By Franz-Stefan Gady
China and Pakistan (again?) signed a contract with an unidentified Asian country.
China and Pakistan may finally have their first customer for the jointly developed Pakistan Aeronautical Complex/Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (PAC/CAC) JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft.
According to Chinese media reports, a deal was signed during the Dubai Air Show this month with an unidentified Asian country.
It remains unknown when the contract was signed or how many aircraft were sold. Khaleej Times quotes Air Commodore Khalid Mahmood, head of sales and marketing for the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, who once more noted that “a contract has been signed with an Asian country.”
However, the Pakistani officer made the exact same announcement during the Paris Air Show in June 2015 (See: “Confirmed: Sino-Pak JF-17 Fighter Jet Has its First Buyer”).
Back then Khalid also refused to name the country. He also did not specify the number of planes sold, although he stated that deliveries would likely begin in 2017. (China Daily also noted a 2017 delivery date this Wednesday.)
Read the full story at The Diplomat