SPA Six new JF-17 Thunder aircraft have been inducted into the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), taking the PAF s tally of this new series of fighter jet to eight, the PAF said in a statement. The F-17 Thunder is an advanced multi-role light combat aircraft invested in and developed jointly by China and Pakistan. It is the result of a key strategic collaboration project between the two countries in the military field, the statement said. The JF-17 is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and is being seen as one of the most capable multi-role aircraft available, which should fulfill PAF requirements well into the middle of the 21st century. The government is also trying to procure the latest related missile technology from France to make the jets even more effective. The PAF statement said the six additional JF-17s had been inducted in test and evaluation flights at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra, where they will be put through further testing and evaluation as part of the JF-17 development programme. Four of the jets will be on display at the National Day fly-past on March 23. It also highlighted the major milestones achieved in the joint project so far. The statement said that the first flight of the first prototype took place in August 2003, while the third prototype was flight-tested in April 2004. In May 2006, the fourth prototype, with fully integrated configuration, made its successful maiden flight in Chengdu, China, while the sixth prototype took to the air in September 2006. President Pervez Musharraf was the chief guest at the arrival ceremony of the first JF-17 in Pakistan on March 21, 2007.
