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The JF17 project is one of the most ambitious indigenous Pakistani programs in
aeronautical engineering which has successfully completed many milestones. Thanks to
this program, Pakistan can now proudly stand among the group of countries which
manufacture modern combat aircraft.
The JF17 is one of the most costeffective, multirole combat aircrafts and it is
specifically designed to meet the needs of the Pakistan Air Force.
The first batch is expected to be of 50 JF17 Thunder aircraft which are to be equipped
with the Chinese multimode pulse doppler radar and SD10A Beyond Visual Range
Missile.
The participation of JF17 thunder in international air shows bagged Pakistan
Aeronautical Complex $5 billion worth of deals from potential customer states.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani extended the government’s complete
support of the JF17 Thunder aircraft program. He said this project has proven to be a
great positive in the PakChina relationship.
“This is the project that can become a true flagship of the historic cooperation
and strengthen the relationship between our two countries”. These were the words
of Gilani as he addressed a gathering of Chinese and Pakistani technicians during
his visitation to the JF17 manufacturing facility at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex.
The People's Republic of China began development of the turbofan in 2000, taking into
consideration that Russia may cave in to Indian pressure and not allow the Klimov RD
93powered JF17 be exported to Pakistan. However, China moved on with the
exportation, neglecting Indian protests and hence allowing the successful induction of
the first JF17 squadron in Pakistan on 18 February 2010. While initial production of the
JF17 will use RD93 engines, later batches will be powered by the WS13, which has
10% greater thrust, Digital authority control system and solid titanium alloy fan blades.
The WS13 Taishan was certified in 2007 and serial production began in 2009. An
improved version of the Taishan providing a thrust of approximately 100 kN (22,450 lb)
with afterburner is under development.
According to latest reports, the 2010 March 18th edition of the HKB report stated that an
FC1 (JF17 Thunder) equipped with the WS13 completed its first successful runway
taxi test which is great news as it confirmed that the BlockII of JF17 Thunder is under
development and soon will be airborne as of from March 2011 onwards Pakistan air
force will induct two squadrons of Thunder BlockII.
Also, the BlockII will be operating new KLJ7 radars which has a range of
approximately 150 kms with the XBand frequency. In December 2010, PAF Chief Air
Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleiman announced that KLJ7 radar will be built at
Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), in Kamra, north of Islamabad. Last but not least,
a datalink is under development which will be used to exchange data between the JF17
and F16 (The primary fighter of PAF). All these advancements in the JF17 programme
show the dedication of the Pakistan Air Force in developing its indigenous military
aircraft.
My Comments: It is a big breakthrough as the RD93 engine was not suitable for JF
17. The major problems were the trail left by the engine making it an easy target for
heatseeking missiles and also difficulty in completing the vertical loop. By operating
WS13 engine the thrust will increase up to 810% making the vertical loop possible and
heavier payloads for the Thunder, SD10B Beyond visual range missiles are under
development which is also good news. The KLJ7 radar is Xband which can easily
compete AN/APG66 radar of F16 falcons. JF17 has come down a long way down the
road, congratulations to the Pakistan Air Force for making it possible in time when our
neighbour (India) is still struggling to complete with its indigenous HAL Tejas project.
Pakistan Air Force JF17 Thunder Fighter Jets from No. 26 Squadron 'Black
Spiders' in Zhuhai Air Show 2010