TaimiKhan
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This is very different from what most Pakistani members claim regarding the speed of JFT development..
Pakistani members mention the time frame when the design was finalized and first prototype flew in 2003, as before that all the thing was mostly on papers with F-7 airframe being redesigned into something new, and other issues. It was in 2001 that decision was made to decouple the avionics package with the airframe and commence with the prototype stage with first flight taking off in 2003 and then in 2006 we saw the current operational / production JF-17.
So the thing started in 1989 on paper and talks which kept on going till 2001 and after 2001 the final project which materialized started which brought us JF-17 and not the modified F-7 Sabre II program.
CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
And this was Sabre II, which was abandoned and JF-17 was started:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Sabre_II