JF-17 Thunder

Production variants

• JF-17 Block 1 — Single-seat variant of the JF-17 Thunder. Production in China began in June 2006 and in Pakistan in 2007. The first three Chinese weapons to be integrated are the PL-5E II AAM, the SD-10 AAM, and the C-802AK anti-ship missile. Block 1 aircraft had performed "better than expected" according to PAF Air Commodore Junaid. Production of Block 1 was completed on 18 December 2013 when the fiftieth aircraft—58% of which was produced in Pakistan—was delivered. A Block 1 JF-17 costs approximately US$15 million per unit.
• JF-17 Block 2 — Single-seat variant of the JF-17 Thunder. Production began on 18 December 2013 and initial testing began on 9 February 2015. Block 2 aircraft make use of composites in the airframe for reduced weight, air-to-air refuelling capability, improved radar and avionics, enhanced load carrying capacity, data link, and electronic warfare capabilities. Chairman of PAC, Air Marshal Javaid Ahmed said: "We will hand over 16 Block 2 JF-17s to the PAF every year", and that the manufacturing plant has the capacity to produce 25 units in a year. According to local media, PAC rolled out the 16th Block 2 aircraft in December 2015 enabling the JF-17's 4th squadron formation. A Block 2 JF-17 costs approximately US$25 million per unit.
• JF-17B Block 2 — Dual-seat variant of the JF-17 Thunder. First flight in Chengdu, China on 27 April 2017. Serial production in China and Pakistan from 2018 to 2020. A total of 26 aircraft built - first four at Chengdu and remaining 22 at Kamra. Its multi-roles include use as a (i) JF-17 conversion trainer; (ii) Lead-In Fighter Trainer (LIFT); (iii) ground-attack aircraft; and (iv) reconnaissance aircraft. Apart from the dual-seat, larger dorsal spine, and a more swept-back tail, another difference between the JF-17B and the JF-17 is that the JF-17B carries fuel in its vertical stabiliser, which the JF-17 does not. The JF-17B houses integral fuel tanks like the F-16. Each wing houses 550 Ib while the vertical tail houses 210 lb, which, together with the internal fuel load, totals 4,910 Ib of fuel. Together with the three external fuel drop-tanks, the aircraft can carry a total 10,000 Ib fuel load. The JF-17B Block 2s will be retrofitted with the NRIET/CETC KLJ-7A Air-cooled Airborne Fire-Control Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar (license-manufactured at the Avionics Production Factory (APF) at PAC, Kamra).
• JF-17 Block 3 — Advanced single-seat variant of the JF-17. First flight in Chengdu, China on 15 December 2019. Two prototypes underwent flight tests as of December 2020, one in China and the other in Pakistan. Went into serial production at PAC Kamra on 30 December 2020. Feature further advancements such as a NRIET/CETC KLJ-7A Air-cooled Airborne Fire-Control Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar (license-manufactured at the Avionics Production Factory (APF) at PAC, Kamra), a three-axis digital fly-by-wire flight control system, an infrared search and track (IRST) system, a helmet-mounted display and sight (HMD/S) system produced jointly by Pakistan and China, a missile approach warning system (MAWS) similar to the one used on the Chinese J-10C, J-16, and J-20, a new, larger, and thinner holographic wide-angle head-up display (HUD) similar to the one used on the J-10C and J-20, an enhanced electronic warfare management system, a chin-mounted hardpoint, use of more composites for further weight reduction, eventual replacement of the Klimov RD-93MAafterburning turbofan by the Guizhou WS-13 with an increased thrust, and a better thrust-to-weight ratio. The KLJ-7A can simultaneously track 15 targets and engage 4 targets. PAF officials have described the JF-17 Block 3 as a "fourth generation plus" fighter jet. The first PAC-produced JF-17 Block 3 aircraft are expected to roll out of the production line in late 2021. The PAF has placed an order for 50 JF-17 Block 3 aircraft, deliveries of which were expected to start from early 2022. 10 JF-17 Block 3 production aircraft were photographed after their rollout at PAC Kamra in early January 2022. The first batch of JF-17 Block 3 aircraft were inducted into the PAF in March 2023.