Military Procurement International Vol. 19, No. 7, April 1, 2009
Copyright DAPSS S.A., 200
9, Switzerland. It is unlawful to reproduce any of this publication without written permission from the publisher.
PAKISTAN
42 JF-17 Thunder fighters ordered
On March 7, the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) signed an agreement with the China Aviation Technology Import-Export Corporation (CATIC) for the local series production of 42 JF-17 Thunder fighters for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).
Initial production at PAC will be at a rate of 15 JF-17s per year, rising eventually to 30. The PAF plans to make the JF-17 the backbone of its fleet and intends to order up to 250 for service between 2013 and 2015. The PAF so far has received eight JF-17s, all manufactured in China.
The Thunder will be supplemented in the PAF by the more advanced Chinese J-10, some 36 of which are expected to be ordered (see here).