Brandon J. Weichert
Prior to the past days’ clashes, Pakistan most recently displayed the excellence of Chinese warplanes in its aborted war with India in May.
A temporary ceasefire has been declared in the spiraling border war between Pakistan and Taliban-controlled Afghanistan that erupted last week. But the conflict erupted with such a ferocity out of Pakistan that it stunned the Taliban.
Responding to what Islamabad claimed were unacceptable cross-border terrorist attacks by anti-Pakistani insurgents being harbored within Afghanistan, the skilled Pakistani Air Force (PAF) struck hard against Afghanistan—in an apparent attempt to force Kabul into cooperating with Islamabad on anti-terrorism military operations in Afghanistan.
Interestingly, the PAF deployed their Chinese-made warplanes and weapons in their recent wave of airstrikes directed against targets along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border as well as against Kabul itself. China’s JF-17 Thunder was used for cross-border strikes on Taliban hideouts in neighboring Afghanistan. Prior to the past days’ clashes, Pakistan most recently displayed the excellence of Chinese warplanes in its aborted war with India in May.
Pakistan operates the J-10C “Vigorous Dragon” from China, too. Owing to their previous close ties with the United States, the PAF has older F-16s still in service, too.
What to Know About Pakistan’s Chinese-Made Warplanes
The JF-17 was developed as a joint Pakistan-China project under the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC).
Pakistan operates three variants of the JF-17 Thunder. The Block I variant is the barebones version. The Block II possesses improved avionics and can conduct midair refueling. The most advanced variant, the Block III, includes AESA radar, advanced electronic warfare (EW) capabilities, and is believed to have stealth coatings to reduce visibility on enemy radar.
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