Pakistan has inducted the first JF-17 Thunder aircraft squadron into the air force’s fighter fleet, to enhance its combat readiness.
A modern lightweight multirole combat aircraft, the JF-17 has been jointly developed by Chengdu Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAC) of China and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC).
The JF-17 Thunder is capable of performing offensive and defensive missions.
Powered by a single engine, the JF-17s has glass cockpit, which includes an electronic flight instrument system (EFIS) and a wide-angle holographic head-up display (HUD).
The JF-17 can be armed with up to 3,629kg of air-to-air and air-to-ground ordnance.
Pakistani Air Force chief of the air staff Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman said the JF-17 would be put through its paces in the forthcoming exercise Hi-Mark 2010.
