ISLAMABAD – The Pakistan Air Force has decided to establish another squadron comprising latest variant of JF-17 Thunder Block III fighter aircrafts.
Reports said that the squadron will be established in Karachi and it will replace already disbanded No.8 Haiders Squadron.
“The process of delivering, fully inducting and operationalising the one-and-a-half dozen Block III units will be completed in the coming months ending in raising of the primary JF-17C Block III multirole squadron in the PAF’s Southern Air Command, stationed at PAF Base Masroor, Karachi,” reported a defence media outlet.
Earlier, the ‘Haiders’ Squadron was initially deployed for maritime strike and later used for tactical attack missions using Mirage fighter jets since 1983.
The PAF is procedurally retiring its Mirage III and V aircrafts in all squadron, replacing them with the JF-17C and J-10C fighter aircraft.
The JF-17 Thunder is jointly developed by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG), while the J-10 “Mighty Dragon” is developed by CAIG.
The JF-17C Block III, which is an advanced combat iteration of the Thunder Programme, is expected to replace JF-17A and JF-17B Block II fleet by early 2030s. It will strengthen the defence of Pakistan.
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