JF-17 Thunder – Program
The JF-17 Thunder project clearly envisaged co-production of the aircraft both in China and Pakistan. The objective of setting up of JF-17 production facilities at PAC Kamra was not only to enhance
the PAF’s operational capability at affordable price but also create employment opportunities for about 5000 people. Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) holds the exclusive rights of 58% of JF-17 airframe co-production work. A comprehensive infrastructure comprising state of the art machines and required skilled human resource has very quickly been developed at the Complex. The final assembly and flight testing of the aircraft was the first JF-17 co-production activity to start at PAC.
In February 1992, China and Pakistan decided to co-develop a multi-role, all-weather light fighter named “Super-7”. The big step forward for FC-1 came when the USA imposed military export sanctions in response to Pakistan’s nuclear program, and to Chinese-Pakistani transfers of ballistic missile components. With spares for its top-of-the-line F-16s in question, and additional F-16s removed as an option, Pakistan sought help from its Chinese ally. A joint development and production agreement was signed in June 1999, with China Aviation Import and Export Corporation (CATIC) and Pakistan each contributing 50% of the estimated $150 million in development costs.
The design was finalized in 2001, with initial prototype flights beginning in 2003. The first JF-17 prototype aircraft (called FC-1) was rolled out in May 2003. It made its first flight in August 2003. Later on, two more prototype aircraft were added for basic structure, flight qualities, performance and engine flight testing while two prototype aircraft were involved in comprehensive avionics flight testing. A JF-17 did not fly with its full avionics suite until 2006, but testing and development appear to have progressed smoothly. The basic flight testing was completed in 2007. The Pak Tribune reported on April 29, 2004 that the first eight of these aircraft would be delivered to the PLAAF in 2006.
Small batch production of the single-seat, single-engine JF-17, began in China in June 2006 for deliveries to Pakistan in 2007. The fourth prototype of JF-17 Thunder aircraft, equipped with exclusive avionics and weapons qualification systems, jointly manufactured by Pakistan and China completed its maiden test operational flight 10 May 2006, proving its creditability to meet the needs of both the countries. The 11 minutes flight at 1500 meters height with 500 kilometers speed per hour. It took off from People’s Liberation Air force base, Chengdu and landed back on the same runway, reporting perfect performance. Chief of Pakistan Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed who was chief guest at the maiden flight ceremony congratulated the pilots, engineers and technicians of the two countries to make the JF-17 Thunder project successful.
Pakistan began domestic production of the JF-17 Thunder fighter in 2008, with its air force hoping to take delivery of up to 10 aircraft and form an operational squadron by the end of 2008. The Inaugural Ceremony to launch the manufacturing of JF-17 Thunder sub-Assemblies was held 22 January 2008 at PAC Kamra. Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force was the chief guest on this historical occasion. The ceremony commemorates yet another milestone in the Pakistan China Military Cooperation.
Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed, Chief of the Air Staff, speaking on the occasion said “I am committed to ensuring that PAC quickly gears up its resources to take up its share of co-production. I am looking forward to achieving, within one year, a capability of producing 15 JF-17 aircraft annually. This would then have to be enhanced to 20-25 aircraft in 2-3 years’ time. I am also looking forward to the establishment of the first JF-17 Operational Conversion Unit in PAF by the end of this year.” He also said, “I would like to remind every one _ especially, the personnel of Pakistan Aeronautical Complex_of the challenge and promise of success that lie ahead, as you embark upon the coveted goal of manufacturing. Not many people are afforded an opportunity to be part of the major and prestigious national programme such as the JF-17 Thunder aircraft. It is for you to seize the opportunity and make your nation proud. He further said, “I take pride in this joint venture between the People’s Republic of China and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.”
In line with the original plan, the manufacturing of sub-assemblies for the JF-17 Thunder was launched at PAC Kamra on 22 January, 2008. This would, indeed, be a red letter day in the history of PAC. The production of sub-assemblies would be, subsequently, expanded to encompass the parts manufacturing, final assembly and flight testing. Fighter aircraft manufacturing, which was once a closely guarded realm of developed countries only, is now well within our reach. The success, today, stands on the foundations of the perseverance of our pilots, engineers and technicians and their Chinese counterparts. The landmark achievement is not only a source of pride for the Pakistani nation but also a measure of rare distinction for the country to have joined a select group of nations having indigenous fighter aircraft production capability.
