Pakistani sources said earlier in the week that the Iraqi government has approved an outlay of $664 million for the purchase of 12 JF-17 Thunder Block III fighter jets from Pakistan.
Iraq will not be engaging Pakistan in the purchase of JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft, the Iraqi Air Force has stated.
According to sources for the Iraqi Air Force, there are currently no plans, negotiations, discussions, and certainly no agreement to purchase such a platform.
The sources added that this was an old story during the tenure of previous Minister of Defence Juma Inad whose tenure ended on October 27, 2022.
“The Minister of Defence Thabit Al Abassi did not and will not engage Pakistan for the purchase of the JF-17,” said a source from the Iraqi Air Force on condition of anonymity.
Pakistani sources said earlier in the week that the Iraqi government has approved an outlay of $664 million for the purchase of 12 JF-17 Thunder Block III fighter jets from Pakistan.
It was reported that Iraq had signed a contract with a Pakistani company to purchase an unspecified number of aircraft, believed to be JF-17 Block III, and that the negotiations for the sale of the jets continued for more than two years.
The aircraft has been jointly manufacturing the aircraft between Pakistan and China. Islamabad has exported its JF-17 to Nigeria and further exploring exporting its Block III version of aircraft to Malaysia, Azerbaijan, and Myanmar.
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