Saudi to Sudan: Can Pakistan expand military footprint across Arab world?
Multiple countries have shown interest in Pakistani weapons and jets. But Pakistan won’t find it easy to deliver, say analysts.
The JF-17 Thunder is a Pakistan-China joint production fighter plane which was also part of the May 2025 conflict with India [Stringer/Reuters]
By
Abid Hussain
Published On 16 Jan 202616 Jan 2026
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Islamabad, Pakistan – By the standards of mega arms deals, the $1.5bn deal for Pakistan to reportedly sell jets and weapons to Sudan’s military isn’t huge.
But the deal, which the Reuters news agency reported in early January was close to being finalised, could prove pivotal in the grinding war that has devoured Sudan for nearly three years between the country’s armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
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Tens of thousands of people have been killed, millions have been displaced, and RSF troops have been
accused of gang rapes – including of infants.
The agreement under negotiation is only the latest in a series of moves by Pakistan in recent months that demonstrate the growing footprint of its military hardware and clout in the Arab world.
Pakistan’s military has, over the past few years, sold jets to multiple countries in Asia and Africa, and is in talks with others. But in the Middle East, its military role has traditionally, for the most part, involved training forces of Arab allies.
That’s now changing, with a spree of deals and negotiations that could turn Pakistan into a key security provider in some cases, and give it the ability to tip the balance in delicate conflicts in other instances.
But analysts warn that divisions within the Arab world mean that Pakistan will need to tread carefully – or risk burning bridges with important partners.
Saudi mutual defence
Anchoring this shift in Pakistan’s military influence in the Arab world is the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) the country signed with
Saudi Arabia last September, weeks after Israel bombed Qatar, setting off concerns across the region over whether the United States – historically the security provider for several Gulf states – could be trusted.
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Since then, Reuters reports that Saudi Arabia is among the countries that have also expressed interest in Pakistan’s JF-17 Thunder fighter jet.
Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s wealthiest countries, operates a large and sophisticated air force equipped primarily with US and European aircraft and is in the process of ordering at least
48 US-manufactured F-35 jets, considered among the most advanced fighter aircraft currently available.
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But Adil Sultan, a former Pakistan Air Force air commodore, said Saudi Arabia may also be looking to diversify its defence suppliers amid shifting geopolitical dynamics.
Pakistan, as a traditional ally, and with the mutual defence treaty in place, is a “reliable partner” for Saudi Arabia. If Saudi Arabia buys JF-17s, it would “enhance interoperability of both the air forces and would be mutually beneficial”, he told Al Jazeera.
Amir Husain, a Texas-based defence technology analyst, agreed.
“With the SMDA between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, it makes a lot of sense for there to be a degree of commonality in systems,” he said.
“Saudi Arabia is helping countries in the region, such as Libya, Somalia and Sudan, attain stability. The JF-17, and the Royal Saudi Air Force’s [RSAF] familiarity with this platform, can achieve these regional stabilisation aims,” Husain added.
The JF-17 attraction
Apart from Saudi Arabia, Iraq too has shown interest in the JF-17, according to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) – the military’s media arm.
(Al Jazeera)
The JF-17 Thunder is a lightweight, all-weather, multirole fighter jointly produced by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and China’s Chengdu Aircraft Corporation.
Production is split between the two countries, with 58 percent carried out in Pakistan and 42 percent in China. Pakistan produces the airframe, while China supplies the avionics.
The latest version, the Block 3 variant, is classified as a 4.5-generation fighter. It features air-to-air and air-to-surface capabilities, advanced avionics, an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, electronic warfare systems and the ability to fire beyond-visual-range missiles.
The AESA radar allows pilots to track multiple targets simultaneously and detect threats at longer distances, though the aircraft lacks the stealth characteristics of fifth-generation fighters.
According to Pakistan Air Force (PAF) sources, full assembly takes place in Pakistan, and the production line at the Kamra facility can manufacture between 20 and 25 aircraft annually.
Multiple countries have shown interest in Pakistani weapons and jets. But Pakistan won't find it easy to deliver.
www.aljazeera.com
