Islamabad: Somalia is negotiating with Pakistan to purchase up to 24 JF-17 Thunder Block III fighter jets, a media report said here Sunday. The discussions accelerated following a visit to Islamabad by Somali Air Force Commander Mohamud Sheikh Ali earlier in the month, The News reported, citing foreign media.
The JF-17 Thunder is a single-engine lightweight combat jet developed jointly by the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) of China and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC).
Though Pakistan claims that the jet has proved its capabilities during the conflict with India last year, its effectiveness is not clearly known.
Pakistan had extensively used Chinese-origin Chengdu J-10 fighter jets during the May 7-10 conflict with India, according to experts and military officials.
On Sunday, The News quoted a Somali defence ministry official as saying, “Our airspace must be protected by Somali hands,” portraying the acquisition not merely as a weapons procurement effort but as a statement of political sovereignty and institutional resurgence.