Pakistan says it has fielded requests for its JF-17 fighter from five countries in recent months – a surge of interest that could overwhelm its capacity to jointly produce the jet with China.
In the past month, Iraq, Bangladesh and Indonesia have expressed interest in acquiring the JF-17 Thunder, according to Pakistan’s Armed Forces. Saudi Arabia and Libya are also exploring the aircraft, Reuters reported separately, after Pakistan hailed the performance of its Chinese-made jets during its conflict with India in May 2025.
Pakistan makes fewer than 20 JF-17s per year, and almost all go to its own air force. It’s not clear whether Islamabad can expand capacity to meet the sudden demand—key to boosting its ambitions of being an arms maker for the developing world and extending Beijing’s influence in the weapons market.
The JF-17 is seen “as a market disruptor due to its affordable price tag and, more importantly, its recent success in combat,” said Manoj Harjani, research fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. “Not hard to imagine the JF-17 becoming more widely adopted, especially by militaries that cannot afford fighters produced by Western companies.”
If Indonesia and Saudi Arabia end up purchasing JF-17s, it would represent a major shift, as both nations have long relied on more Western platforms. Indonesia recently took delivery of three Dassault Aviation SA Rafales as part of a defence deal with France, and it agreed with Boeing Co. in 2023 to buy 24 F-15 jets. Saudi Arabia similarly relies on US and European aircraft, and has sought to purchase F-35s.
Competing on Price Conceived in a 1999 deal, the JF-17 Thunder is a lightweight, all-weather fighter jointly produced by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, located in Kamra, northwest of Islamabad, and China’s AVIC Chengdu, in the country’s southwest. Pakistan manufactures 16-18 JF-17s per year, former Air Commodore Khalid Chishti said in a video on production of the fighter.
One advantage the JF-17 has over its Western peers is the price. Pakistan’s Minister for Defence Production Raza Hayat Harraj told BBC Urdu last month that each unit costs $40 million to $50 million, depending on the variant and customisation. This compares with $100 million or more for some versions of the Rafale and Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-16.
Despite the relative affordability, the JF-17 has only so far been sold to Azerbaijan, Nigeria and Myanmar. Myanmar was the first buyer, ordering at least 16 Block IIs in 2015, with six delivered so far so far. Nigeria added three to its air force in 2021. Azerbaijan ordered 40 of the jets in 2024, in a deal worth about $1.6 billion. In November 2025, it unveiled five JF-17s at its Victory Day parade.
The recent interest, if translated into orders, requires a significant ramp-up of Pakistan’s and China’s production capacity. Libya and Bangladesh are both looking to buy 16 JF-17s each, reports say, while Saudi Arabia is possibly exploring a $2 billion deal with Pakistan for as many as 50. Indonesia is said to be in early discussions to acquire about 40 JF-17s.
With over 150 JF-17s in service, the PAF still needs to replace more than 250 aging Dassault Mirages and Chinese F-7s, a project expected to feature Chinese JF-17, J-10C, and FC-31 jets. And there are still 45 existing JF-17s export orders outstanding.
“So far it was like whatever Pakistan can make, the capacity was just enough for Pakistan,” said former Air Vice Marshal Faaiz Amir. “We had a long view for exports, but you don’t build capacity for exports before there are orders.”
Scaling Up Increasing production would require investment, and Pakistan might not have the funds for that, said Sameer Lalwani, a senior fellow with the German Marshall Fund Indo-Pacific Program.
“I don’t see any actor willing or able to put down the capital to expand production lines,” Lalwani said. “Absent that, Pakistan would have to be exporting from its own stock or countries would have to wait several years for delivery to a point to where the platform is approaching obsolescence.”
Harraj told the BBC that China is “definitely involved” in the negotiations when asked whether Beijing will also be a financial partner. China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation’s display at the Singapore Airshow on Tuesday included the JF-17 among other aircraft on offer to foreign customers.
Under the current arrangement, 58% of the production, as well as the final assembly, is carried out in Pakistan, which makes the airframe, and 42% in China, which supplies the avionics. There is no public information on how profits are split.
“Sales of the JF-17 are contingent on both China and Pakistan agreeing, as the fighter is jointly produced by the two countries,” Harjani said.
Because it is a joint venture, production becomes trickier.
“China has to see its schedule whether it can build planes in collaboration with Pakistan,” Amir said. “All of these schedules have to be agreed between the joint venture partners, and only after that there could be deals.”
China’s Defense Ministry, AVIC Chengdu, Pakistan’s Ministry for Defence Production and the Pakistan Air Force did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The publicly listed number for Pakistan Aeronautical Complex did not connect.
Supply Chain Challenges The JF-17 supply chain also draws on components from outside China and Pakistan, Harjani added.
“A major limitation would be procuring sufficient engines, which are made by the Russian company Klimov,” he said. UEC Klimov is under sanctions related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia is a major arms supplier to India, which could complicate Pakistan’s ability to secure parts.
The JF-17 was officially transferred to Pakistan in 2007, making its debut at the National Day Parade. In 2015, when President Xi Jinping visited Pakistan, his plane was escorted by eight JF-17s.
The latest version, the Block III variant, is classified as a 4.5-generation fighter. It features air-to-air and air-to-surface capabilities, advanced avionics, and an active electronically scanned array radar, which allows pilots to track multiple targets simultaneously and detect threats at longer distances.
In the conflict last May, Pakistan said that it shot down several Indian jets over four days and that the Chinese-made weapons systems it deployed – including JF-17 and J-10 – performed “exceptionally well.” India has acknowledged losing aircraft in the fighting, without specifying a number, and has said it also destroyed several Pakistani jets, which Pakistan denies.
The international interest in the J-17 could represent a key step forward for Pakistan, which has never been considered a major player in the defense industry.
“This is a very big achievement,” former Air Marshal Asim Suleiman said. “I have been a part of this project and I know where we were and where we are now.”
