Pakistan and China continue to upgrade a fleet of JF-17 4th-generation fighter jets

By Kris Osborn, Warrior

Pakistan and China continue to upgrade a fleet of JF-17 4th-generation fighter jets which closely resemble an F-16 in terms of external configuration.  Can this Pakistani-Chinese fighter jet rival or compete with a US F-16 or F-15? 

The JF-17 “Thunder” is built by both the Pakistani Aeronautical Complex and China’s Chengdu Aerospace Corporation, and despite the external similarities, there is little verified information regarding the aircraft’s actual performance parameters. However, there are striking similarities with the kinds of upgrades the JF-17 Block III has been receiving in recent years as they very closely parallel the US F-16 and F-15 Eagle. 

A significant essay in Janes Defence says that the Pakistan-China combined efforts is now building a future variant of the “Thunder” called the JF-17 PFX (Pakistan Fighter Experimental), yet the most recent operational aircraft is the JF-17 Block III

JF-17 Block III

A significant essay in the Diplomat as far back as 2019 explains that Pakistan and China continued to upgrade the JF-17 into a Block III variant able to deploy a wider range of weapons, including air-to-air, air-to-surface and even anti-ship missiles. The JF-17 can also launch guided and unguided bombs and is armed with a 23mm twin-barrel autocannon.  As for engines, the JF-17 is powered by the Chinese-built WS-13 afterburning turbofan able to push the aircraft to top speeds of Mach 1.6 

Should this speed be accurate, the JF-17 would appear to operate at F-35-like speeds, however it clearly suffers from lack of stealth and is likely impeded by additional limitations. 

Nonetheless, Block III of the JF-17 has been receiving a number of upgrades quite similar to what the F-16 has been receiving. As part of its Service Life Extension Program, upgraded variants of the F-16 are being built with F-35-like Active Electronically Scanned Array radar, advanced EW and a new generation of sensors. 

Sure enough, the Diplomat’s description of the JF-17 indicates that indeed its Block III is receiving a similar suite of upgrades, referred to as “informationized warfare” capability.   The JF-17 has also been receiving an AESA radar, just not one built for the F-35. The Diplomat explains that the JF-17 has been getting the Chinese-made KLJ-7A AESA, making the aircraft the Pakistan Air Force the first AESA-capable fighter jet. 

F-16-like Upgrades? 

Upgrades to the JF-17 also reportedly incorporate a new EW system, upgraded avionics and a “three-axis fly-by-wire digital flight control system.”  The flight control system comes with a helmet-mounted display and sight system with a new integrated sensor package. 

While these upgrades may sound similar to those built into the US Air Force and allied F-16 and F-15, there is little verification that the performance parameters are at all compatible. The Diplomat reported that a JF-17 may have engaged an Indian fighter at the border in recent years, yet there does not seem to be a definitive account of any air combat. 

The defining question which seems to emerge is both economic and technological. Can the Chinese and Pakistani industrial base truly engineer something comparable to an upgraded F-16 at a much lower price? How advanced is China's AESA radar? Can it track multiple targets across a wide aperture at one time in a manner similar to US 4th-generation aircraft?

Nuclear JF-17? 

An essay by the US Federation of American Scientists in July of 2024 analyzed a photo of the JF-17 and presented the question as to whether the aircraft was nuclear capable. Reports in recent years have indicated that in fact the JF-17 might be armed with a dual-capable Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) which could be armed with nuclear weapons.  Should the JF-17 be armed with nuclear weapons, it would place the operational scope of the aircraft alongside Pakistan’s two nuclear-capable fighter jets, the Mirage III and Mirage V. 

Speed Deficit

There are some known quantities, according to available specs, as there seems to be a massive difference in speed suggesting the JF-17 cannot compete with the US F-16 and F-15 in terms of pure speed.  The JF-17 is listed as being capable of flying at Mach 1.6, a speed much slower than the F-16s Mach 2.0 and F-15s Mach 2.25. This translates into vectoring ability and air-to-air maneuverability. Should the range and fidelity of the sensors be somewhat comparable between the JF-17 and US 4th-generation jets, then dogfighting and air supremacy questions would likely determine which aircraft prevailed in combat 

Kris Osborn is President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University