The Myanmar military junta has declared the JF-17 Thunder fighter planes supplied by Pakistan as unfit for operations. The Burmese Air Force was forced to ground the aircraft due to malfunctions and structural flaws. This has strained relations between Islamabad and Naypyidaw, leading China to intervene. Pakistan is reportedly attempting to renegotiate the deal with newer versions of the JF-17s, but it is unclear if the military junta has accepted the new terms.
Myanmar Air Force said the JF-17 fighter jet is plagued with structural flaws, radar overheating, and engine issues. The MAF was forced to ground the aircraft. The JF-17 provided limited air-to-air and air-to-ground capability, so the junta’s JF-17 fighter jets were rendered useless and a waste of money. The junta was forced to use six Su-30 fighter jets limiting the junta’s operations in the war-ravaged country.
Nigeria’s JF-17 Thunder fighter jets have faced technical issues. The avionics have experienced frequent technical glitches, and the airborne interception radar is unreliable and doesn’t perform at the required levels. JF-17’s poor accuracy and low weapon-carrying capacity caused Nigeria to purchase Italian M-346FA fighter jets.
The JF-17’s Link-17 data link has a low data transfer rate and can’t be integrated with other aircraft.
The JF-17’s precision strike capability has been questioned, as evidenced by frequent module failures, structural cracks, and poor radar accuracy.
As a result of these issues, Nigeria is looking for alternatives to the JF-17. Italy has offered to supply Nigeria with M-346FA fighter jets, considered more manoeuvrable and reliable than the JF-17.
Multi-role fighter planes, JF-17 Thunder, supplied to Myanmar by Pakistan were declared unfit, and the military junta has sent a “stern message” to Islamabad to answer for the mess, Myanmar-based Narinjara News reported, citing sources.
Pakistan supplied many JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft to Myanmar between 2019 and 2021, declared “unfit for operations.”
The delivered planes were part of a deal that the Burmese military junta signed in 2016 to purchase JF-17s produced jointly by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and Chengdu Aircraft Industries Corporation of China. But soon after the delivery of the aircraft, the Burmese Air Force was forced to ground them as malfunctions and structural flaws were detected.
The failure of JF-17 appears to be a shimmering tension between Islamabad and Naypyidaw, which somehow compelled China to intervene.
As per Narinjara News, Myanmar’s Chinese envoy to Naypyidaw’s recent visit is said to have carried a message from the CCP’s top leadership to Gen Min Aung Hlaing.
According to sources, Pakistan is trying hard to renegotiate the deal with newer versions of the JF-17s. These new variants will likely be developed using the same combination of Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and Chengdu Aircraft Industries Corporation of China.
However, there is little information on whether the military junta leadership has accepted the renegotiated deal.
Informed sources said that the military junta is very upset as the non-utility of the aircraft has hampered most of its plans of beefing up its airpower to carry out targeted strikes on Myanmar’s resistance groups, which are fighting under the banner of the People’s Defence Force (PDF) an armed wing of the NUG.
Following the news of the crisis arising out of the malfunctioning of the JF-17s, Narinjara News reported that Pakistan’s efforts to sell similar aircraft to other countries, especially Latin American countries, have hit a roadblock.
Notably, China has not included a single JF-17 in its inventory.
The JF-17 cannot be universally classified as “junk.” It has its strengths and weaknesses, and its value primarily depends on the specific needs of the Air Force using it and the operational context. It can be a suitable option for countries seeking a cost-effective, multi-role fighter. However, it may not satisfy the requirements of nations looking for cutting-edge technology and performance.
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