Pakistan to boost JF-17 production by 25% in '16

Pakistan plans to boost production of JF-17 Thunder to meet its requirements as well as cater to export orders in future, according to a top official.
Air Marshal Javaid Ahmed, chairman of Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, said the production capacity of Joint Fighter-17 combat aircraft, popularly known as JF-17 Thunder, will be increased by 25 per cent from next year in the wake of growing buying interest shown by developing nations.
"We are in active negotiations with serious buyers from Asia, Africa and the Middle East for JF-17 Thunder and Super Mushshak and are quite optimistic of signing agreements soon," Air Marshal Ahmed told Khaleej Times at the Dubai Airshow.
Pakistan secured the first order from an unknown Asian buyer for its JF-17 Thunder jet fighters at Paris Air Show in June. It is hoping that the updated lightweight, single-engine and multi-role combat aircraft, along with 'Made in Pakistan' tanks and surveillance drones, will help increase military exports in coming years.
"We are looking for orders of about 250 aircraft in addition to international sales in the next few years. I'm very hopeful that we would be able to sign another customer for JF-17 Thunder very soon," Air Marshal Ahmed said.
Analysts said JF-17 Thunder has generated interest among its potential customers in developing nations and now it is time to convert this interest into mature orders. They believe the major selling point of the JF-17 is its cost, which is likely to be substantially less than the $16-$18 million price of a US-made F-16 Falcon aircraft.
Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research, said the JF-17 Thunder sales prospects in the GCC states look very robust given the ongoing security concerns in the region. However, pricing remains an issue to give the jet a chance to effectively compete against other single-seat fighters.
"Given the strong relationship Pakistan enjoys with the likes of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, it's possible export orders would come from these nations first," Ahmad told Khaleej Times.
JF-17 Thunder, which was first inducted in 2010, is co-developed by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation of China. It is deployed for aerial reconnaissance, ground attack and aircraft interception with an operational ceiling of 55,000 feet. "Pakistan Aeronautical Complex has the capacity to enhance JF-17 Thunder production rates. We initially started at a slow phase and are manufacturing 16 aircraft this year," the chairman said, adding that 12 aircraft have already been produced in 2015 so far and four more will be ready by year-end.
"Hopefully, we will be producing 20 aircraft at the aeronautical complex," he added.
To a question, he said the aeronautical complex will continue to maneuver the production rate to accommodate JF-17 Thunder customers.
"It takes 10-12 months to garner all resources for production and that is enough time to meet the export commitment. We have been working very closely with our Chinese partners to further increase the production capacity," he said.
To a question about Super Mushshak, he said Pakistan has already signed a contract for trainer aircraft with Iraq and two more deals are likely to mature in coming months.
"We are actively in negotiations with two other countries in the GCC and Mena region. Some African countries are also keen to buy Super Mushshak, which is a very good military trainer aircraft," he said.
Pakistan signed two deals with Iraq in May 2014 to supply 20 Super Mushshak MFI-17 aircraft and give training to Iraqi Air Force. Denmark, Norway, Iran, Oman, Syria and Saudi Arabia are among other customer of Super Mushshak, which is on static and aerial display at the Dubai Airshow.
Air Marshal Javaid Ahmed said the participation of Pakistan Air Force in this air show is a matter of great pride for the country.
"We have very good relations with the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries. We always feel proud to see the progress and development in the UAE," he said.
-muzaffarrizvi@khaleejtimes.com