JF-17: Thunder rolls in for air forces seeking a jet that's low-cost, but capable

The JF-17 Thunder, a Sino-Pakistani single-engine multi-role combat aircraft, is getting some attention among non-Western air forces due to its low cost.

At around £20m it's half the cost of an F-16 and a fraction of what you'd need to buy a Eurofighter Typhoon. So is it worth it?

The JF stands for Joint Fighter, and the C variant – or Block III version – is the latest incarnation of this single-engine multi-role jet fighter operated by the Pakistan Air Force.

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The Thunder has been jointly developed between Pakistan and China, so it's no surprise it's packed with Chinese tech developed for fourth-generation aircraft.

It has advanced weapons, avionics and radar, and carries beyond-visual-range air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles.

As well as missiles, it has guided and unguided bombs, a 23mm twin-barrel autocannon and a top speed of Mach 1.6 powered by a Russian Klimov RD-93MA afterburning turbofan engine.