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Azerbaijan Bags 9 JF-17 Block 3 Fighters, Likely Diverted from Pakistan Air Force Orders

SOURCE: AFI Online imagery has surfaced suggesting that Azerbaijan has received nine examples of the JF-17 Block III fighter jet, with three of them appearing to be tandem-seat variants, identifiable by their distinct vertical stabilizers. The aircraft currently lack national insignia or unit markings, with bare airframes seen without fin flashes or liveries. While official confirmation from Baku remains absent, it is likely that these aircraft will eventually sport Azerbaijan’s signature light and dark blue digital camouflage pattern, matching the scheme seen on its earlier JF-17 Block II fleet. What’s particularly interesting is the source of these jets. Indications suggest these Block III aircraft were originally intended for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) but may have been diverted for export to Azerbaijan instead. Reports indicate that the PAF had placed an order for around 30 JF-17 Block III aircraft, but with a strategic shift underway inside the service, those production slots may have been reassigned to fulfill Baku’s growing defense requirements. The current PAF leadership appears increasingly disinterested in the JF-17 program, despite it being touted for years as the “backbone” of Pakistan’s fighter fleet. The Air Chief reportedly favors more advanced Chinese platforms like the J-10CE and even the stealth-capable J-35A, which are seen as better suited to replace the PAF’s ageing F-16s and Mirage-III/V fleets. This internal policy shift has resulted in a surplus of JF-17s, especially as the service delays or reduces its own induction pace. In what can only be described as a strategic “dump,” Pakistan now seems to be channeling those surplus airframes to friendly countries, with Azerbaijan being the latest recipient. Azerbaijan’s acquisition of the Block III variant — the most advanced version of the JF-17 to date — marks a significant upgrade in its aerial capabilities. The Block III introduces an AESA radar, new avionics, an improved electronic warfare suite, and compatibility with advanced Chinese weapons like the PL-15 BVRAAM, extending the jet’s reach and lethality. For Pakistan, the move also helps boost export credibility for the JF-17 program, which has struggled to find consistent buyers outside Myanmar and Nigeria. However, the optics of offloading jets originally earmarked for its own fleet could be seen as a tacit admission that the JF-17 has fallen out of favor within its own air force. This windfall is the latest tranche of a blockbuster $4.6 billion deal inked in September 2024, under which Pakistan pledged up to 40 JF-17 Block IIIs to its South Caucasus ally – Azerbaijan’s largest-ever arms buy. Deliveries kicked off in earnest last month, with the first batch touching down in October: six single-seat JF-17Cs for frontline fangs and three dual-seat JF-17Bs for training talons. The jets made their public debut last week at a rousing military parade in Baku, thundering overhead in tight formation – a not-so-subtle flex amid simmering tensions with Armenia. Whispers in defence corridors suggest these nine jets might be more than just export filler – they could be the very airframes Islamabad originally earmarked for its own Pakistan Air Force (PAF) squadrons. With production humming at over 30 units annually, Pakistan’s co-production line with China has churned out a surplus that’s now flooding the export market like yesterday’s chai. Sources close to the matter hint that a batch of 30 JF-17s, greenlit for PAF induction to bolster No. 16 Black Panthers or No. 19 Sherdils, got rerouted eastward instead – a classic case of “build it, then ship it out.” Blame it on the man at the top: Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar, who ascended in 2024 with a clear-eyed vision that’s anything but Thunderstruck. The ACM isn’t shy about his pivot: JF-17s, once the poster child of Pak-China indigenization, are yesterday’s news in his hangar. Reliable insiders report Babar views the lightweight fighter – nimble and affordable at $25-30 million a pop – as a stopgap, not a silver bullet, especially against India’s Rafale squadrons and China’s own J-20 ghosts. Instead, he’s all-in on Beijing’s heavy hitters: ramping up orders for Chengdu J-10CE “Vigorous Dragons” (another 36 on the shopping list, bringing the tally to 50+) and eyeing a game-changing tranche of 40 Shenyang J-35A stealth fighters – China’s FC-31 export variant, pitched as a 5th-gen bargain at $70 million each. NOTE: AFI is a proud outsourced content creator partner of IDRW.ORG. All content created by AFI is the sole property of AFI and is protected by copyright. AFI takes copyright infringement seriously and will pursue all legal options available to protect its content.

