According to sources in Islamabad, Pakistan is settling it’s largest ever defense contract, which will see Azerbaijan getting an unknown number of JF-17 Thunders.
The sale, projected to be about $1.6 billion USD, will allow Azerbaijan to replace it’s current fleet of Russian MiG-29s with Pakistan’s domestically produced jet. The JF-17 was a joint-development project by Pakistan and the Chinese military manufacturer Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group. This fourth-generation multirole aircraft was designed to replace Pakistan’s 3rd generation fleet in the mid-2000s and act as a viable export for less developed militaries. It’s a single engine design which comes at half the cost of it’s biggest direct competitor, the American-made F-16. The aircraft has seen a notable amount of combat use, having operated in bombing insurgent targets in Nigeria, Pakistan, and Iran while also seeing use in Pakistani strikes against India and Iran, scoring kills against an Indian Air Force MiG-21 and an Iranian UAV.
The JF-17 was also used in last month’s tit for tat strikes between Pakistan and Iran.
It is projected that the JF-17 will be used by Azerbaijan in it’s ongoing territorial dispute with Armenia. The sale will include training and ordinance.
