JF-17 Thunder

The JF-17 Thunder, known in China as the Chengdu FC-1 Xiaolong (English: Fierce Dragon) is a light-weight multi-role combat aircraft jointly developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAC) of China and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) of Pakistan. The "JF" and "FC" designations stand for "Joint Fighter" (Pakistan) and "Fighter China" (China) respectively.

Originally designed to be a small and capable lightweight fighter powered by a single engine to reduce costs, the JF-17 was supposed to be a simple and inexpensive solution for replacing large fleets of obsolete types in the air forces of developing countries. The JF-17 evolved into a more advanced fighter during the later stages of development with revised terms of reference by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and the incorporation of more modern features and technologies.

The maiden test flight of the first prototype took place during 2003 in China, later test flights of a more advanced version taking place in 2006. The first two SBP (small batch production) aircraft were delivered to the Pakistan Air Force on 12 March 2007 for further flight testing and evaluation, also taking part in the aircraft's first aerial display 11 days later in Islamabad, Pakistan. The first production aircraft manufactured in Pakistan was rolled out on 23 November 2009 and handed over to the PAF. The Pakistan Air Force plans to make the first JF-17 squadron officially operational in early 2010.