Unknown • November 15, 2025

Azerbaijan Bags 9 JF-17 Block 3 Fighters, Likely Diverted from Pakistan Air Force Orders

SOURCE: AFI

Online imagery has surfaced suggesting that Azerbaijan has received nine examples of the JF-17 Block III fighter jet, with three of them appearing to be tandem-seat variants, identifiable by their distinct vertical stabilizers. The aircraft currently lack national insignia or unit markings, with bare airframes seen without fin flashes or liveries.

While official confirmation from Baku remains absent, it is likely that these aircraft will eventually sport Azerbaijan’s signature light and dark blue digital camouflage pattern, matching the scheme seen on its earlier JF-17 Block II fleet.

What’s particularly interesting is the source of these jets. Indications suggest these Block III aircraft were originally intended for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) but may have been diverted for export to Azerbaijan instead. Reports indicate that the PAF had placed an order for around 30 JF-17 Block III aircraft, but with a strategic shift underway inside the service, those production slots may have been reassigned to fulfill Baku’s growing defense requirements.

The current PAF leadership appears increasingly disinterested in the JF-17 program, despite it being touted for years as the “backbone” of Pakistan’s fighter fleet. The Air Chief reportedly favors more advanced Chinese platforms like the J-10CE and even the stealth-capable J-35A, which are seen as better suited to replace the PAF’s ageing F-16s and Mirage-III/V fleets.

This internal policy shift has resulted in a surplus of JF-17s, especially as the service delays or reduces its own induction pace. In what can only be described as a strategic “dump,” Pakistan now seems to be channeling those surplus airframes to friendly countries, with Azerbaijan being the latest recipient.

Azerbaijan’s acquisition of the Block III variant — the most advanced version of the JF-17 to date — marks a significant upgrade in its aerial capabilities. The Block III introduces an AESA radar, new avionics, an improved electronic warfare suite, and compatibility with advanced Chinese weapons like the PL-15 BVRAAM, extending the jet’s reach and lethality.

For Pakistan, the move also helps boost export credibility for the JF-17 program, which has struggled to find consistent buyers outside Myanmar and Nigeria. However, the optics of offloading jets originally earmarked for its own fleet could be seen as a tacit admission that the JF-17 has fallen out of favor within its own air force.

This windfall is the latest tranche of a blockbuster $4.6 billion deal inked in September 2024, under which Pakistan pledged up to 40 JF-17 Block IIIs to its South Caucasus ally – Azerbaijan’s largest-ever arms buy. Deliveries kicked off in earnest last month, with the first batch touching down in October: six single-seat JF-17Cs for frontline fangs and three dual-seat JF-17Bs for training talons. The jets made their public debut last week at a rousing military parade in Baku, thundering overhead in tight formation – a not-so-subtle flex amid simmering tensions with Armenia.

Whispers in defence corridors suggest these nine jets might be more than just export filler – they could be the very airframes Islamabad originally earmarked for its own Pakistan Air Force (PAF) squadrons. With production humming at over 30 units annually, Pakistan’s co-production line with China has churned out a surplus that’s now flooding the export market like yesterday’s chai. Sources close to the matter hint that a batch of 30 JF-17s, greenlit for PAF induction to bolster No. 16 Black Panthers or No. 19 Sherdils, got rerouted eastward instead – a classic case of “build it, then ship it out.”

Blame it on the man at the top: Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar, who ascended in 2024 with a clear-eyed vision that’s anything but Thunderstruck. The ACM isn’t shy about his pivot: JF-17s, once the poster child of Pak-China indigenization, are yesterday’s news in his hangar. Reliable insiders report Babar views the lightweight fighter – nimble and affordable at $25-30 million a pop – as a stopgap, not a silver bullet, especially against India’s Rafale squadrons and China’s own J-20 ghosts. Instead, he’s all-in on Beijing’s heavy hitters: ramping up orders for Chengdu J-10CE “Vigorous Dragons” (another 36 on the shopping list, bringing the tally to 50+) and eyeing a game-changing tranche of 40 Shenyang J-35A stealth fighters – China’s FC-31 export variant, pitched as a 5th-gen bargain at $70 million each.

NOTE: AFI is a proud outsourced content creator partner of IDRW.ORG. All content created by AFI is the sole property of AFI and is protected by copyright. AFI takes copyright infringement seriously and will pursue all legal options available to protect its content.

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