During the most recent India-Pakistan war, modern Chinese-built jets faced off against a combination of Russian and French fighters. While the battle of J-10C vs Rafale drew the most attention, even more interesting was the contest between the JF-17 Thunder and the Indian Su-30MKI – India’s version of Russia’s Su-30.
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It seems the two fighter jets may soon face each other again this time in the highly charged Caucasus region. Pakistan has just signed a US$4.6 billion defense deal with Azerbaijan to provide 40 JF-17 Thunder fighters, and a further US$2 billion investment package. Azerbaijan initially ordered a total of 16 JF-17s due to technical issues with their air force’s Soviet-made MiG fighters, but this new deal has authorized an enlargement of the order to 40 aircraft in total.
Pakistan recently signed a US$4.6 billion defense agreement with Azerbaijan to supply 40 JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, along with a US$2 billion accompanying investment package. Azerbaijan had initially ordered 16 JF-17s from Pakistan, but the new contract expands that purchase to 40 aircraft.
According to The EurAsian Times report, JF-17 Thunder is a single-engine, multirole fighter aircraft that was co-developed by Pakistan and China. It was constructed by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) in cooperation with the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC), and is intended to carry out a variety of missions, including air interceptions, ground strikes, anti-ship attacks, and aerial reconnaissance.
The delivery of the 40 jets is likely to take place in stages over several years, and training programs for Azerbaijani pilots and technicians will also be included, reported EurAsian Times.
Azerbaijan has been embroiled in a longstanding feud with Armenia, similar to the India-Pakistan conflict. Since 2020, there have been three brief wars September 2020, September 2022, and September 2023 between the two nations. The wars all resulted in Baku tightening its control over the Nagorno-Karabakh corridor, an area internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians that was previously under Armenian rule.
Since then, there has been a tenuous peace along the border, but tensions are high with both countries in an arms race.
Another contentious issue is the Zangezur Corridor a potential route that would connect all of Azerbaijan to connect with its Nakhchivan exclave without having to go through Armenian Syunik Province. With all these other potentially unresolved issues, the situation is ripe for escalation at any time, and Armenia must remain vigilant. Thus, Armenia cannot ignore the rapid modernization of the Azerbaijani Air Force, especially because its air force is in dire straits at the moment.
A report published by Eurasian Times stated that Armenia urgently needs to upgrade its Air Force. The country has very few fighter jets, approximately only 10-15 Su-25 Frogfoot aircraft, and many of which may have been lost in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. Currently, Armenia has only 4 Su-30SMs bought from Russia in 2019, and has yet to receive a weapons package from Russia for the fighter jets. Now, Armenia has approached India to buy Su-30 fighter jets. At the end of October 2024, Armenia was interested in buying 8-12 Su-30MKIs from India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the negotiations have begun again with Armenia looking to buy 8-12 Su-30MKI fighter jets from India.
However, Yerevan is once again considering purchasing 8-12 Su-30MKI fighter jets from India after Azerbaijan indicated a deal with Pakistan for 40 JF-17 Thunder fighter jets. India produces the Su-30MKI fighter jets at HAL Facility under a license agreement from Sukhoi. India is notable for having one of the largest fleets of Su-30s in any nation in the world, with the Indian Air Force operating almost 260 of them. In December 2024, New Delhi signed a contract with Moscow to produce 12 more Su-30s where indigenous content exceeds 62%.