2023-07-09 10:44:06
In September 2021, it was rumored that Iraq was taking a close interest in the JF-17 “Thunder”, a fighter-bomber developed under a cooperation between China and Pakistan, launched in 1995. This rumor took consistency after an interview given to the Al-Arabiya channel by Juma Inad, then Iraqi Minister of Defence.
Indeed, he affirmed, without further details, that a “contract with a Pakistani company” had been signed by Baghdad for “the purchase of military aircraft”. It was enough for some observers to make the connection with the JF-17 Thunder.
But that was probably going too fast…. And probably Juma Inad wanted to talk about an order for Super Mushshak YI-201 trainer aircraft from the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex [PAC]. In any case, the Iraqi air force has since received at least four of the twelve ordered.
At the same time, Iraq has not hidden its interest in the Rafale either, as it did recently, on the occasion of the Ababil-1 exercise, conducted jointly with the Air Force & the ‘Space [AAE]. “The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani [le Premier ministre irakien, ndlr] ordered to complete the capacity building of the Iraqi armed forces, including the air force. Consequently, Iraq is open to many countries, including France,” said General Yahya Rasoul, spokesman for the Iraqi air force, on this occasion.
Be that as it may, if it mainly focused on economic cooperation [et religieuse]the recent visit to Baghdad of the head of Pakistani diplomacy, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, has undoubtedly advanced the purchase of JF-17s.
BREAKING: IRAQ TO BUY JF-17 FIGHTER JETS FROM PAKISTAN IN MAJOR BILLION DOLLAR PLUS DEFENSE DEAL
The Republic of #Iraq ???????? and the Islamic Republic of #Pakistan ???????? have finalised a deal for the sale of the PAC JF-17 Thunder Block III 4.5 generation mutirole fighter aircraft, to… pic.twitter.com/bVyEgIaTco
— The STRATCOM Bureau (@OSPSF) July 8, 2023
Indeed, according to the Pakistani press, an agreement has been reached between Islamabad and Baghdad for the sale of 12 JF-17C Thunder Block III, spare parts and ammunition for at least 1.1 billion dollars. And there is talk of an option for six additional devices. It would thus be “the biggest arms sale in the history of Pakistan”, underlined Pakistan Republic.
However, the trial still has to be transformed… since this agreement must still be approved by the Iraqi Parliament to materialize.
As a reminder, presented as a multirole aircraft [attaque au sol, interception, reconnaissance]the JF-17 Thunder features a
Klimov RD-33 reactor [de conception russe], which allows it to fly at the maximum speed of Mach 1.6, at an altitude of 17,000 meters. The Block III version is supposed to be equipped with an AESA radar [à antenne active]improved avionics, an IRST [Infra-red search and track] and an in-flight refueling pole.
Its unit price is around 20 million dollars.
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