Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) state-of-the-art JF-17 Thunder Block-III fighter jet, currently in the United Kingdom (UK) to participate in the prestigious Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) 2025, is earning praise from international aviation experts.

 

In a video statement, an aviation expert declared the jet one of his “personal favourite aircraft” from the PAF, adding that the jet has an “excellent jammer pod as well as missile systems, probably one of the most dangerous in the world.”

 

"[It is] a great aircraft to see and a great aircraft, I bet to fly,” he added.

 

Another aviation expert called the jet “a beautiful-sounding aircraft”, noting, “It's a big honour for us here to work with the Pakistan Air Force, and it's just really good to see … really nice aircraft in general.”

 

The JF-17 Thunder Block-III, a 4.5-generation multi-role fighter aircraft, bears an EASA Radar and long-range Beyond Visual Range (BVR), which is capable of undertaking a wide variety of combat missions.

 

On Thursday, a contingent of the PAF comprising JF-17 aircraft and the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft landed at the Royal Air Force Base Fairford in UK to participate in the prestigious RIAT 2025, Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) had said in a statement.

 

“PAF’s participation in RIAT, one of the world’s largest military airshows, underscores Pakistan Air Force’s commitment to showcasing its professional excellence, operational capability and the indigenous strength of its aviation industry,” said the ISPR.

 

The military media wing further said that in addition to the “operational significance of this international deployment”, PAF’s JF-17 fighters executed successful Air-to-Air refuelling operations en-route to the UK with the support of a PAF IL-78 aerial refuelling tanker. 

 

The ISPR further said, “There is a palpable sense of enthusiasm across the United Kingdom following the recent Pakistan-India conflict, as aviation enthusiasts and defence observers were eagerly looking forward to the arrival of the Pakistan Air Force’s JF-17 Thunder Block-III. The aircraft’s combat-proven capabilities and operational excellence have garnered significant global attention, making its appearance at RIAT a highly anticipated highlight in the aerospace and defence community.”

 

On the night of May 6-7, when PAF downed five Indian jets, including three Rafales, as retaliation for Indian strikes in Pakistan’s cities during the conflict, the PAF formally acknowledged a month later that it was the Kamra-based 15 Squadron that led the charge in shooting down the jets.

 

The event is now considered one of the largest air-to-air engagements in South Asia in more than half a century.