Pakistan says it has fielded requests for its JF-17 fighter from five countries in recent months ¡ª a surge of interest that could overwhelm its capacity to jointly produce the jet with China.
In the past month, Iraq, Bangladesh and Indonesia have expressed interest in acquiring the JF-17 Thunder, according to Pakistan¡¯s Armed Forces. Saudi Arabia and Libya are also exploring the aircraft, Reuters reported separately, after Pakistan hailed the performance of its Chinese-made jets during its conflict with India in May 2025.
Pakistan makes fewer than 20 JF-17s per year, and almost all go to its own air force. It¡¯s not clear whether Islamabad can expand capacity to meet the sudden demand ¡ª key to boosting its ambitions of being an arms maker for the developing world and extending Beijing¡¯s influence in the weapons market.
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