According to a report from BT Business Today, Myanmar’s military junta is reportedly displeased with the Chengdu JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighter jets designed by China but manufactured and supplied by Pakistan between 2019 and 2021, as these aircraft have been deemed “unsuitable for operations.” Currently, 11 of the JF-17 planes are non-operational due to technical issues. General Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of Myanmar’s military junta, expressed his dissatisfaction with Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of the Pakistani Army, General Asim Munir.
These planes were part of a 2016 deal that the Burmese military junta had entered into to acquire JF-17 jets produced by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and China’s Chengdu Aircraft Industries Corporation. However, the Burmese Air Force had to ground the aircraft soon after due to numerous malfunctions and structural flaws, as reported by Myanmar-based Narinjara News. Similar issues were encountered with the JF-17 fleet obtained in 2022.
In September of the previous year, Pakistani engineers visited Myanmar to address the problems with the JF-17 planes, which were jointly manufactured by Pakistan and China. Despite a few attempts by Pakistani engineers to rectify the issues, the military junta has become infuriated and has sent a strong message to Islamabad, demanding accountability for the situation.
The military junta is frustrated because the inoperability of the aircraft has significantly hindered its plans to enhance its airpower for conducting targeted strikes against resistance groups in Myanmar, particularly the People’s Defence Force (PDF), an armed faction of the National Unity Government (NUG). Additionally, the military junta has sought assistance from China regarding this matter.
The JF-17 fighters, jointly manufactured by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and China’s Chengdu Aerospace Corporation, were initially conceived to counterbalance the Indian Air Force. Equipped with Western avionics and powered by the Russian Klimov RD 93 aeroengine, these aircraft utilize a Chinese-made airframe. They possess the capability to be armed with air-to-air mid-range guided missiles, 80-mm and 240-mm rockets, and 500-lb bombs.