ISLAMABAD: JF-17 Block 3 photographed during the rehearsals for the Pakistan Day Parade, which were held on March 23, 2023, the Pakistan Air Force showed two JF-17 Thunder Block 3 for the first time in public over Islamabad.
The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) in Kamra started Block 3 production in 2018/2019 and on December 30, 2020, the Air Force officially celebrated the start of the Block 3 production. The first JF-17 Block 3, with serial number 3000, made its maiden flight at the CAC facilities in Chengdu (China) on December 15, 2019.
The Thunder Block3, also named C version, is an extensively modified version compared to two previous versions with a new AESA KLJ-7A airborne fire-control radar (FCR) adding more firepower in combination with the long range PL-15 air-to-air missile, a new Missile Approach Warning (MAW) system, an enhanced Electronic Warfare (EW) management system and Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) with external ECM pods.
Further the Block 3 is equipped with a new Head-Up Display (HUD) integrated with a Head Mounted Display (HMD), use of more composite materials for weight reduction and adding a chin-mounted device, which might house an infrared search and tracking (IRST) system. Clearly visible is the in-flight refuelling probe, a feature also available on the Block 2 version.
