The JF-17 Thunder, also known as FC-1 Xiaolong fighter, made its first appearance at the 51st Paris International Air Show, which officially opened on June 15, Monday, attended by more than 30,000 visitors from 47 countries, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
The JF-17 fighter, an aircraft co-developed by Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) and Pakistan's Air Force (PAF), did a series of extraordinary maneuvers for more than five minutes of aerobatics performance that amazed the crowd.
In a joint conference organized by AVIC and PAF after the aerobatics, Li Yuhai, vice-president of AVIC, said that the fighter is named FC-1 Xiaolong in China and known as JF-17 Thunder in Pakistan. He said that more than 50 JF-17 fighters have been delivered to PAF.
Yang Ying, a senior AVIC executive, said that the excellent flight performance of the JF-17 fighter, an all-weather multiple-role light fighter, has caught the widespread attention of many countries. He said that he is expecting that some 200 to 300 units of the fighters will be sold globally in the next 10 to 15 years.
According to the press statement released by AVIC, they are currently developing the dual-seat JF-17 trainer, while the next JF-17 fighter will have more advanced capabilities such as air-to-air refueling, data link and electronic warfare capabilities, and will be integrated with more new guided weapons.
During the show, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China also presented its 158-174-seater narrow-body twin-engine civil aircraft; while the China Great Wall Industry Corporation promoted its Long March rockets, Fengyun meteorological satellites, oceanic satellites, resource satellites, and other satellite platforms.
The Paris International Air Show is held every other year at Le Bourget Airport. Founded in 1909, the show runs from June 15-21. It will be opened to the public beginning June 19.