Role Multirole combat aircraft National origin China Pakistan Manufacturer Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group Pakistan Aeronautical Complex First flight 25 August 2003 Introduction 12 March 2007 Status In service, as of 18 February 2010[1] Primary user Pakistan Air Force Produced In China: June 2007 – present In Pakistan: January 2008 – present Number built 54[citation needed] (including 6 prototypes) Program cost US$500 million[2] Unit cost Block 1: US$15–20 million (estimated)[3][4][5] Block 2: US$20–25 million[6] The PAC JF-17 Thunder (Urdu: جے ایف-١٧ تھنڈر), or CAC FC-1 Xiaolong[7][8] (Fierce Dragon; Chinese: 枭龙; pinyin: Xiāo Lóng; ), is a light-weight, single-engine, multi-role combat aircraft developed jointly by the Pakistan Air Force, the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and the Chengdu Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAC) of China. Its designation JF-17 Thunder by Pakistan is short for Joint Fighter-17, while the designation FC-1 Xiaolong by China means Fighter China-1 Fierce Dragon. The JF-17 can carry a variety of missiles and bombs, including air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, supplemented by a 23/30 mm GSh-23-2 twin-barrel autocannon. It is powered by a RD-93 or WS-13 afterburning turbofan, and has a top speed of Mach 1.6. The JF-17 is slated to become the backbone of Pakistan Air Force (PAF), complementing the F-16s as well as the J-10Bs (on order) within its aircraft ranks and is also expected to fill the duties of aerial reconnaissance, ground-attack and interception.[9] Pakistan has already started induction, and has plans to induct around 250 units.[10][11] The JF-17 will replace Pakistans ageing fleet of A-5C, Mirage-III, Mirage-V, and F-7P/PG by 2015.[12] The first squadron was inducted in the Pakistan Air Force in February 2010.[13] In China it is in an evaluation phase (passed design appraisal).[14] Many countries like Azerbaijan, Iran, Egypt, Turkey and Venezuela have expressed interest in purchasing the JF-17 Thunder.[15][16][17] Design requirements Development Design Operational history Variants Operators Specifications (JF-17 Block 1) See also References External links
Posted on: Sun, 20 Oct 2013 06:42:40 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015