ISLAMABAD: A “friendly country” has signed a memorandum of understanding to procure Pakistan’s JF-17 fighter aircraft during the Dubai Airshow 2025, the Pakistani military said on Thursday, marking a significant step in Islamabad’s efforts to expand defense exports and deepen military-industrial partnerships.

Pakistan’s JF-17 Thunder, a multi-role fighter jointly developed with China, has become the backbone of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) over the past decade, designed to replace aging legacy aircraft. 

The JF-17 fighter jet has seen extensive operational use in recent years, taking part in air-to-air and air-to-ground missions across multiple theaters. The aircraft was used in counterterrorism operations in North Waziristan in 2014 and 2017, in the 2017 downing of an Iranian drone near the southwestern Balochistan border, and in Operation Swift Retort during the 2019 aerial skirmish with India. It also featured in Pakistan’s 2024 cross-border strikes inside Iran and Afghanistan targeting militant groups and was deployed again in combat roles during the May 2025 conflict with India. 

Outside Pakistan, the JF-17 has been used by the Nigerian Air Force in counterinsurgency operations and by Myanmar’s air force against various insurgent groups.

“In a noteworthy development, an MoU was signed with a friendly country for the procurement of the JF-17 Thunder, marking another significant milestone in Pakistan’s expanding defense and industrial partnerships,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, said in its statement, which did not name the country tat signed the deal at the Dubai airshow. 

The statement said the JF-17 Block-III was a major attraction at the exhibition, drawing interest from defense analysts and visiting delegations for its avionics suite and multi-role combat profile.

ISPR added that several countries had shown interest in acquiring the aircraft, reflecting “increasing international confidence” in Pakistan’s aviation industry.

According to ISPR, the PAF chief, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, met multiple air chiefs and defense leaders from participating states on the sidelines of the Dubai Airshow. His talks with UAE officials — including Lt. Gen. Pilot Ibrahim Nasser Al-Alawi, the UAE Undersecretary of Defense, and Major General Rashid Mohammed Al-Shamsi, Commander of the UAE Air Force and Air Defense — focused on cooperation in advanced training, emerging aerospace technologies and operational coordination.

The UAE’s military leadership “lauded Pakistan Air Force’s modernization initiatives and growing indigenous capabilities,” ISPR said, adding that both sides expressed a resolve to deepen collaboration through joint exercises, professional exchanges and long-term partnerships.

A Pakistan Air Force contingent is participating in the Dubai Airshow with the latest JF-17 Block-III variant and the Super Mushshak trainer aircraft, demonstrating what ISPR described as Pakistan’s “growing expertise in indigenous military aviation.”