In the second half of 2025, CATIC exhibited a JF-17B at the Changchun Airshow in China; based on photographs, it appeared to have been fitted with the WS-21 engine.
Shortly thereafter—around early 2026—Pakistan released footage showing PAC testing a new engine for the JF-17 fighter jet.
These events all point to a single conclusion: the JF-17 fighter series is undergoing an upgrade. This indirectly confirms a previous speculation: the JF-17B3 suffers from a serious lack of engine power. The JF-17B3's avionics system is a downgraded version of the technology from China's 5th-Gen fighter jet. Despite the reduction, its power consumption still exceeds the support limits of the RD-93 series engines.
Once the JF-17 series fighters are equipped with the WS-21 engine, their avionics suite is expected to reach an optimal state. Pakistan could even explore developing specialized platforms based on the JF-17B—such as an electronic warfare (EW) fighter or a mothership for Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) operations. Of course, for now, this remains speculative.
