JF-17 Took On India — and Buyers Took Notice

Retired Air Commodore Khalid Chishti said the JF-17 Thunder’s participation in the May 2025 India-Pakistan fighting had strengthened its standing with potential buyers, arguing that combat exposure, affordability and sustained upgrades had made the jet more credible in a crowded fighter market. In this video, Chishti said air forces typically assess performance, cost, supplier reliability and combat record when buying aircraft, and that the JF-17 compared favourably on all four counts. He pointed to its use alongside F-16s and J-10Cs during the May operations, and earlier involvement in the 2019 crisis with India, saying these episodes drew international attention to an aircraft that costs a fraction of Western rivals such as the Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and Gripen, while avoiding political conditions often attached to US or European arms sales.

Chishti said interest from countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia reflected a preference for fewer political strings, lower lifecycle costs and the ability to integrate the JF-17 into mixed fleets of Western, Russian and Chinese aircraft. He said Pakistan had expanded production capacity without undermining its own air force requirements and was cautious about exporting only to politically stable states to reduce sanctions or payment risks. While acknowledging Chinese and Russian inputs in engines and systems, he said Pakistan had steadily increased domestic manufacturing and technology transfer, aiming to reduce external dependence over time. If exports expand, he said, the JF-17 could erode market share from established suppliers by offering a combat-proven alternative for budget-constrained air forces seeking modern, multi-role fighters.