JF-17 Thunder

The PAC JF-17 Thunder, also known in China as the Chengdu FC-1 Fierce Dragon (Chinese: 枭龙; pinyin: Xiāo Lóng), is a light-weight multi-role combat aircraft jointly developed by Chengdu Aircraft Corporation of China and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex of Pakistan. The "JF" and "FC" designations stand for "Joint Fighter" and "Fighter China" respectively.
The first two aircraft were delivered to the Pakistan Air Force on 12 March 2007. The JF-17/FC-1 is designed to be a cost-effective fighter which can meet the tactical and strategic needs of air forces of developing countries. On 22 January 2008, Pakistan started limited serial production of the aircraft at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, Kamra. Full-fledged production of JF-17 is expected to start from 2009 after completing testing and avionics evaluation.

Development:

The JF-17 is being built by China's Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (CAC) and Pakistan's Pakistan Aeronautical Complex. The project is expected to cost around US$500 million, divided equally between China and Pakistan. The project is supported by China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation for the Chinese side. Each individual aircraft is expected to have a fly-away cost of around US$8-15 million. Initial development of JF-17 is believed to have been completed in a period of four years, although later improvements to the aircraft design did take up more time. Pakistan has announced that it has 150 aircraft on order, but this may well go up to 275. The JF-17 will replace Pakistan's MiG-21-derived Chengdu F-7, Nanchang A-5 and Dassault Mirage III/Mirage V aircraft currently in service. Azerbaijan and Zimbabwe have already placed orders and eight other countries have expressed interest in purchasing the JF-17 at a recent military exhibition in Pakistan, according to an official.

Test flights:

The first prototype was rolled out on 31 May 2003, conducted its first taxi trials on 1 July and made its first flight on 25 August of the same year. The third prototype, PT-03, made its first flight in April 2004. It is believed that at some point during these initial test flights, the name Super-7 was replaced by the Chinese designation FC-1 (Fighter China-1) and the Pakistani designation JF-17 (Joint Fighter-17).
The PT-04 prototype of JF-17 successfully completed its first operational flight in Chengdu, China, on Wednesday 10 March 2006. On 28 April 2006, PT-04 made its first flight with fully operational avionics. This prototype of JF-17 is configured as a multi-role fighter-bomber, equipped with advanced avionics and capable of carrying multiple air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons. Pakistan received the first consignment of 2 aircraft on 23 March 2007. China was supposed to start official production in June 2007 while Pakistan Aeronautical Complex was planning to start manufacturing the JF-17 in 2008.

Self-protection systems:

JF-17 is fitted with a radar warning receiver (RWR) that gives data to the pilot on direction and proximity of enemy radars, as well as an onboard electronic counter-measures (ECM) suite that interferes with these radars to help stop them targeting the aircraft. These systems can be enhanced by the addition of externally-mounted avionics pods:
BM/KG300G self protection jamming (ECM) pod
KZ900 electronic reconnaissance (SIGINT) pod
They also allow the aircraft to take on the roles of aerial reconnaissance and suppression (or destruction) of enemy air defence (SEAD) when armed with the appropriate weaponry.
A missile approach warning (MAW) system uses several optical sensors mounted on the airframe that detect the rocket motors of missiles. Data collected by the MAW system, such as direction of inbound missiles and the time to impact (TTI), is shown on the cockpit displays and HUD to warn the pilot.A countermeasure dispensing system releases decoy flares and chaff to help the aircraft evade enemy missiles and radars trying to track/destroy the aircraft.

Radar:

It has been disclosed by PAF Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed that Pakistan's JF-17s are equipped with the KLJ-7 radar. This is a pulse doppler fire-control radar developed by China's Nanjing Research Institute of Electronic Technology (NRIET). Its multiple modes mean that it can engage targets in the air, on the ground or out at sea. Using the track-while-scan (TWS) mode, enemy aircraft can be engaged at beyond visual range (BVR) while the radar continues scanning for new threats. Close-in aerial combat and ground surveillance modes are also available.
This radar can reportedly manage up to 40 targets, monitor up to 10 of them in track-while-scan (TWS) mode and simultaneously fire on two BVR targets. The detection range for targets with a radar-cross section of up to 3 m2 is stated to be 120 km, or 50 km in look-down mode, while surface sea targets can be detected at up to 135 km. Target data is displayed on the multi-function display screens in the cockpit.
During the early prototype stage a number of radar systems were tested for both production and possible export versions. A number of other radars have also been considered for export versions of the aircraft, one of these is the Italian FIAR Grifo S7, which was tailored to meet the PAF's initial requirements of the Super-7.