The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan is significantly increasing the order for light multipurpose fighter jets JF-17 Thunder — from the original 16 to 40 machines, a number of regional and international media outlets, including the Defense Arabic publication, have been writing in recent days. The value of the transaction is estimated at $ 4.2 billion.
It is noted that these aircraft are the newest and most powerful version of the JF-17 family — the Block 3 version — a 4.5 generation fighter jointly developed by Pakistan and China.
According to Defense Arabic, if Azerbaijan increases the purchase of JF-17 to 40 aircraft, it will become the largest export buyer of the Thunder series, and the deal will be the largest for Pakistan in the export of fighters, surpassing previous sales to Nigeria and Myanmar.
Azerbaijan officially received 16 JF-17 Block III fighters in 2023.