Pakistan plans to sell JF-17 Thunder combat jets to Saudi Arabia

Pakistan is in talks with Saudi Arabia to sell its JF-17 Thunder jets and be more involved in future arms deals. 

Pakistani Govt. Official said it is looking to sell JF-17 Thunder combat jets and trainer aircraft to Saudi Arabia, but rejected reports it was in talks with the oil-rich nation for nuclear cooperation. Saudi Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud is scheduled to visit Pakistan during February 15-17. The visit is expected to focus on deeper security and defence cooperation between the two sides.

Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam told a weekly news briefing that defence cooperation would figure in the Crown Prince’s interactions and that Pakistan was eyeing Saudi Arabia as a market for military gear. “Certainly, defence cooperation would figure in the talks. The army chief would be calling him separately,” she said.

Pakistan is interested in selling arms to Saudi Arabia, including the JF-17 Thunder jet co-developed with China, the Mushak trainer aircraft and other equipment, she added. Aslam rejected recent Western media reports suggesting that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are looking at nuclear cooperation, describing them as “baseless”. “There is a whispering campaign and at times there are reports based on leaks or background briefings…They are baseless. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are not discussing nuclear cooperation,” she said.

This would be Crown Prince’s first visit to Pakistan after he became Defence Minister in 2011. Prince Salman, Aslam noted, was also the Deputy Prime Minister. During the visit, the Prince will hold talks with President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on bilateral and global issues of mutual interest.

JF-17 Thunder variant may be popular among developing nations

The JF-17 Block-II — the upgrade version of the JF-17 Thunder or Xiaolong fighter jet co-designed by China and Pakistan — is likely to be a very popular combat aircraft among developing nations, according to the Diplomat, an online current affairs magazine based in Tokyo.

Quoting reports from the Washington-based online portals Defense News and Defense Talk, the Diplomat stated that Pakistan has recently launched production of the JF-17 Block-II at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex near Islamabad. The country expects to begin exporting the aircraft next year, the report said, adding the newer JF-17 Block-II variants possesses more advanced weapons systems and avionics. 

"We've been getting inquiries and expressions of interest for the JF-17 Thunder from many countries in the Middle East, Africa and from as far as South America," said Air Marshal Sohail Gul Khan of the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex.

A report published in 2010 indicated that the potential buyers of JF-17 includes Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Congo, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Nigeria, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Turkey, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex has already produced 50 older and less-advanced JF-17 Block-1 fighters for the nation's air force. This low-cost multirole single engine fighter was originally co-designed by China's Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex. In China, the aircraft is called the FC-1 Xiaolong or Fierce Dragon.

Earlier last week, Pakistani prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, visited the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex to officially inaugurate the beginning of the Block-II production. The event was also attended by Chinese delegates and the Pakistan air force, the Diplomat said.