Reuben F Johnson, Correspondent - Dubai
The Chengdu Aerospace Corporation (CAC)/ Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder was demonstrated at the Dubai Air Show in November in a bid to market the fighter aircraft as a low-cost alternative to established platforms.
The Chinese and Pakistani manufacturers of the FC-1/JF-17 Thunder are looking to market the aircraft on the international market as a low cost but capable alternative to more expensive established offerings.
Making only its second appearance at a major international air show, the Thunder is being geared towards a number of international markets beyond Southwest Asia and the Middle East.
"Look at the aircraft many air forces are flying in developing countries - MiG-21s, F-5s, F-4s; these are all aircraft where their airframe life is over and they must be replaced," said the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Commander-in-Chief, Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman.
"When you look at the capabilities required for a modern fighter aircraft you see that they all come at a high cost. [The] JF-17 comes in at almost one third the cost of any other aircraft with similar capabilities and this is our competitive advantage in the market."
The PAF programme team at PAC in Kamra are now finalising the design for the Block 2 version of the aircraft. PAF and CAC officials listed some of the main features of the next iteration of the aircraft, including a new advanced complement of avionics and an air-to-air-refuelling capability, as well as the development of a two-seat variant. There is also a new version of the aircraft's China Electronics Technology Corporation (CETC) KG300G electronic warfare suite that expands the coverage of its frequency band.
However, there are no plans at present to change out the aircraft's Nanjing Research Institute of Electronics Technology (NRIET) KLJ-7 radar set for an alternative model. PAF programme executives told Jane's : "The KLJ-7 was our choice; the Chengdu team proposed another radar set but we took this one and have now made a number of improvements to it to the point where we are very satisfied with it."
There have been persistent reports that the PAF is also looking at a set of avionics and weapons provided by Denel and other South African industry partners. Denel's A-Darter air-to-air missile is a particularly attractive option as the JF-17 is fitted with the older Chinese-made LOEC PL-5IIE missile.
It is unclear whether the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) will ever procure the aircraft. Some PAC personnel have stated that there is a divergence in the programme and that "the JF-17 variant ... developed by Pakistan will incorporate third-country systems and this is not for the PLAAF. [The Chinese] will instead operate the FC-1 version of the aircraft with Chinese-made systems on board."
ACM Suleman did not make this distinction when asked if the PLAAF will also be a customer, saying: "The JF-17 will find its position in the PLAAF, but we do not know when as we are not advised of the Chinese armed forces' timetable."
