Key Highlights
- Interestingly, Pakistan — a nation in dire need of funds to feed its people — is eager to sell this so-called “stealth fighter” to Bangladesh following a significant setback during Operation Sindoor.
- The JF-17 Thunder, jointly developed by China’s Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, has faced serious questions over its performance and effectiveness. Riding on false propaganda within the country and beyond, Pakistan, according to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) - the military’s media wing - praised the Pakistan Air Force’s combat record and offered “assistance” to the Bangladesh Air Force’s ageing fleet and the integration of air defence radar systems to enhance air surveillance.
- Health warning: Pakistan air defence system collapsed during India’s retaliatory strikes during Operation Sindoor - a military action in response to a Pakistan-backed terror attack in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on on April 22 last year, killing 26 people. Pakistan, which is mostly surviving on IMF loans, reportedly promised Bangladesh a fast-track delivery of Super Mushshak – a lightweight, two-to-three-seater, single-engine plane with fixed, non-retractable, tricycle landing gear trainer aircraft, which is mostly used for training purposes.
- Further to this, as per the ISPR statement issued on January 6, “detailed discussions were also held on potential procurement of JF-17 Thunder aircraft.”Pakistan, according to the Reuters report, is also hard-selling JF-17 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia and is in talks to convert about $2bn of Saudi loans into a fighter jet deal.
- The two countries signed a mutual defence pact in September 2025. JF-17 Fighter Jets in FocusPakistan, according to a Reuters report, in December last year signed a deal worth over $4 billion to sell military equipment to the Libyan National Army, including the sale of more than a dozen JF-17 fighter jets.