In order to speed up the development progress and facilitate maturity of the aircraft, two J-17 of the small batch production were received in Pakistan on 21 March 2007. Subsequently, these aircraft made their debut by participating in Pakistan Day Parade on 23 March 2007. Islamabad took delivery of six more from China in early February 2008 to test avionics and weapon systems.
A new JF-17 Thunder multi- role fighter plane, first of its kind made in Pakistan, is unveiled at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) in Kamra of Pakistan on Monday, November 23, 2009. Representatives from the Chinese embassy, the Chinese companies involved in the project, the Pakistani three services and federal ministries were present at a ceremony held at the PAC in Kamra, some 60 kilometers northwest of the Pakistani capital of Islamabad. The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) would be able to manufacture 15 fighters in 2008, with the rate increasing to 25 a year by 2011. Jointly developed with China, where it is designated the FC-1, about 60% of the airframe and 80% of the avionics would be indigenously produced by 2010, boosting Pakistan’s budding manufacturing industry.
The 8th Aerospace Laureates awarding ceremony was held at Zhuhai Television at 19:30 on 12 November 2012. “Laurel Awards” is the most authoritative and influential prize in China’s aviation and aerospace industry. Over 400 high-level officials and elites from government, military forces, aviation industry and civil aviation attended the ceremony and watch the disclosure of eight awards together. CATIC and Pakistan Air Force (PAF) won the Working Together Award by the success of FC-1/JF-17 program. It takes fifteen years for CATIC and PAF to go from the negotiation of cooperative research and development in 1992 to FC-1/JF-17’s first flight in 2003 and finally to its delivery in 2007.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif paid a visit to Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) Kamra on 13 December 2013 for briefings on the exports of the Pakistan Air Force’s aircraft, the JF-17 Thunder. Nawaz was the guest of honor at the inauguration event for the roll out ceremony of the 50th JF-17 aircraft. The event was attended by delegates from China as well as the PAF. Speaking at the end of the inauguration, the premier appreciated China’s efforts to help Pakistan manufacture 50 JF-17s and also commended the bravery of the Pakistan Air Force.
The event also marked the launch of production work for Block-II JF-17 aircraft. The Prime Minister also signed a MoU regarding the co-production of Block-II of additional 50 JF-17 aircraft. The MoU also included the joint sales and marketing agreement with China Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC). The first 50 JF-17s were equipped with Chinese KLJ-10 radars and SD-10 and PL-8 missiles. However, PAC was in talks with France’s Thales to procure the RC-400 radar and with MBDA for Mica air-to-air missiles. the aircraft initially used Russian-made RD-93 engines – a move that raised India’s ire – but will eventually be powered by China’s developmental WS-13.
Under the terms of its contract with Chengdu Aircraft, Pakistan will buy 150 domestically produced JF-17s to replace its Chengdu F-7Ps, but it could eventually procure 300 aircraft to reduce its dependence on US- and Russian-built fighters. The JF-17 will form the backbone of Pakistan to replace aging Pakistan’s MiG-21-derived Chengdu F-7, Nanchang A-5 and Mirage III/V currently in service which are being crashed at an alarming rate.
Foreign Sales
Pakistan had long been trying to find countries to buy the JF-17 in order to reduce the per-unit cost the Pakistan Air Force pays. After 2010 the aircraft would be available for re-export through China and the share in the financial receipts would be paid to Pakistan. Thirteen countries have so far expressed interest in purchasing the JF-17 aircraft are Azerbaijan, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Algeria and Sudan.
In 2010 China was in negotiations with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Venezuela, while Pakistan was in talks with Turkey and Egypt. Later, there were reports that Argentina and China were in talks about a co-production deal for the FC-1, while Indonesian Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro has confirmed Pakistan had offered his country the JF-17.
