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.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.