Iran eyes Chinese JF‑17 jets to bolster aerial capabilities
In recent months, Iran has been making significant efforts to acquire Chinese JF-17 aircraft, despite recently receiving dozens of Su-35 aircraft from Russia. We explain why and present the performance of these machines.
According to the Defense Express portal, Iran is making endeavours that may be aimed at acquiring Chinese JF-17 aircraft. Recently, the commander of the Iranian air force, Brigadier General Hamid Vahedi, visited, leading a delegation of senior military officials serving as observers during the Indus Shield 2024 air exercises.
Furthermore, Hamid Vahedi was reportedly due to meet in Islamabad with his Pakistani counterpart, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar. The talks might be an attempt to circumvent China's refusal to sell J-10C aircraft from a few months ago. Negotiations reportedly collapsed due to disagreements over payment methods, as China insisted on financial transactions while Tehran preferred to pay for the aircraft with oil supplies.
It seems that Iran is not sufficiently satisfied with the delivered Su-35 aircraft, or more likely, is seeking a second supplier who does not encounter issues with timely deliveries or spare parts production. Historically, the Russians have not excelled in this area, and now due to sanctions, the situation has worsened.
JF-17 Thunder — a light multi-role aircraft
Iran is interested in the Pakistani-Chinese aircraft, most likely to replace its fleet of outdated F-5, F-4 Phantom, F-7M (a Chinese clone of the MiG-21), and Mirage F-1 aircraft (a total of approximately 177 machines). These are lighter machines that cannot be easily replaced by Su-35 aircraft, which are acquired as supplementary to the F-14 Tomcat.
The JF-17 Thunder was developed at the turn of the 21st century, with the first prototype flights taking place in 2003. Mass production began in 2007, and Pakistan has already produced 150 aircraft. Additionally, the JF-17 Thunder has been purchased by the air forces of countries such as Myanmar, Nigeria, and Iraq.
The JF-17 is characterised by a length just over 14 metres, a wingspan of 9 metres, and a take-off weight of 13,500 kilograms. For comparison, the well-known F-16C Block 50 weighs over 19,000 kilograms in a similar configuration. The JF-17 achieves a maximum speed of Mach 1.8 and can carry up to 4,000 kilograms of armaments on eight pylons. It is powered by a single RD-93 engine.
This aircraft is equipped with a modern radar featuring an active electronically scanned array (AESA) and access to advanced armaments, including a wide range of guided bombs weighing up to 900 kilograms, anti-ship missiles, and air-to-air weapons. In the latter category, PL-15 missiles with ramjet engines, essentially a copy of the European MBDA Meteor missile, can be particularly threatening.
If Iran acquires these aircraft along with an armament package, then alongside the delivered Su-35s, in the next few years, they will present a much greater threat to Israeli aviation than they currently do.