Farnborough’s 2010 edition airshow opened its doors to the trade visitors on 19 July. Highlights of this year’s FIA included the eagerly awaited international debut of the JF-17 Thunder Fighter in the static park. JF-17 Thunder, also known as FC-1, being jointly built by China and Pakistan made its first appearance at an international air show. Two fighters touched down at Farnborough on the Sunday July 15 prior to the show opening after making refueling stops in Saudi Arabia and Turkey, making waves at this prestigious airshow in Farnborough.
On 19 July, Li Yuhai, Vice President of AVIC and Ma Zhiping, President of AVIC met with Pakistan Air Chief Marshal Rao Quamar Suleman in the Sino-Pak joint chalet. Li Yuhai expressed the gratitude of the Chinese side for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) sending the JF-17 Thunder fighters to the airshow. He pointed out that this would have a very positive impact on the marketing of JF-17 Thunder. Air Chief Marshal Suleman said, JF-17 Thunder belonged both China and Pakistan. The joint participation of this airshow was successful.
Later in November 2010, at the 8th China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition held in Zhuhai, FC-1/JF-17 demonstrated its first aerobatic flight at an international air show. In November 2011, its first appearance in Middle East at Dubai International Airshow drew great attention again. Media speculated whether FC-1/JF-17 will become the most popular aircraft in the next ten years.
Numerous countries are interested in obtaining a fighter jet jointly developed by Pakistan and China, a senior officer of the Pakistan air forces said 24 May 2013. “We’ve been receiving inquiries and expressions of interest on the JF-17 Thunder from many countries in the Middle East, Africa and even as far as South America,” Air Marshal Sohail Gul Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, told China Daily. A FC-1/JF-17 fighter with its weapons, which is the result of a joint China-Pakistan development program, was seen during the Dubai Airshow in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 17, 2013.
Saudi Arabia was reportedly considering purchasing the JF-17 Thunder fighter jet that was jointly produced by China and Pakistan. According to a January 2014 report in World Tribune, the Saudi Arabian Defence Ministry and Royal Saudi Air Force were reviewing the JF-17 program and considering becoming a partner in it. Pakistan had offered the JF-17 fighter to Saudi Arabia with technology transfer and co-production. The offer was apparently occurred when Saudi Arabian Deputy Defence Minister Prince Salman Bin Sultan visited Pakistan in January 2014, as he reportedly toured the JF-17 program while in the country.
FC-1 “Chao Qi” / JF-17 Thunder
The FC-1 “Chao Qi” is an all-weather, multipurpose light fighter aircraft. The aircraft is equipped with advanced avionics and armed with medium-range missiles. It is capable of carrying out both air-to-air and air-to-groud missions. By 2004 this new multi-role fighter had been redesignated the Xialon (Fierce Dragon), and for Pakistan as JF-17 “Thunder”. It might be designated J-9 if it became operational in Chinese service, but as of 2011 this did not appear to be in the works.
As a substitute for the Super-7, China developed the FC-1 (Fighter China 1) lightweight multipurpose fighter based on the design for the MiG-33, which was rejected by the Soviet Air Force. The FC-1 was developed with a total investment in excess of $500 million, including support from the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC), mainly for export to replace the 120 F-7M/P fighters in service in the Pakistani Air Force, though it was possible that the Chinese Air Force will use this aircraft as well. The deal to manufacture 150 FC-1 (Fighter China) jets was struck when General Musharraf visited China just before the Kargil war in 1998.
Chengdu Aircraft Industry Company [CAIC], based in Sichuan Province, is China’s second-largest fighter production base, and the enterprise is cooperating with Pakistan’s Aviation Integrated Company and Russia’s Mikoyan Aero-Science Production Group [MASPG] in the development of the FC-1. Israel and several European countries are being considered as suppliers for the plane’s avionics. The first flight was planned for 1997 with delivery to the Pakistani Air Force scheduled for 1999.
Initially it was anticipated that the FC-1 would be a high- performance, low-cost fighter plane to supplement the F-10 air superiority fighters developed for the Chinese Air Force. These planes will be fitted with a single Klimov Design Bureau RD-93 engines. They are a more powerful version of RD-33 engines, two of which are fitted in MIG-29. The China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC) tried to persuade the Chinese Air Force to use the FC-1 so as to increase the production run and reduce the unit cost. But the Chinese military has resisted, being of the view that equiping the Air Force with two types of fighter planes with similar performance within the same time period would both consume limited financial resources and complicate logistical support for dissimilar aircraft.
