Pakistan Inducts its Newest JF-17 Variant; The Twin Seat JF-17B

With the JF-17 Thunder serving as the pride of the Pakistan's Air Force for a decade, the service has inducted the new JF-17B twin seat fighter. The new fighter underwent extensive flight tests in China, and began production in April 2017. Like other variants of the fighter, the JF-17B will be jointly produced by both Pakistan and China. The twin seat fighter has several new features which will improve its combat effectiveness. These include modified flight control systems, a three-axel fly-by-wire, an extended nose, a changed vertical stabilizer, altered material proportions and a greater wingspan.

The new fighter also includes a dorsal spine, which compensates for the internal space lost due to the extra seat by storing fuel on the spine. This was a similar development to the Russian MiG-29SMT, which also introduced a spine to compensate for its limited internal fuel storage. The JF-17B's 0.5 meter larger wingspan grants the fighter a better turn rate and reduces the required take-off distance. The fighter will also be an invaluable asset for training new pilots, allowing them to train alongside those with more experience as they adapt from reliance on trainers and simulators to flying a genuine fighter aircraft. The JF-17 has already seen export orders to Nigeria and Myanmar, and the JF-17B is likely to also see export orders. It is a highly attractive platform for developing countries due to its lack of complexity, low acquisition cost, low maintenance requirements and low operational costs. The fast progress the fighter program has made since its initial induction in the early 2000s, with consecutive variants improving their capabilities substantially compared to their predecessors, could well see the JF-17 eventually become one of the world's foremost fourth generation light multirole fighters. The integration of more sophisticated avionics, radars and weapons systems onto the JF-17 however will be accompanied by rising costs.