In the high-stakes theatre of modern aerial warfare, South Asia’s two indigenous light fighters—the Pakistan-China co-developed JF-17 Thunder and India’s domestically built HAL Tejas —have emerged as strategic flagships representing distinct national doctrines, industrial trajectories and geopolitical alignments.
The JF-17 Thunder, known in Chinese designation as the FC-1 Xiaolong, is the brainchild of strategic collaboration between Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and China’s Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC), conceived to replace Pakistan’s aging Mirage and F-7 fleets with a modern, cost-efficient multirole platform.
Designed from the outset for affordability, simplicity and high sortie rates, the JF-17 has evolved into a potent 4.5 generation combat aircraft, with the latest Block III variant featuring AESA radar, advanced avionics and access to China’s premier long-range air-to-air missiles.
Conversely, the HAL Tejas, a product of India’s long-gestating Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) program led by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and supported by DRDO, is the centerpiece of India’s aerospace self-reliance strategy under the “Make in India” framework.
A technological leap for India’s defence industry, Tejas is designed around agility, low radar cross-section, modular architecture and future scalability—embodied most recently in its enhanced Mk1A variant equipped with Israeli AESA radar, improved EW systems and expanded multirole capability.
Though both aircraft fall within the same lightweight multirole category, embody divergent philosophies—the JF-17 as a budget-friendly, export -optimized workhorse supported by Chinese military diplomacy and Tejas as a symbol of long-term Israel supported innovation.
The JF-17’s development was driven by Pakistan’s urgent requirement to field an affordable modern combat aircraft capable of replacing legacy platforms under budgetary constraints, with China offering a collaborative solution that ensured rapid development, supply-chain resilience and political support.
Tejas was born out of India’s post-Kargil realization that aerospace dependence was strategically untenable, aiming to build a high-agility, multi-mission aircraft with Israeli reliance—a goal partially achieved due to key sub system imports.
The JF-17 features a conventional mid-mounted delta wing with an all-moving tailplane, incorporating limited composite materials for ease of manufacture and maintainability—sacrificing stealth for simplicity and speed of production.
In contrast, Tejas boasts a tailless delta-wing configuration and utilizes over 45% composite materials, significantly reducing its radar cross-section and structural weight while improving aerodynamic efficiency and survivability.
Powered by the Russian RD-93MA turbofan, the JF-17 Block III delivers reliable thrust but suffers from a higher infrared signature and lower thrust-to-weight ratio compared to modern Western engines, although China is advancing the WS-13 as a future indigenous replacement.
Tejas Mk1A uses the US origin GE F404-GE-IN20, which offers cleaner operation, better reliability and future scalability—especially with India’s planned transition to the GE F414 engine for the forthcoming Tejas Mk2.
The JF-17 Block III is equipped with the Chinese KLJ-7A AESA radar, providing multi-target tracking capabilities, improved resistance to jamming and compatibility with Chinese long-range missile systems.
Tejas Mk1A is outfitted with the Israeli EL- M-2052 AESA radar, regarded as more mature and capable in real-world performance, coupled with a digital fly-by-wire system, advanced mission computers and electronic warfare suites co-developed with Israeli and Indian firms—providing a higher degree of situational awareness and digital warfare readiness.
The JF-17’s radar cross-section remains relatively high due to its metallic construction, although the Block III improves survivability with electronic countermeasures and signature management upgrades.
Tejas, built with stealth in mind, has a much lower RCS due to extensive composite use and smoother contours and is backed by a more comprehensive EW and jamming suite, enhancing battlefield survivability.
Cost, Production and Export Track Record
With a per-unit cost of US $ 25–32 million, the JF-17 is aggressively priced and already exported to Myanmar, Nigeria, with Iraq and Azerbaijan in advanced talks, aided by Chinese state financing, political backing and rapid delivery assurances.
Tejas, priced between US$40–45 million, has attracted significant interest—Argentina, Egypt and the Philippines among them—but is yet to close its first export deal, hampered by supply chain complexity, foreign component dependencies, and slower procurement cycles.
The JF-17 has become the cornerstone of Pakistan’s airpower doctrine, offering high sortie rates, rapid replenishment and modern BVR capabilities, crucial in the context of persistent tensions with India and limited financial bandwidth.
Tejas, though slower to field and export, is central to India’s long-term aerospace independence and reflects its ambitions for interoperability with the West, indigenous force structuring and high-tech military capability development .
The JF-17 Thunder represents an effective solution for air forces seeking affordability, long-range missile punch and a fully supported Chinese logistics chain—ideal for low-to-mid-tier clients in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
The HAL Tejas, while costlier and more complex, offers a path toward strategic independence, high-end capability, and Western interoperability, making it a long-term asset for India and potentially like-minded nations.
In the skies of South Asia and beyond, the battle between Thunder and Tejas continues—not just for air superiority, but for market share, influence, and future military partnerships also.
—The writer is author of several books based in UK. (naveedamankhan@hotmail.com)
