China to deliver 50 JF-17 jets to Pakistan

Li Pei, former head of the aircraft project under the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, described the JF-17 as a major achievement in cooperation between Beijing and Islamabad in the defence sector.

China will deliver 50 JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft to Pakistan over the next three years, a top Chinese official has said.

Pakistan-Air-Force-personnel-sit-in-front-of-their-JF-17-jet-fighter-at-the-8th-China-International-Aviation-and-Aerospace-Exhibition-Zhuhai-Airshow-in-Zhuhai-southern-coast-of-Guangdong-province-China-AP-File-Photo

Li Pei, former head of the aircraft project under the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, described the JF-17 as a major achievement in cooperation between Beijing and Islamabad in the defence sector.

China’s Chengdu Aircraft will produce 50 jets for Pakistan over the next three years, Li told the state-run People’s Daily.

Pakistan has already received 60 jets from China since 2007. Ten of them were used by a test and evaluation unit of the Pakistan Air Force while 50 jets were assigned to two combat squadrons. Under the contract signed by the two countries, Pakistan will receive a total of 110 JF-17 jets.

The JF-17 was jointly developed by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex.

Recently, eight JF-17 jets of the PAF escorted President Xi Jinping's aircraft when it entered Pakistani airspace before his arrival in Islamabad on April 20.

China will deliver fifty more JF-17 Thunder fighters to Pakistan over the next three years.