Egypt plans to purchase Pakistan’s JF-17 Thunder fighter jet: envoy

Egypt is keen on purchasing JF-17 Thunder aircraft from Pakistan, Egyptian ambassador to Pakistan Sherif Shaheen told Ahram Online.

The interest was shown following a meeting between Shaheen and Pakistan’s Minister for Defence Production Rana Tanveer Hussien on Friday.

Shaheen told Ahram Online that there are “current negotiations regarding the purchase.”

According to the Egyptian ambassador, a delegation from the Egyptian defence ministry will visit Pakistan for talks with their Pakistani counterparts about the possibility of purchasing defence-related products.

No specific date has been set for the visit.

“The interest comes within Egypt’s policy to diversify its sources of armaments, especially with Islamic countries in Pakistan who we share an old relationship with,” Shaheen said.

The Joint Fighter-17 (JF-17) Thunder is a multi-role fighter aircraft mutually manufactured by China and Pakistan, and is designed for air defence and ground attack missions.

For the past two years, Egypt has adopted a policy of expanding its sources of armaments and increased its military cooperation with several European states, including France, the UK and others amid its fight against terrorism in North Sinai.

source: Ahram Online