Pakistan offers cut-price JF17 fighter jet at Dubai Air Show

"You can buy three of our aircraft for one F-16" says Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar.


Reuters November 13, 2011

DUBAI: Pakistan is pitching its new JF17 Thunder fighter jet, developed jointly with China, at an aggressive discount to dominant Western rivals, the country's defense minister said on Sunday.

"You can buy three of our aircraft for one F-16," Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar told Reuters at the Dubai Air Show, where the aircraft is being displayed.

He said that the producer, Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, was not able to keep pace with the requirements of the air force.

"Three squadrons are already flying the aircraft in Pakistan and one squadron in China," he added.

Analysts expect the aircraft, which Mukhtar said was priced at $25-30 million, to be focused on emerging markets in Asia and Africa.

"Going to the (European) market is not very easy because you are cutting the profits of some other people," Mukhtar said.

He said the development of the aircraft was not targeted at archrival India.

"India need not worry -- it's not India-specific. We are building very close relations with India."

COMMENTS (158)

Asad Malik | 12 years ago | Reply @Hari Sud: I dont know what your point is.Pakistan is not a gulf state so we aren't a spoiled oil rich state.Plus we are inducting jf-17s to replace old Chengdu f-7 skybolts which are extremely old aircrafts.You should w8 for block 2 specs.PAF knows what its doing. After all they are the 1s who train your pilots :P Peace on you
Adam Lancaster | 12 years ago | Reply

For everyone mocking the ability of the JF-17 compared to the F-16 I would like your remind you that Pakistan does operate a number of F-16s. It's highly unlikely they have not already compared the two themselves. If the JF-17 was not at least a near match for the F-16 they wouldn't operate it. keep in mind India operate MIG-29s, SU-30s, HAL tejas and soon the Typhoon and Rafale, pakistan won't want to try and match that group with anything less than F-16s or something capable of similar performance.

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