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Pakistan Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC)
JF-17 Thunder
Lightweight single-engine multirole fighter co-developed by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and Chengdu Aircraft as an affordable replacement for Pakistan's aging fighter fleet. The latest Block III adds an AESA radar and helmet-mounted display; exported to Myanmar, Nigeria and Azerbaijan.
In service since 2007 · 4 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
1,975
km/h
3,000
km range
16,920
m ceiling
3,629
kg payload
0.9
T/W
💲 ≈ $32,000,000, Approximate Block III unit cost
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
National export licensing
Subject to Pakistan export-control approval; verify eligibility with the manufacturer.
Channel: Direct commercial / G2G
Fielded & proven
Established · 4 operators
In service since 2007. Status: active · ~190 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$80M – $112M
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost, operating & support dominate over ~30 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price. How we estimate this →
Interoperability
Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Compatible munitions & weapons
Publicly reported weapons the JF-17 Thunder can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
| Max speed Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance. | 1,975 km/h |
|---|---|
| Max speed (Mach) Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters. | 1.6 Mach |
| Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence. | 3,000 km |
| Combat radius Distance an aircraft can fly, complete its mission and return without refueling. Roughly a third of ferry range. | 1,350 km |
| Service ceiling Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon. | 16,920 m |
| Thrust-to-weight Engine thrust divided by loaded weight. Above 1.0 the aircraft can accelerate going straight up. On a standalone engine record, this is the engine's own thrust divided by its dry weight, the standard figure of merit for jet engines. | 0.9 |
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
| Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type. | 23 mm GSh-23-2 twin-barrel cannon |
|---|---|
| Hardpoints External stations for weapons and pods. More means bigger and more flexible loadouts. | 7 |
| Weapons payload Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie. | 3,629 kg |
Protection
Armor, countermeasures and survivability.
| Countermeasures Self-protection: chaff, flares, DIRCM, towed decoys, smoke dischargers, jammers. | chaff, flares, integrated EW suite (Block III) |
|---|
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
| Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable. | 14.93 m |
|---|---|
| Wingspan Wingtip-to-wingtip span. | 9.45 m |
| Height Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles. | 4.72 m |
| Empty weight Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew. | 6,586 kg |
| Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor. | 12,383 kg |
| Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity. | 1 |
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
| Engine Powerplant model and type. | Klimov RD-93 afterburning turbofan |
|---|---|
| Engines Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost. | 1 |
| Thrust Total engine thrust (with afterburner where applicable). | 84 kN |
| Fuel capacity Internal fuel volume. | 2,325 L |
| Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet… | Turbofan |
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
| Radar Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art. | KLJ-7A AESA (Block III) |
|---|
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
| Unit cost Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper. | $32,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability. | 190 |
| Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem. | 4 |
Specifications compiled from public Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
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What is the top speed of the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder? +
The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder has a maximum speed of 1,975 km/h.
What is the range of the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder? +
The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder has a maximum range of 3,000 km.
What is the weapons payload of the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder? +
The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder can carry up to 3,629 kg of weapons payload.
How much does the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder weigh? +
The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder has a combat weight of 12,383 kg.
How many crew does the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder require? +
The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder requires a crew of 1.
What is the main armament of the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder? +
The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder's primary weapon is the 23 mm GSh-23-2 twin-barrel cannon.
What engine does the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder use? +
The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder is powered by the Klimov RD-93 afterburning turbofan.
What is the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder used for? +
The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder is a fighter aircraft typically used for multirole combat, air superiority, close air support.
How many countries operate the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder? +
The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder is operated by 4 countries.
How much does the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder cost? +
The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) JF-17 Thunder has an approximate unit cost of 32,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration, treat this as directional.
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