--- title: "JF-17 Thunder Fighter To Be Offered To Saudi Arabia: Report" description: "The JF-17 Thunder deal would be offered as a way to repay debt, but would Saudi Arabia even want this aircraft? The JF-17 Thunder multirole fighter is being pitched to Saudi Arabia as military cooperation between the kingdom and Pakistan intensifies." date: "2026-01-08" modified: "2026-01-08" authors: - name: "Thomas Newdick" job_title: "Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/thomas-newdick" - name: "Tyler Rogoway" job_title: "Editor-in-Chief" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/tyler-rogoway" url: "https://www.twz.com/air/jf-17-thunder-offered-as-saudi-arabias-next-fighter-report" categories: - "Air" - "Air Forces" - "Around The Globe" - "Middle East" - "News & Features" - "Nuclear" - "Nuclear Proliferation" - "Royal Saudi Air Force" - "Saudi Arabia" --- # JF-17 Thunder Fighter To Be Offered To Saudi Arabia: Report ![PAC JF-17 Thunder multirole combat aircraft, a fighter jet made in China and Pakistan. The Pakistani plane is painted with the country's flag as it belongs to Pakistan Air Force. The aircraft performed a flight demo, flying demonstration at the 53rd Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport in France on June 2019. The advanced and sophisticated fighter jet is developed jointly by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) of China.]() *Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images* The Sino-Pakistani [JF-17 Thunder]() has emerged as a surprise candidate for Saudi Arabia’s next fighter jet, according to a recent report. While a mutual defense pact signed with Pakistan would help open the door to the transfer of JF-17s to Saudi Arabia, the fighter faces very strong competition. Furthermore, it isn't clear if the Saudis even would want a light fighter like this at all, especially considering it could cause a rift with the U.S. at a critical time. In the past months, the kingdom has been offered the U.S.-made [F-35](), as you can read about [here](), and has been linked with several other multirole fighters. According to a [report]() today from *Reuters*, talks are now underway between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, with a view to the kingdom obtaining an undisclosed number of JF-17s. These would be paid for by converting some of the billions of dollars of Saudi loans taken out by Islamabad, a sign of the deepening relationship between the two countries, including at a military level. The report cites two different Pakistani sources, one of whom says the talks are limited to the JF-17, while the other claims that the jets are the “primary option,” but that different military equipment could also be made available. ![Pakistan's Air Force fighter JF-17 fighter jets fly past during the multinational naval exercise AMAN-25 in the Arabian Sea near Pakistan's port city of Karachi on February 10, 2025, as more than 50 countries participating with ships and observers. (Photo by Asif HASSAN / AFP) (Photo by ASIF HASSAN/AFP via Getty Images)]() *Pakistan Air Force JF-17 fighters during the multinational naval exercise AMAN-25 in the Arabian Sea near the port city of Karachi on February 10, 2025. *Photo by Asif HASSAN / AFP* ASIF HASSAN* Reportedly, the deal would be worth $4 billion in terms of offsetting the loan, while Saudi Arabia would also spend $2 billion on top of that. This week, Pakistan’s Air Chief Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu was in Saudi Arabia to discuss what the Pakistani military described as “bilateral defense cooperation, the regional security environment, and future avenues of collaboration” with his Saudi counterpart, Lieutenant General Turki bin Bander bin Abdulaziz. The JF-17 was developed jointly by China’s Chengdu and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), and the first prototype took to the air in 2003. The aircraft is powered by a single Russian-designed RD-93 turbofan engine, an improved version of the RD-33 that is found in the twin-engined [MiG-29 Fulcrum](). ![TOPSHOT - An undated file photo of the prototype of FC-1, also known as the JF-17 Thunder or the Super J-7, in Chengdu, southwestern China's Sichuan province. The Chinese air force is contemplating the purchase of a joint Sino-Pakistani fighter jet which could greatly boost the prospects for the FC-1 on the world market, after a publicly held test flight was made with great fanfare on Wednesday in southeastern Chengdu city, Sichuan province, with Pakistani Air Force Chief Kaleem Saadat attending the ceremony. (CHINA OUT) AFP PHOTO (Photo by KANWA NEWS / AFP) (Photo by STR/KANWA NEWS/AFP via Getty Images)]() *An undated file photo of the prototype