The Pakistan Air Force displayed two multirole Joint Fighter (JF)-17 Block III combat aircraft at RAF Fairford during the Royal International Air Tattoo 2025 (18-20 July).
Also known as ‘Thunder’, the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and China’s Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation first developed the single-engine fighter in August 2003; the platform later entered service in March 2007.
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The reason for this lengthy interim was because of design flaws identified after its first flight in 2003. After a significant redesign, the sixth prototype first flew in September 2006.
The airframe is a semi-monocoque structure and is constructed principally of aluminium alloys, steel and titanium.
In addition to Pakistan, the Thunder has also been acquired by the air forces of Myanmar, Nigeria and Azerbaijan. The aircraft was in the running to replace Argentina’s ageing fleet until the government opted for American-made, legacy Danish F-16s on geopolitical grounds. Nevertheless, the JF-17 costs at least $15m (4.2bn PRs) per aircraft, which is much lower than other alternatives.
According to the London think tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies in its 2023 Military Balance, Pakistan operate 49 Block I and 61 Block II units. There are also 15 twin-seat aircraft, known as the JF-17B.
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By GlobalDataThe first JF-17 Block III prototype completed its maiden flight in January 2020 and the first of 27 of these aircraft was delivered in 2023.
However, there is no specific number of the latest JF-17s under Block III, also known as JF-17C. This may be due to the ongoing upgrade of Blocks I and II to the latest JF-17C iteration. Block III ultimately features a modern AESA radar, new avionics, and a more powerful engine.
Standoff with India
Pakistan have operated the JF-17 in numerous conflicts since 2010 as well as counter-terrorism missions in the country. This includes successive standoffs with India as well as a response operation inside Iran in January 2024.
However, the most recent conflict with India in May 2025 has struck the global imagination as the Pakistan Air Force is said to have deployed a combination of JF-17 and J-10 aircraft, PL-15E missiles, airborne early warning and control, and electronic warfare effects against India.
While the result of this brief conflict between two nuclear powers is contested, the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) assert that it has “firmly established that it is now the Pakistan Air Force, and not the Indian Air Force, that is the dominant air power in South Asia”.
Whereas, India’s Armed Forces claim success in dismantling the terror infrastructure that they claim runs across the Line of Control and deep inside Pakistan under Operation Sindoor.
Using PL-15E air-to-air missiles (an export missile variant developed in China) fired from JF-17s and Chinese-made J-10C fighter jets, Islamabad affirmed that the Air Force downed several of India’s Dassault Rafale, MiG-29, and Su-30MKI jets.
In reality, however, experts have argued that detailed judgements about technical system performance are premature.
The recovery of several PL-15 and HQ-9 long-range surface-to-air missile remnants from unexploded weapons in different locations within Indian-held territory supports the theory that many missiles were fired, at long ranges, with a relatively low probability of kill.
Nevertheless, it is very likely, as the ISSI suggests, that this ostensible success – which has been peddled by Chinese defence suppliers in discussions with potential customers around the world – will likely lead the Pakistan Air Force to “fast track the induction of the J-35 stealth fighter and the relevant PL series of [beyond visual range] missiles, as well as perhaps enhance its J-10 and PL-15 inventories”.
One enabling factor over the course of the conflict has been China’s assistance to Pakistani forces in terms of both technical equipment provision, intelligence, as well as command and control support. All this enabled the Pakistani forces to perform significantly better against the Indian Air Force than the latter – and anyone else for that matter – had anticipated.
