In the same year, China and Grumman started a new design study to develop the Super 7, another redesigned Chengdu F-7. The development of this aircraft was headed by Yang Wei, who is considered China's "ace designer", who also designed the Chengdu J-20.īy 1989, because of economic sanctions by the US, Pakistan had abandoned Project Sabre II, a design study involving US aircraft manufacturer Grumman and China, and had decided to redesign and upgrade the Chengdu F-7. The aircraft was also intended to have export potential as a cost-effective and competitive alternative to more expensive Western fighters. ![]() The JF-17 was designed and developed primarily to meet the PAF requirement for an affordable, unsanctionable, fourth-generation, lightweight, multi-role combat aircraft as a replacement for its large fleet of Nanchang A-5C bombers, Chengdu F-7P/PG interceptors, and Dassault Mirage III/5 fighters, with a cost of US$500 million, divided equally between Pakistan and China. Nigerian Air Force (NAF) JF-17s have seen military action in anti-terrorism and anti-insurgency operations in Nigeria. 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 20 using both guided and unguided munitions, shooting down an intruding Iranian military drone near the Pakistan- Iran Border in Balochistan in 2017, and in Operation Swift Retort during the 2019 Jammu and Kashmir airstrikes and aerial skirmish between India and Pakistan. 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. 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. ![]() ![]() 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. By 2016, PAF JF-17s had accumulated over 19,000 hours of operational flight. By April 2017, PAC had manufactured 70 Block 1 aircraft and 33 Block 2 aircraft for the PAF. As of 2016, PAC has the capacity to produce 20 JF-17s annually. įifty-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. The JF-17 was inducted in the PAF in February 2010. The JF-17 is the backbone and workhorse of the PAF, complementing the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon at approximately half the cost, with the Block II variant costing $25 million. Powered by a Guizhou WS-13 or Klimov RD-93 afterburning turbofan, it has a top speed of Mach 1.6. The JF-17 can deploy diverse ordnance, including air-to-air, air-to-surface, and anti-ship missiles, guided and unguided bombs, and a 23 mm GSh-23-2 twin-barrel autocannon. The Chinese designation "FC-1" stands for "Fighter China-1". 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 JF-17 can be used for multiple roles, including interception, ground attack, anti-ship, and aerial reconnaissance. It was designed to replace the A-5C, F-7P/PG, Mirage III, and Mirage V combat aircraft in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). ![]() 'Fierce Dragon'), 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). The CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder ( Urdu: جے ایف-17 گرج), or FC-1 Xiaolong ( Chinese: 枭龙 pinyin: Xiāo Lóng lit. Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group / Pakistan Aeronautical Complex
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