of FC-1, which later became known as the JF-17 Thunder, in Chengdu, China. *Photo by KANWA NEWS / AFP* STR* The Thunder has been steadily improved since the first series-built JF-17s began to come off the PAC line at its Kamra facility in 2008. After the first 50 JF-17s were delivered to Pakistan, production switched to the enhanced JF-17 Block 2 version, with improved avionics, strengthened wing roots for additional stores carriage, and an in-flight refueling probe, among other changes. The latest Block 3 version of the jet has an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, as well as an improved fly-by-wire flight-control system, infrared search and track system, helmet-mounted display, and a larger holographic wide-angle head-up display for the pilot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ftup9aOy3q8 In terms of performance and specifications, the Block 2 version has a maximum takeoff weight of a little over 27,000 pounds, a maximum speed of Mach 1.6, and an unrefueled range of 840 miles. It can carry 3,300 pounds of stores carried on seven external hardpoints. This puts it broadly in the same class as the [Saab Gripen C/D](). The unclassified version of an annual [Pentagon report]() to Congress on China’s military stated that, as of May 2024, the JF-17 had been sold to Azerbaijan, Burma, and Nigeria — as well as Pakistan. The report also says that, as of 2024, negotiations were underway regarding a possible JF-17 transfer to Iraq. https://twitter.com/zhao_dashuai/status/1988955005861204015?s=20 That same story stressed heavily the growing presence of the JF-17, as well as other Chinese-made fighters, on the export market, as you can read more about [here](). Last month, Pakistan reportedly [struck a weapons deal]() worth more than $4 billion with the Libyan National Army, which is also said to include JF-17. Additionally, [Pakistan has held talks]() with Bangladesh on the possible sale of the same jets. As for Saudi Arabia, the claimed interest in the JF-17 comes after it signed a mutual defense pact with Pakistan last September. This is the latest development in a long-running security partnership between the two nations, which has seen extensive provision of defense equipment to the kingdom, as well as training. “The agreement states that any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both,” the office of the Pakistani prime minister said in a statement about the pact. This [raised questions]() of whether [the Pakistani nuclear umbrella]() might even be extended to protect Saudi Arabia, too. ![A Pakistan's military vehicle carries a long-range ballistic missile Shaheen during the Pakistan Day parade in Islamabad on March 23, 2022. (Photo by Ghulam Rasool / AFP) (Photo by GHULAM RASOOL/AFP via Getty Images)]() *A Shaheen ballistic missile during the Pakistan Day parade in Islamabad on March 23, 2022. *Photo by GHULAM RASOOL/AFP via Getty Images* GHULAM RASOOL* For its part, Saudi Arabia has regularly provided Pakistan with economic support. In 2018, Riyadh agreed on a support package for its ally that included a loan worth $6 billion. Since then, it has allowed Islamabad to defer payments. Were it to happen, a deal involving JF-17s and potentially other arms could help balance the books between the countries. While the JF-17 is less advanced than other fighters that Saudi Arabia has been looking at buying, most notably the F-35, the Thunder’s status has been enhanced by claims of its performance during [Pakistan’s clashes with India last year](). Pakistan has long pitched the JF-17 as a cheaper and more sustainable fighter option, but now it is combat-proven too, although the results of its performance against the Indian Air Force are hard to verify. Last month, it became clear that the [Trump administration intended to sell up to]() 48 F-35s to Saudi Arabia, which marked [a significant policy shift](). Previously, Washington had been unwilling to export these jets to Arab states in the region, for fear of upsetting the strategic balance in relation to Israel — [also an F-35 operator](). As we noted at the time: *Even without the F-35, the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) operates an extremely modern and advanced fleet of fighters. It received 84 of the [new-build F-15SA](), which was the most advanced variant of the Strike Eagle family available until the appearance of the Qatari [F-15QA]() and the U.S. Air Force’s [F-15EX Eagle II](). Meanwhile, the 68-strong fleet of earlier F-15S aircraft has been upgraded locally to a similar standard, known as F-15SR (for Saudi Retrofit).* *The RSAF also received 72 [Eurofighter Typhoons](). Older, but still capable, are around 80 British-supplied [Panavia Tornado IDS]() swing-wing strike aircraft, which continue in service in the strike role.