Key Points and Summary: The JF-17 Thunder, developed by Pakistan and China, is being upgraded to Block III, featuring AESA radar, advanced EW systems, and fly-by-wire controls—capabilities similar to modern F-16 and F-15 fighters.
-However, questions remain about China’s radar technology, sensor fidelity, and overall combat effectiveness.
-The JF-17’s Mach 1.6 top speed lags behind the F-16 (Mach 2.0) and F-15 (Mach 2.25), impacting dogfighting potential.
-Reports suggest the JF-17 may even be nuclear-capable, escalating its strategic significance.
-While cost-effective, the JF-17’s true performance remains unverified, leaving doubts about its ability to rival America’s battle-tested fourth-generation jets.
JF-17 Thunder: Can Pakistan and China Challenge the F-16?
Pakistan and China continue to upgrade their fleet of JF-17 4th-generation fighter jets, which closely resemble an F-16 in terms of external configuration.
Can this Pakistani-Chinese fighter jet rival or compete with a US F-16 or F-15?
JF-17, Explained
The JF-17 “Thunder” is built by both the Pakistani Aeronautical Complex and China’s Chengdu Aerospace Corporation.
Despite the external similarities, there is little verified information regarding the aircraft’s performance parameters.
However, there are striking similarities with the upgrades the JF-17 Block III has received in recent years as they closely parallel the US F-16 and F-15 Eagle.
A significant essay in Janes Defence says that the Pakistan-China combined efforts are now building a future variant of the “Thunder” called the JF-17 PFX (Pakistan Fighter Experimental), yet the most recent operational aircraft is the JF-17 Block III.
JF-17 Block III
An important essay in the Diplomat as far back as 2019 explains that Pakistan and China continued to upgrade the JF-17 into a Block III variant able to deploy a broader range of weapons, including air-to-air, air-to-surface and even anti-ship missiles.
The JF-17 can also launch guided and unguided bombs and is armed with a 23mm twin-barrel autocannon.
As for engines, the JF-17 is powered by the Chinese-built WS-13 afterburning turbofan able to push the aircraft to top speeds of Mach 1.6
Should this speed be accurate, the JF-17 would appear to operate at F-35-like speeds.
F-35. Image Credit: Lockheed Martin.
However, it suffers from a lack of stealth and is likely impeded by additional limitations.
Nonetheless, Block III of the JF-17 has received several upgrades similar to what the F-16 has received. As part of its Service Life Extension Program, upgraded variants of the F-16 are being built with F-35-like Active Electronically Scanned Array radar, advanced EW, and a new generation of sensors.
Sure enough, the Diplomat’s description of the warplane indicates that its Block III is receiving a similar suite of upgrades, referred to as “informationized warfare” capability.
The warplane has also received an AESA radar. The Diplomat explains that the JF-17 has been getting the Chinese-made KLJ-7A AESA, making the Pakistan Air Force the first AESA-capable fighter jet.
F-16-like Upgrades?
Upgrades to the JF-17 also reportedly incorporate a new EW system upgraded avionics, and a “three-axis fly-by-wire digital flight control system.”
The flight control system comes with a helmet-mounted display and sight system with a new integrated sensor package.
While these upgrades may sound similar to those built into the US Air Force and allied F-16 and F-15, there is little verification that the performance parameters are compatible.
F-15 Aircraft #2 on Tarmac at Sunset with Weapons in Saudi Arabia. Image Credit: Boeing.
The Diplomat reported that a JF-17 may have engaged an Indian fighter at the border in recent years, yet there does not seem to be a definitive account of any air combat.
The defining question that emerges is both economic and technological. Can the Chinese and Pakistani industrial base engineer something comparable to an upgraded F-16 at a much lower price? How advanced is China’s AESA radar? Can it track multiple targets across a wide aperture at one time like US 4th-generation aircraft?
Nuclear JF-17?
An essay by the US Federation of American Scientists in July of 2024 analyzed a photo of the JF-17 and presented the question as to whether the aircraft was nuclear-capable.
Reports in recent years have indicated that the JF-17 might be armed with a dual-capable Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM), which could be armed with nuclear weapons.
Should the fighter be armed with nuclear weapons, it would place the operational scope of the aircraft alongside Pakistan’s two nuclear-capable fighter jets, the Mirage III and Mirage V.
Speed Deficit
According to available specs, there are some known quantities as there seems to be a massive difference in speed, suggesting the JF-17 cannot compete with the US F-16 and F-15 in terms of pure speed.
The fighter is listed as capable of flying at Mach 1.6, a speed much slower than the F-16s Mach 2.0 and F-15s Mach 2.25.
F-16. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
This translates into vectoring ability and air-to-air maneuverability. Should the range and fidelity of the sensors be somewhat comparable between the JF-17 and US 4th-generation jets, then dogfighting and air supremacy questions would likely determine which aircraft prevailed in combat.
About the Author: Kris Osborn
Kris Osborn is the Military Technology Editor of 19FortyFive and President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
