Azerbaijan’s Air Force may be taking steps to fill a long-standing requirement for fighter aircraft. On February 22, Azernews reported that Azerbaijan’s Air Force inked a $1.6 billion deal with Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) for the purchase of JF-17 Block III combat aircraft, along with unspecified “ammunition.” The total quantity of jets was not reported, nor were other details, such as delivery schedule, provided.
Neither government has publicly announced the deal, and the recent reports only refer to anonymous sources in Islamabad as disclosing the information, adding to a long list of similar thinly-sourced or vague reports over the years about the JF-17 negotiations. While Baku could look elsewhere for acquisitions in the meantime, its options on international markets are limited and have narrowed in recent years.
Azerbaijan certainly has the finances to acquire new fighter jets, whether from Pakistan or another supplier. The country’s combined defense and security budget will reach AZN6.4 billion ($3.8 billion) in 2024, buoyed by oil and gas exports. One factor extending the negotiations has been waiting for the JF-17 program to mature with the Block III version.
Process of elimination has thus worked in the JF-17’s favor. If Azerbaijan does move forward with an order, how many jets might it buy? While that figure has never been confirmed, the reported $1.6 billion price tag offers some guidelines. The JF-17 supposedly costs around $25 million per plane, although that figure probably does not account for all the factors that would go into a deal.
