Affected by an arms embargo from the United States and Western Europe, it automatically limits Myanmar's choices in its defense equipment program. Specifically for the procurement of fighter jets, Myanmar only has two options, namely to Russia and China.
For the heavy fighter, Myanmar has chosen the Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30SME fighter jet, while the second-tier fighter, modernization, has chosen the JF-17 Thunder.
Apparently the latter, namely the JF-17 Thunder, left quite a complicated problem for the Myanmar military junta, because the performance of the fourth generation fighter jets was below standard and made it difficult for the crew to operate, so in the end the Myanmar Air Force had to ground the JF-17 fleet. thunder.
Flashback to 2016, Myanmar signed a contract to purchase 16 units of JF-17 from China, which cost US$25 million per unit. The Myanmar Air Force received the first batch of 6 aircraft in 2018, while the status of the remaining ten aircraft is unknown.
At $25 million per plane, the JF-17 Thunder is far cheaper than almost any other fourth-generation fighter available today. With the purchase of the JF-17, Myanmar became the first country outside of Pakistan to have this single-engine fighter.
Quoted from eurasiantimes.com (25/11/2022), it was stated that the JF-17 operated by the Myanmar Air Force had structural problems and other technical problems, the source of this information came from a defense analyst and retired Air Force pilot of Myanmar.
The JF-17 Thunder, which was expected to carry out interception, ground attack and bombing missions, proved inoperable. Even the Myanmar military does not have the knowledge and technology to solve the problem.
The JF-17, which is co-produced by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and China's Chengdu Aerospace Corporation, was developed to match the Indian Air Force. The aircraft is equipped with state-of-the-art avionics, is powered by Russian engines, and incorporates a Chinese-made airframe.
The Chinese-made KLJ-7 Al radar is an important component of the JF-17's avionics. However, the radar system has poor accuracy and requires frequent maintenance. A former Myanmar Air Force pilot said when the plane was subjected to severe gravitational stress, the fuselage was vulnerable to damage, especially at the wingtips and weapons hardpoints.
In addition, the JF-17 program is currently in a slump as there are not enough spare parts for the Russian-made Klimov RD-93 aircraft engines. The United States imposed sanctions on Russian arms giant Rosoboronexport, which exported RD-93 engines and parts in 2018.
However, Myanmar is not the only country facing difficulties. Last year, it was reported that Pakistan's JF-17 Thunder fleet had been a headache for Islamabad due to their high operational and maintenance costs compared to more modern fighter jets.
The Myanmar military purchased JF-17 fighter jets through intermediaries between 2015 and 2020, because the avionics and electronics were produced with components from Western countries. Four years after being commissioned, the JF-17 is still unusable for combat due to its substandard accuracy.
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The Myanmar Air Force purportedly held discussions with Pakistan to acquire air-to-surface missiles, along with bombs and rockets, to carry out lethal airstrikes against civilians and revolutionary organizations. A cargo plane from Pakistan carrying JF-17 spare parts reportedly arrived in Myanmar around May this year.
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