Nigeria plans to acquire three JF-17
Thunder multirole fighter jets this year from Pakistan for $25 million, which
would make the West African country the first export operator for the
warplanes. The Nigerian government, led by President Muhammadu Buhari, has also
set aside money to purchase 10 PAC Super Mushshak basic trainers and two Mi-35M
helicopters, Nigerian newspaper Punch reported Wednesday.
The local newspaper said it obtained
the information on the Nigerian government’s procurement plans from a leaked
copy of the 2016 budget, which Buhari presented to the National Assembly in
December. Buhari reportedly proposed to spend some $326 million for the
acquisition of various combat aircraft, equipment, vehicles and ships in the
2016 fiscal year, as the Nigerian military aims to defeat Boko Haram insurgents
in the northeast.
Nigerian military officials have
apparently been interested in obtaining the JF-17 since the 2014 International
Defense Exhibition and Seminar in the commercial capital of Pakistan. During
the exhibition, a Pakistani defense official said Nigeria was close to signing
a contract for the fighter jets to upgrade its air force. But a deal was not
subsequently finalized, according to South Africa’s defenceWeb.
Sri Lanka has reportedly signed a deal
with Pakistan for an initial eight JF-17 Thunder jets, as the two countries aim
to boost defense cooperation. There has been no official confirmation of the
agreement, though it has been widely reported, according to Defense News.
The JF-17 Thunder is a lightweight,
single-engine, multirole combat aircraft developed jointly by the Pakistan
Aeronautical Complex and China’s state-owned Chengdu Aircraft Corporation. The
jet is equipped with a 23mm GSh-23-2 twin-barrel autocannon and can also be
armed with both air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles. The JF-17 Thunder is currently
only in service in Pakistan, according to UPI.
Source: IBTIMES
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