The Azerbaijan State News Agency has confirmed that Azerbaijan has made a deal for Pakistani-Chinese JF-17 Block III multirole fighters.
During ADEX 2024, Azerbaijani President Ilham Alivey inspected the JF-17 Block III (or JF-17C) multirole fighter, the latest variant of the family.
The Azerbaijan State News Agency's report on the acquisition states that the aircraft has already been integrated into the Azerbaijani Air Force's arsenal.
Previously, Pakistani sources reported a deal for JF-17 Block III fighters worth $1.6 billion.
JF-17 Block III's features include KLJ-7A AESA radar, IRST, Chinese WS-13 turbofan engines in place of Russian RD-93, expanded usage of composites in the structures, and a mixture of both Chinese and Pakistani munitions.
The munition/external sensor options include PL-15E BVRAAM, PL-10E WVRAAM, IREK guided bomb, Al-Batter laser-guided bomb, Raad-2 cruise missile, and ASELPOD targeting pod. However, some of the Turkish munitions (GÖKDOĞAN, SOM, TEBER...) might also be integrated into the aircraft if all parties agree to the integration with Azerbaijan's acquirements for Turkish-modernised Su-25s in mind.
