In September 2021, it was rumored that Iraq was keenly interested in the JF-17 “Thunder”, a fighter-bomber developed in cooperation between China and Pakistan and launched in 1995. This rumor was confirmed after an interview with the Al-Arabiya channel by Juma Inad, Iraq’s defense minister at the time.
In fact, he confirmed without further detail that Baghdad had signed a “deal with a Pakistani company” to “purchase military aircraft.” For some observers, making the connection with the JF-17 Thunder was enough.
But that was probably too fast…. And Juma Inad probably wanted to talk about an order for the Super Mushshak YI-201 trainer aircraft from the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex [PAC]. In any case, the Iraqi Air Force has now received at least four of the twelve ordered.
At the same time, Iraq has not hid its interest in the Rafale, as it did recently during the Ababil-1 exercise conducted jointly with the Air Force and Space [AAE]. “The Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani [le Premier ministre irakien, ndlr] ordered to complete capacity building of Iraqi forces, including the air force. Consequently, Iraq is open to many countries, including France,” said General Yahya Rasoul, spokesman for the Iraqi Air Force, on the occasion.
Be that as it may, if it were mainly about economic cooperation [et religieuse]The recent visit to Baghdad by the head of Pakistani diplomacy, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, undoubtedly spurred the JF-17 purchase.
BREAKING: IRAQ TO BUY PAKISTAN JF-17 FIGHTER FOR BIG BILLION DOLLARS AND DEFENSE DEAL
The Republic #Iraq 🇮🇶 and the Islamic Republic #Pakistan 🇵🇰 signed a contract for the sale of the Mutirole fighter jet of the 4.5. Generation PAC JF-17 Thunder Block III completed to… pic.twitter.com/bVyEgIaTco
— The STRATCOM office (@OSPSF) July 8, 2023
According to the Pakistani press, an agreement has indeed been reached between Islamabad and Baghdad to sell 12 JF-17C Thunder Block IIIs, spare parts and ammunition for at least $1.1 billion. And there is talk of an option for six more devices. It would be “the largest arms sale in Pakistan’s history,” the Republic of Pakistan said.
However, the process still needs to be redesigned as this deal still needs to be approved by the Iraqi parliament to go through.
As a reminder: presented as a multirole aircraft [attaque au sol, interception, reconnaissance]the JF-17 Thunder features a
Klimov RD-33 reactor [de conception russe], allowing it to fly at a maximum speed of Mach 1.6 at an altitude of 17,000 meters. The Block III version is said to be equipped with an AESA radar [à antenne active]improved avionics, an IRST [Infra-red search and track] and an in-flight fuel pump.
The unit price is around 20 million dollars.