In a major breakthrough, Pakistan has reached an agreement with Iraq for the sale of twelve MFI-Mushaq trainer aircraft and twelve JF-17 Thunder Block III fighter jets to the Iraqi Air Force.
While the overall agreement – reportedly calculated at 1.8 billion USD – was concluded in a meeting between the Iraqi Defence Ministry, represented by Lt Gen Ahmed Dawood and Lt Gen Shahab Jahid Ali and Pakistan Air Chief Marshall Zaheer Ahmed Babar, the fine print and specifics of the deal need to be ironed put. It is here where defence agreements often fall apart, so nothing should be taken as concrete just yet.
However, the reported sale, if it materialises, will be a glowing endorsement of Pakistan’s production and export strategy, as Iraq would join the list of Azerbaijan, Nigeria, and Myanmar, as operators of the Thunder in the near future. The development of lightweight JF-17 as a joint venture between China and Pakistan has been a definitive success. With the latest Block III variants, Pakistan has not only managed to replace its aging fleet of Cold War aircraft but has also managed to substantially increase its force projection, as the fighter incorporates advanced avionics, cutting-edge weaponry, and hi-tech targeting systems, far beyond what Pakistan had available to it before.
However, the real success of JF-17 lies in the fact it is an indigenously made aircraft; with a majority of the components being made in Pakistan, while the rest being sourced from China. Modern conflict has proven that the economics of weapons systems are as important as their effectiveness. In a time where the West’s fighter aircraft offerings come with a mountain of terms and conditions, having an inexpensive, reliable, and effective indigenous fighter is priceless.
Here, Iraq and Pakistan are in roughly analogous positions; after relying on the US F-16 to form its fleets spearhead, both nations ran into trouble with US’ mercurial component supply rules. This effectively scuppered the fleet, as without proper repair, maintenance, and ammunition, these expensive machines are sitting ducks.
As such, Pakistan should enshrine indigenous development in its doctrine – prioritizing technology sharing and local production in all future contracts. As the development of the modern Haider Main Battle Tank – a localised version of the Chinese NORINCO VT4 – shows, Pakistan seems to be already putting this into practice.