop Grumman solution to increase performance for air tankers]()
US Air Force and Air National Guard test Northrop Grumman solution to increase performance for air tankers
The voice and data interoperability system has been built to enable operations in contested environments.
-
![US Navy Next-Generation Jammer approaches full-rate production]()
US Navy Next-Generation Jammer approaches full-rate production
Raytheon is currently finalising the production of NGJ-MB lot 5 while working with the US Navy on contract requirements over multiple years.
-
![Australian Army aviation veers heavily towards the US]()
Australian Army aviation veers heavily towards the US
Sikorsky’s UH-60M Black Hawk and Boeing’s AH-46 Apache will soon form the bedrock of the Australian Army’s rotorcraft capabilities, as the army awaits further delivery of both types.
