Sri Lanka denies reports of buying JF-17 Thunder jets from Pakistan

KARACHI: Sri Lanka has denied reports of being the very first foreign buyer of JF-17 Thunder fighter jets from Pakistan, according to a report published in Sri Lankan newspaper Daily Mirror.

The aircraft is state-of-the-art fighter air planes that are manufactured jointly by China and Pakistan.

The report in Daily Mirror said there is no substance in the reports carried by foreign media that Sri Lanka is planning to become the first foreign buyer of JF-17 Thunder aircraft. Sri Lankan Air Force has still not made up its mind in this regard, it said.

It quoted, Sri Lankan Air Force spokesperson, Wing Commander Gihan Senevirathne as saying that ‘although both Pakistan and China have indicated the availability of the fighter jet and proposals have been submitted on the availability of the aircrafts, SLA has not made any decision on purchasing them.’