On Friday, 6th June 2025, the Pakistani government officially announced, through a statement on its social media platforms, about concluding an agreement with Azerbaijan authorities regarding the sale of the CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder. The newly signed deal amounts to 4.6 billion USD and covers the delivery of up to forty examples of the fighter aircraft.
The first agreement on purchase of the JF-17 Thunder fighters was signed between Pakistan and Azerbaijan in February of 2024, just a few months after the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh. The initial agreement covered the delivery of sixteen aeroplanes, the first of which was already delivered in September of 2024.
Even before the delivery of the first JF-17, some unverified information about possible increase of the Azerbaijani order appeared in the media. Nevertheless, they speculated about up to twenty-four examples of the fighter to be acquired in total.
And for this reason, the recently announced statement of the Pakistani government was a fair amount of surprise. The new purchase will not only make Azerbaijan the biggest foreign operator of the JF-17 Thunder aircraft but, in addition, significantly changes the military balance in the region and caused valid concerns in Armenia.
Currently, Azərbaycan Hərbi Hava Qüvvələri və Hava Hücumundan Müdafiə (the Azerbaijani Air Forces and Air Defence Troops) operate about a dozen of MiG-29 fighter jets, supported by approximately thirty Sukhoi Su-25 attack aircraft. However, maintaining the fleet of post-Soviet jets became more complicated with time, especially with regards of the latest relationship with Russia.
The purchase of the JF-17 not only allows the Azerbaijani Air Force to significantly upgrade its fighter force but also increases its combat capabilities, as the Pakistani-made aircraft are compatible with most of the Turkish weapons being now used by Azerbaijan. In 2023, the country also signed a contract on modernisation of the Su-25 fleet, aimed for integration of Turkish-made ammunition and avionics into the post-Soviet attack jets.
The JF-17 Thunder is a 4+ generation fighter aircraft, jointly developed by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) of China (designated FC-1 Xiaolong / Fierce Dragon). The JF-17 is a single-seat, multirole combat aircraft capable of performing fighter, ground attack and reconnaissance missions.
Intentionally developed as a successor for the Pakistani F-16 fighters, the JF-17 Thunder performed its first flight on 25th August 2003. In 2007, the new fighter was officially introduced into service with the PAF.
Currently, the PAF operates over 160 examples of the JF-17 fighter, with about thirty more examples still in production. The aircraft was also acquired, but only in few examples, by Myanmar and Nigeria.
It is also worth noting that, together with the statement regarding the sale of the JF-17, the Pakistani government announced the country is going to buy up to forty Shenyang J-35A 5th generation stealth fighters from China.
Cover photo: JF-17 Thunder Block 3, displayed at Dubai Air Show 2023 (Pakistan Air Force, press release)
