Pakistan Air Force | News & Discussions

This is the only confirmed update evidence for the JF-17 series fighter jets since the JF-17B3.

The "new rear end" of the JF-17B at the 2025 Changchun Airshow in China.
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Image analysis confirms that the inner ring shape of the engine nozzle matches that of the WS-21 engine.

This indicates that CAC and Research Institute 611 have completed the development phase of replacing the RD-93 engine with the WS-21 in the JF-17 fighter jet.

According to news on this forum, PAC has completed relevant testing in Pakistan. Therefore, we may see the new version of the JF-17 fighter jet officially enter mass production soon.

Based on the currently publicly available and verifiable information, it is now basically confirmed that the new version of the JF-17 fighter jet will be equipped with the WS-21 engine. There may also be some upgrades to certain internal avionics systems. However, its overall appearance will not change significantly.

As for whether it will be fitted with IRST, this is still uncertain. Nevertheless, this is a capability that is highly necessary to add.
 
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I guess the PAF have some cushion in terms of fifth gen platform because the IAF is decades away from inducting any fifth gen. For now, more J10C and maybe an advanced version of JF17 (although I'm doubtful about this) will suffice against any threats from the IAF, all they can do for the time being is induction more Rafale, and we know how to handle that.

PAF's security concerns are not just the Indian Airforce, but also its "security umbrella" that it provides to Saudi Arabia under the mutual defense pact as well and PAF has to be restructured for these new commitments. 1 x JF17C squadron will not really cut it.
 
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