Azerbaijan is going to be the first international buyer of JF-17 Thunder (Block-3) light fighter!
As part of the modernization of its air force, Azerbaijan signed an agreement to purchase an undisclosed number of advanced JF-17 Thunder (Block-3) light combat aircraft from Pakistan on February 22, 2024 at a cost of $1.6 billion. Basically, the $1.6 billion contract price is likely to include 30 single-seat JF-17 (Block-3) fighter jets as well as training, fixed-term maintenance, logistics support and weapons packages.
Azerbaijan's state-controlled media reported on September 25 that a JF-17 (Block-3) Thunder fighter jet was officially presented to the President of Azerbaijan at the Defense Expo (Adex 2024) held last month. Moreover, the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex has probably already handed over some of the first batch of fighter jets of this series to Azerbaijan.
The JF-17 Thunder (Block-3) light fighter developed by Pakistan and China in joint technical cooperation is the most advanced and high-tech fighter of this series. It has been equipped with new engines, avionics systems and modern weaponry, removing all the limitations and shortcomings of the earlier JF-17 fighter. Pakistan first unveiled the Block-3 series fighter to the world on 15th December 2019 and its serial production line may have been launched on 30th December 2020.
The latest feature of this series of aircraft is the NRIET/CETC KLJ-7A air-cooled airborne fire-control Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar system. It is also equipped with a digital fly-by-wire flight control system, an infrared search and track (IRST) system, a helmet-mounted display and sight (HMDS) system and a missile approach warning system (MAWS).
The fighter uses the RD-93MA variant of the Russian-made Klimov RD-33 afterburner turbofan engine. Which produces 49.4 kilonewtons of force. However, Pakistan will soon replace this engine with a more powerful Chinese-made Guizhou WS-13 afterburner turbofan jet engine. Which is likely to produce a maximum force of 56.75 kilonewtons.
According to Chinese and Pakistani media, the JF-17 (Block-3) Thunder aircraft is a 4++ generation light combat aircraft. It is equipped with an advanced electronics war-far system of modern age. Composite materials are used in its airframe to reduce the weight of this fighter and reduce the radar cross section (RCS) as much as possible.
The maximum speed of this fighter is 1.6 Mach or 1,910 km. Although its combat range is 900 km, it is capable of conducting air combat missions up to 1,741 km with extra fuel in the drop tank. Its maximum payload capacity is 4,000 kg. It is designed by China and Pakistan to carry air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles and anti-ship missiles at its 8 hard points.
In particular, the facility of installing China-made 145 km range PL-15E (export version) air to air (BVIR) missile has been kept. Which China promotes as a game changer weapon. It is also equipped with a sophisticated (23mm) GSH-23 twin barrel auto cannon, in addition to installing guided and unguided bombs.
Pakistan's production line started in 2020 but it released the roll out image to the world in early 2022. The Pakistan Air Force first commissioned a unit in March 2023. However, although most of the technology and weapons made by China are used in this warplane, the Chinese Air Force does not operate any JF-17 Thunder series warplanes, nor has it revealed any plans to use them in the future.
