Nigeria plans to acquire three JF-17 Thunder multirole fighter jets this year from Pakistan for $25 million, which would make the West African country the first export operator for the warplanes. The Nigerian government, led by President Muhammadu Buhari, has also set aside money to purchase 10 PAC Super Mushshak basic trainers and two Mi-35M helicopters, Nigerian newspaper Punch reported Wednesday.
The local newspaper said it obtained the information on the Nigerian government’s procurement plans from a leaked copy of the 2016 budget, which Buhari presented to the National Assembly in December. Buhari reportedly proposed to spend some $326 million for the acquisition of various combat aircraft, equipment, vehicles and ships in the 2016 fiscal year, as the Nigerian military aims to defeat Boko Haram insurgents in the northeast.
Nigerian military officials have apparently been interested in obtaining the JF-17 since the 2014 International Defense Exhibition and Seminar in the commercial capital of Pakistan. During the exhibition, a Pakistani defense official said Nigeria was close to signing a contract for the fighter jets to upgrade its air force. But a deal was not subsequently finalized, according to South Africa’s defenceWeb.
Sri Lanka has reportedly signed a deal with Pakistan for an initial eight JF-17 Thunder jets, as the two countries aim to boost defense cooperation. There has been no official confirmation of the agreement, though it has been widely reported, according to Defense News.
The JF-17 Thunder is a lightweight, single-engine, multirole combat aircraft developed jointly by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and China’s state-owned Chengdu Aircraft Corporation. The jet is equipped with a 23mm GSh-23-2 twin-barrel autocannon and can also be armed with both air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles. The JF-17 Thunder is currently only in service in Pakistan, according to UPI.
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