JF-17 fighter finds buyer at Dubai Air Show: report

Aviation Industry Corp of China (Avic) and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex closed the deal with an unidentified buyer at the air show, the newspaper said, citing an Avic statement. It did not say when the contract was signed or how many jets were sold.

“Several potential buyers have expressed to us their strong intention of introducing the aircraft,” Liu Yu, deputy head of Avic’s military aircraft sales division, was quoted as saying.

China’s weapons exports jumped 143 per cent in the five years to 2014 compared to the previous five-year period, but still only account for about 5pc of the global arms market.

Officials from Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) had earlier said at the ongoing Dubai Airshow that an upgraded version of the jointly developed JF-17 fighter jet is expected to be exported to more customers.