It is widely reported that the FC-1 is a continuation of the “MiG-33 [R33]” program developed in the 1980s. The Russian company Mikoyan OKB Design Bureau, which designs all MIG series of aircraft, sold the design of MIG-33 to the China and Pakistan. This report is the source of considerable confusion, and indeed some rather fanciful speculation. The so-called MiG-33 design used in conjunction with the FC-1 program was apparently a the poorly attested “Product 33” lightweight single-engine project of the mid-1980s. A decade later, the MiG-33 nomenclature was briefly associated with the much larger twin-engine Mig-29M. This confused history has led to observations that the “FC-1 features air inlets on the lateral sides of the fuselage rather than the ventral inlets of the MiG-33. … the most apparent modifications to the MiG-33 design is the repositioning of the ventral fins from the engine compartment…” These supposed modifications to the mid-90s MiG-33 design actually reflect the fact that the FC-1 is an entirely difference airplane with no design relationship to the MiG-33 [MiG-29M].
These improvement in performance affected the program’s costs, and if the final production order if fewer than 300 aircraft the unit price will rise from the original $10 million to $15 million.
The FC-1 was to make it’s first flight in 1996, but the project was delayed when Pakistan sought to upgrade the performance characteristics of the FC-1 to respond to India’s acquisition of Su-30MKIs. After several years of stagnation, the Pakistani Prime Minister’s February 1998 trip to China resulted in an agreement to continue development of the fighter. At that time Pakistan was interested in acquiring at least 150 fighters, with the Chinese contemplating acquiring over 200.
The JF-17 Thunder project has been completed in a record period of four years. China National Aviation Corp officially signed the development contract for the FC-1 airplane in 1999. The project initially suffered a setback due to imposition of sanctions in 1999, which hindered acquisition of avionics and weaponry for the aircraft. The avionics had to be delinked from airframe development in 2001. China National Aviation Corp completes the detailed preliminary design in 2001 and in 2002 the company completed the detailed design structure and the system charts.
Formal production work began September 16, 2002, on the FC-1 aircraft in Chengdu, capital of southwest China’s Sichuan Province.
The FC-1 made its formal debut at China’s Fourth International Air Show scheduled November 4 to 7, 2002, in Zhuhai, the nearest mainland city to Macao. China Aviation Industry Corporation I (AVIC I ) made fresh progress in 2003, with 5 planes having passed evaluation and seven new planes completed their maiden flight. “Xiaolong / FC-1”, or Fierce Dragon, produced by the corporation last year was applauded as one of the “Ten Major National Scientific Events in 2003”
In July 2003 it was reported that the “SUPER-7” fighter jet was ready to take its maiden flight, although a detailed timetable was not released. China’s Super-7 Fighter completed its taxiing test on July 03, 2003 at a test ground of Chengdu Aircraft Industrial Corporation (CAC). As one of the eight major ground tests that must be completed before test flight, the taxiing test is aimed at trying the correctness of the design of electricity supply system, as well as signal connections between the electricity supply system and other external systems so as to provide important data to guarantee a successful first fly. Leiqiang, deputy director of the Chengdu Flight Group’s trial flight department under the Chinese Air Force, said on Tuesday he will carry out the maiden flight task. On the day of the first flight, China Central Television (CCTV) will dispatch a special report group to broadcast the whole flight live. Leiqiang, also a “SUPER-7” pilot, and Yangwei, the jet’s designer, who is also regarded as the father of “SUPER-7,” will be featured on the CCTV program “Face to Face.”
On 25 August 2003 the “owlet dragon” FC-1 airplane carried on the initial flight. It flews 17 minutes before it returned to the airport. The serial production of the aircraft was to begin by January 2006. The aircraft will replace the Mirage, F-16 and F-7 aircraft with the latest technology and it will meet professional requirements of the Pakistan Air Force.
Pakistan views India’s growing diplomatic involvement in Afghanistan as an effort to cover for RAW’s undercover operations toward Pakistani destabilization. Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) accused RAW of training and arming nationalists in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province in the Afghan border, to conduct terrorist attacks and cause havoc in the area.
