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Pakistan starts assembling Pakistani-built combat aircraft

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-06-30 15:41

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Air Force (PAF) started assembling of the first Pakistani-built JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft on Tuesday, local TV channel reported.

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Rao Qamar Suleman, Chief of Staff of the PAF, inaugurated the construction in a ceremony at Amra which houses the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in the mountainous north of the Punjab province. Top military and civilian officials of Pakistan and China attended the ceremony, the private TV channel GEO NEWS reported.

GEO NEWS quoted Suleman as saying that this success will enhance Pakistan's air power in the region and at international scale. Suleman praised the Chinese cooperation and said that the joint Sino-Pakistan project is a living example of the cooperation between the two countries.

Pakistan and China signed an agreement for the production of 42 JF-17 fighters, which are expected to form the backbone of Pakistani aerial combat fleet in coming years.

The Pakistan Air Force has so far received eight JF-17 jets from China that are being used for testing and evaluation. The PAF plans to raise its first squadron of JF-17 jets by the end of this year.