JF-17 attracts strong attention at Dubai Airshow as friendly country inks procurement MoU

Pakistan's JF-17 Thunder garnered significant attention at the Dubai Airshow 2025, leading to the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a friendly country for its procurement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday.

In its statement, the military's media wing termed the MoU signing "another significant milestone in Pakistan's expanding defence and industrial partnerships".

The interest in JF-17 Thunder underscored rising global confidence in Pakistan's aviation sector, it added.

The development comes as Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, held a series of meetings with his counterparts from friendly countries on the sidelines of the Dubai Airshow 2025.

"Chief of the Air Staff also held comprehensive discussions with Lieutenant General Pilot Ibrahim Nasser Al-Alawi, Undersecretary of Defence UAE [United Arab Emirates], and Major General Rashid Mohammed Al-Shamsi, Commander UAE Air Force and Air Defence," the ISPR statement read.

The talks were focused on strengthening cooperation in advanced training, fostering collaboration in emerging aerospace technologies and enhancing the mechanisms for effective operational coordination, it added.

The UAE military leadership praised the Pakistan Air Force's (PAF) modernisation initiatives and growing indigenous capabilities.

PAF's contingent for the Dubai Airshow 2025 includes the advanced JF-17 Thunder Block-III and the Super Mushshak trainer aircraft.

The JF-17 Thunder Block-III's operational performance in Marka-e-Haq — Pakistan's response to Indian aggression in May — has reinforced its reputation as a highly capable and cost-effective multirole fighter.

Pakistan had used JF-17 Thunder jets to destroy India's S-400 air defence system in Adampur by using hypersonic missiles during the four-day war.

Pakistan, in addition to downing multiple Indian fighter jets, struck over 20 Indian military sites across multiple regions in response to India's missile strikes inside Pakistan during the night of May 5 and 6.

New Delhi had claimed its strikes were aimed at "terrorist targets" in response to the Pahalgam attack.

However, the unlawful strikes had resulted in the martyrdom of several civilians and security personnel.