Pakistan To Buy JF-17 Fighter Jet Engines Directly From Russia

Pakistan will be importing JF-17 fighter engines from Russia, The Express Tribune Daily reported Saturday.

Pakistan was importing engines via China earlier. China has recently issued a no objection certificate (NOC) to Pakistan. Both the nations were earlier producing the fighter as a joint venture, the newspaper quoted unnamed Pakistan’ defense source as saying.

 “The Chinese NOC now allows Pakistan to import fighter jet engines from Russia directly,” the source said. “This will not only reduce the cost of production of the fighter jet but will also lead to enhanced defence cooperation between Russia and Pakistan.”

Both Russia and Pakistan have agreed to improve cooperation in defense during Russian defense minister’s Islamabad visit. “This is a significant move since Pakistan had never struck any direct defence deal with Russia,” the sources said.