Pakistan is selling 40 fourth-generation JF-17 Thunder fighter jets to Azerbaijan, Forbes reports.
According to the source, Azerbaijan has officially expanded its order for JF-17s from 16 jets to 40 as part of a $4.6 billion defense agreement, the Pakistani government confirmed in a post on the social media platform X on Friday. It is Pakistan’s largest-ever defense export contract and undoubtedly a boost for the aircraft, which Pakistan co-developed with China.
Azerbaijani media reported in late May that Baku had increased the number of jets and the value of the deal from $1.6 billion to approximately $4.2 billion. However, such reports were not immediately publicly confirmed by either Baku or Islamabad. Azerbaijan took delivery of its first JF-17 on September 25, 2024. Baku is receiving the latest version, the JF-17C Block III, equipped with active electronically scanned array radar and other systems and weapons typically found on advanced 4.5-generation aircraft.
“While the fourth-generation fighter has some notable operational limits, such as the lack of complete stealth compared to fifth-generation fighters and certainly six-generation ones in development, from Baku’s perspective, these are likely outweighed by numerous upsides,” Sam Lichtenstein, Director of Analysis at the risk intelligence company RANE, told me.
“First and foremost is that the JF-17 is a cost-effective option compared to many competing Western or Russian options, and acquiring more would also help upgrade Azerbaijan’s older and less capable Soviet-produced aircraft,” Lichtenstein said.
“Furthermore, the JF-17 is compatible with a number of Turkish systems that Azerbaijan already has, making it even more attractive,” he said.
