The JF-17 is a fighter jet co-developed by the Pakistani Air force and the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) of China as a replacement to both nations aging fleet of MIG-21 derivatives and PAF’s Mirage III and V. The project was started in early 1990s and the project was awarded to Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation which has designed and developed the plane with collaboration with the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex. As a result of American and Western sanctions imposed on China following the Tiananmen Square incident the project was abandoned briefly. Following the Indian acquisition of the SU-30 and Mig-29s and other advanced fighter jets such as the Mirage-2000, the JF-17 program was given a task of countering the threat posed to the Pakistani Air Force by the Indian acquisition of the said jets. As a result, the plane was re-designed to make way for advanced features and characteristics necessary for the transformation of the plane into a true 4th generation fighter.
Following its maiden may 31st 2003; the plane has seen numerous modifications made to it. For instance, the 4th prototype has seen the introduction of the American F-35-style Divertless Supersonic Intakes (DSI) to make the plane stealthier and to “turbulent boundary-layer airflow away from the engine inlet.”
One of the most impressive characteristics of the plane is its advanced 4.5 Generation electronic flight instrument system cockpit which is all-glass display. The cockpit consists of 3 Multi-function displays (MFDs) and employs hands on throttle-and-stick (HOTAS) control. In addition the cockpit allows for the displacement of many images/information at the same time.
According Pshamim of
www.pakdef.info/forum:
“Other improvements include reduced body weight, through redesigned interior more space has been created, an increase of the fuel carrying capacity, and increased range. Aircraft will achieve speed of 1.8 Mach. After the improved engine, aircraft’s performance will further be enhanced. The new information shows that the current design will be frozen for the next three years before some further changes are introduced.”
He continues to write,
“In fact there is a reason for making the KLJ-10 radar development very important as it will be put into the first batch of JF-17 for launch of SD-10 giving them the BVR capability. Pakistan Air Force has sought this core capability for a long time, and the JF-17 will be able to shoulder the huge air defense burden. Though there has benn some recent talk of Rc-400 and they may be integrated with the 2nd batch production, Pakistan Air Force ultimately will choose a more advanced AESA radar and the negotiation are already underway with Western suppliers unless China who has been working to develop one can come up with the AESA soon. PAF has not made a decision yet, but it is believed that with the second batch of JF-17 military service, the issue will be resolved.”
In addition the plane will employ a helmet mounted display (HMD), with some-sources saying that the HMS will be the same one as the one the J-10.
The Pakistani version of the plane will carry Western radar and missile such as IRIS-T which was proposed during IDEAS arms exhibition in 2006 and even AIM-120-5C. The development of the Pakistani air-launched missile Ra’ad means that the plane will also have the capability to launch the missile, making the plane highly effective during stand-off missions.
Recently news has surfaced claiming that France is offering the Pakistan Air Force its RC-400 radarand MICA missile. According to Shaan Akbar of
The Insider Brief
“The RC-400 is an airborne radar that can detect, track, and fire upon multiple targets at long ranges simultaneously. It employs the use of electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM – essentially, anti-jamming) and other advanced features such as SAR. The radar is more capable than the standard Chinese-made avionics that will be equipping the first production batch of JF-17’s.
The Mica is a medium range missile that has a range of approximately 60 km (~ 40 miles) meaning it’s capable of engaging targets beyond visual range (BVR). It includes advanced features such as thrust vectoring (TVC) allowing it to make drastic changes in direction at immense speeds.
To some of you, this may just be a long list of acronyms and technical jargon. In sum, it essentially translates into the Thunder becoming a true multi-role fighter with the capability to target land, air and sea targets in all conditions, day or night, at stand-off ranges.”
Armed with such capabilities and having the ability to datalink with the Saab Erieye AWACS, means that the JF-17 will not only take-on the MIG-29 and Mirage-2000 of the Indian Air Force but also give the SU-30MKI-India’s most capable fighter a run for its money.
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