The JF-17 Thunder Block-III drew significant attention, emerging as a “major focal point” at the Dubai Airshow 2025, with an MoU (memorandum of understanding) signed with a friendly country for the procurement of the jet.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), in a statement released on Thursday, said that several countries also expressed interest in acquiring the battle-proven fighter aircraft.
The fighter has proved its combat capabilities during two conflicts with arch-rival India in 2019 and 2025. The biennial airshow is being held at Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport from November 17-21.
“Demonstrating increasing international confidence in Pakistan’s aviation industry, several countries expressed interest in acquiring the JF-17 Thunder. In a noteworthy development, an MoU was signed with a friendly country for the procurement of the JF-17 Thunder, marking another significant milestone in Pakistan’s expanding defence and industrial partnerships.”
A Pakistan Air Force (PAF) contingent arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to participate in the Dubai Airshow 2025. The contingent features the advanced JF-17 Thunder Block-III and the renowned Super Mushshak trainer aircraft, reflecting Pakistan’s growing expertise in indigenous military aviation.
The JF-17 Block-III is a 4.5-generation multi-role fighter jet equipped with an advanced radar and long-range, beyond-visual-range missiles capable of undertaking a wide variety of combat missions.
The ISPR further said Chief of the Air Staff Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu held a series of high-level engagements with air chiefs from friendly countries on the event’s sidelines.
He also held comprehensive discussions with UAE Defence Undersecretary Lieutenant General Pilot Ibrahim Nasser Al-Alawi and Air Force & Air Defence Commander Major General Rashid Mohammed Al-Shamsi on strengthening cooperation in advanced training, fostering collaboration in emerging aerospace technologies and enhancing the mechanisms for effective operational coordination.
“The UAE military leadership lauded PAF’s modernisation initiatives and growing indigenous capabilities with a shared resolve to further strengthen military engagement through joint exercises, professional exchanges and forward-looking partnerships,” the ISPR said.
During Pakistan’s conflict with India in May, the ISPR said the plane’s supersonic missiles destroyed the S-400 missile system in Adampur. It was also used to carry out strikes across the Line of Control from inside the Pakistani airspace, in response to the Indian strikes in Balakot in April 2019.
PAF’s Thunder
The JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighter was jointly developed by China and Pakistan. Development on the aircraft started in 1999, and the maiden flight was conducted in 2003.
It is a single-engine multi-role fighter, capable of performing air superiority, interdiction, maritime strike, Suppression of Enemy Air Defences (SEAD) and ground attack roles. The fighter was inducted as a replacement for the PAF’s ageing fleet A-5C, F-7P, Mirage 3 and Mirage 5 aircraft.
The initial Block 1 JF-17s were received in 2007, with production of the upgraded Block 2 JF-17s starting in 2013. The latest variant, Block 3s, were inducted in March 2023.
Armed with state-of-the-art weapons, the aircraft has emerged as an affordable and highly capable 4.5-generation fighter aircraft.
The JF-17 is flown by the air forces of Pakistan, Nigeria, Myanmar and Azerbaijan, which recently inducted Block 3s in the Azeri air force.
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