JF-17 Thunder, a fourth-generation fighter jet co-developed by China and Pakistan, has managed to gather enough interested to generate its first sale at the Dubai Air Show.
According to Chinese media reports, the aircraft’s developers have already signed a contract with an anonymous buyer as they look forward to more orders in the future.
Aviation Industry Corp of China (Avic) and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex signed the deal with an unidentified buyer, the Chinese Dailysaid. However, the report did not say when the contract was signed or how many jets were sold.
“Several potential buyers have expressed to us their strong intention of introducing the aircraft, and they have performed comprehensive assessments of the plane,” Liu Yu, deputy head of AVIC’s military aircraft trade wing, told China Daily.
In June at International Paris Air Show, Pakistan secured its first ever export order for its JF-17 Thunder fighter.
Air Commodore and the Pakistan Air Force officer dealing in sales and marketing, Khalid Mahmood said “A contract has been signed with an Asian country.” However the name of the country was not disclosed and deliveries are likely to begin in 2017.
The JF-17 aircraft has previously participated in various air shows around the world, including Farnborough Air Show (in the UK), Zhuhai Air Show (China), Turkish Air Show (Turkey) and the Dubai Air Show (UAE).
It is a lightweight multi-role aircraft jointly developed by PAF and China Aero-technology Import Export Corporation (CATIC) and co-produced by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and CATIC.