* ![Four Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s fly in formation with U.S. Air Force F-15 Strike Eagles over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Sept 10, 2020. AFCENT continues to build and strengthen our partners by training alongside one another, integrating capabilities and increasing interoperability, to project agile combat employment from established and austere locations throughout the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Justin Parsons)]() *Four Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s fly in formation with U.S. Air Force F-15 Strike Eagles over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Sept 10, 2020. *U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Justin Parsons* SSgt Justin Parsons* Other fighters have been linked with a sale to Saudi Arabia, as it seeks to further boost its fighter fleet. For a long time, more Typhoons were seen as the most likely option, but a potential deal has been frustrated by Germany — which has a stake in Eurofighter via the German arm of Airbus — which has consistently blocked further sales of the jets to Saudi Arabia, citing human rights concerns. Saudi Arabia also entered talks to buy 54 [Dassault Rafale]() multirole fighters, [as we reported back in 2023](). More recently, Boeing [confirmed]() that it was offering the [F-15EX Eagle II]() to Saudi Arabia. The JF-17 is far less capable than these options, but it is not irrelevant, especially in its Block 3 version with AESA radar and Chinese-made [PL-15 air-to-air missiles](). ![]() *The wreckage of a Pakistani PL-15 air-to-air missile in the aftermath of clashes with India in May 2025. *via X** At the same time, the Thunder would be a far less expensive option and could be acquired in greater numbers, creating a high-low force mix. Still, the idea that Saudi Arabia would actually be interested in Pakistan's proposal seems remote due to multiple factors. Whether the JF-17 could be operated alongside the F-35 is highly questionable, on the grounds that its sensitive technologies might be exposed to Chinese intelligence. On the other hand, even without the JF-17, Saudi Arabia has long been a customer of Chinese-made defense equipment, including drones and ballistic missiles. But these are not fighter platforms with sensors that can give away critical capabilities, as well as weapon systems that need highly integrated tactics across a force in order to be effective. The very idea that a deal like this could even threaten the long-awaited acquisition of the F-35 seems to disqualify it on its face. There is also the question of why Saudi Arabia would even want this aircraft when they have access to far more capable fighters that accommodate the weapons and networks their force already uses? A high-low mix may hold some relevance, but we have seen no indication that Saudi Arabia believes this to be the case. It also comes at a time of extremely close ties between the kingdom and the U.S., with the Trump administration seeing Saudi Arabia as a top ally and economic partner. Risking that for a cheap fighter aircraft seems remote. At the same time, Islamabad sees arms sales, including to non-traditional clients, as critical to helping address its economic troubles. “Our aircraft have been tested, and we are receiving so many orders that Pakistan may not need the International Monetary Fund in six months,” Pakistani Minister of Defense Khawaja Asif [recently told]() local media. However, as has been the case in earlier Saudi procurements, the most important dimension in selecting a new fighter may well be the political one. *Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com* ## Author Thomas Newdick is a staff writer at *TWZ*, where he covers military aviation, defense technology, weapons systems, and international security. Based in Berlin, Germany, he reports on conflicts, military modernization efforts, and emerging aerospace technologies around the world, with a particular interest in airpower and its role in contemporary warfare. His reporting is informed by deep expertise in modern and historical airpower, particularly in Europe, with a focus on military aviation, air campaigns, and aerospace developments across the continent and beyond. Over a journalism career spanning more than 25 years, Thomas has become known for making complex defense and aerospace topics accessible to a broad audience. His reporting combines technical expertise, historical context, and a focus on the real-world operational and strategic implications of military developments. ### Author social links [Twitter]()