Myanmar’s military junta is reportedly miffed over the JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighter jets supplied by Pakistan between 2019-21 as they have been declared “unfit for operations”. A total of 11 JF-17 planes are not operational at present due to technical glitches. Myanmar military junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing expressed his displeasure over the same to Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of the Pakistani Army General Asim Munir.
These planes were delivered as a part of a 2016 deal that the Burmese military junta signed to purchase JF-17 jets produced by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and China’s Chengdu Aircraft Industries Corporation. The Burmese Air Force, however, had to soon ground the aircraft as many malfunctions and structural flaws were detected, Myanmar-based Narinjara News reported. Similar issues were reported with the JF-17 fleet acquired in 2022.
In September last year, Pakistani engineers had visited Myanmar to fix the issues with the JF-17 planes jointly manufactured by Pakistan and China. Following a couple of attempts by Pakistani engineers to fix the planes, the military junta is now furious and has sent out a “stern message” to Islamabad to answer for the mess.
The military junta is upset since the non-utility of the aircraft has adversely impacted majority of its plans to scale up its airpower for carrying out targeted strikes against Myanmar’s resistance groups fighting under the banner the People’s Defence Force (PDF), an armed wing of the National Unity Government (NUG). Not only this, the military junta has also been seeking China’s intervention in the matter.
The jets rely on the Russian Klimov RD 93 aeroengine and western avionics and set up a China-made airframe, all of which led to huge operations and maintenance costs compared to a modern weapon system. The plane also has KLJ-7 Al radar and Weapon Mission Management Computer (WMMC). The planes do not have a beyond-visual-range (BVR) missile or airborne interception radar. These issues affect combat effectiveness and limit its performance.
A recent visit by the Myanmar’s Chinese envoy to Naypyitaw reportedly carried a message from the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) top leadership to General Min Aung Hlaing. Sources further said that Pakistan is trying to renegotiate the deal with newer versions of the fighter jet. These new variants are likely to be developed jointly by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and China’s Chengdu Aircraft Industries Corporation. Much information is not available in public domain on whether the renegotiated deal has been accepted by the Myanmar leadership or not.
Following this, Pakistan has been struggling to sell similar aircraft to other countries, especially Latin American nations. China does not have a single JF-17 plane in its Air Force fleet to date.
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