ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) significantly enhanced the warfighting capability of its multi-role fighter jet, JF17 Thunder, by successfully test-firing an indigenously-developed, “extended range smart weapon” from the aircraft on Tuesday.
The development comes nearly two weeks after Indian warplanes crossed the Line of Control and made an airstrike near Balakot. In response, Pakistan downed Indian fighter jets and captured one of its pilots who was later sent back to his country as a gesture of peace.
Jointly developed by Pakistan and China, JF17 Thunder played a major role in the recent crisis that brought the two South Asian nuclear-armed states on the brink of war, proving its combat utility during the fierce dogfight between the two countries.
According to an official handout circulated by the PAF on Tuesday, the country achieved this “great milestone” due to the hard work of Pakistani scientists and engineers.
Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan also congratulated the PAF personnel on the occasion and described Pakistan as a peace-loving nation that “would respond with full force” in case of an external aggression.
