Pakistan has transferred a fully operational JF-17 Thunder Block III combat simulator to Bangladesh—further strengthening the possibility of Dhaka having ordered the on-demand fighter jets.
The said simulator is reportedly configured to actual operational standards rather than basic familiarisation training systems. If not to train pilots to effectively operate the aircraft, there is no other logical explanation for Islamabad to send a fully operational simulator to its neighbour.
Bangladesh-Pakistan defence deal
It was during the Dubai Airshow 2025 that Pakistan revealed it had sealed an export deal for the JF-17 Thunder Block III fighter jets with an unnamed ‘friendly nation’.
While Bangladesh was declared the buyer by many sources the very same day, it was only in January 2026 that concrete evidence regarding a potential deal emerged. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan military, said in a statement that during a recent meeting between Bangladesh Air Force Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan and Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu in Islamabad, Dhaka expressed a "potential interest" in procuring the fighter jet. Later, Bangladeshi pilots and technical staff reportedly visited Islamabad for training sessions.
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The ISPR statement said that while the meeting focused on strengthening operational cooperation and institutional synergy—with an emphasis on training, capacity building, and collaboration in aerospace advancements—detailed discussions were also held on the potential procurement of JF-17 Thunder aircraft.
It is still unclear how many fighter jets are being procured by Dhaka in a multimillion-pound effort to modernise its air force. Some reports claim that as many as 48 JF-17s may be bought in stages, starting with a 16-aircraft-strong squadron along with weapon systems.
The two countries, whose history remains tangled in a blood-riddled chapter, are yet to reveal any details about the deal. Following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime, Pakistan and Bangladesh have become closer, with defence ties growing stronger.
The simulator transfer should be seen as a confidence-building mechanism to reduce operational delays when a formal agreement is finalised in the future, Defence Security Asia said in a report.
"The system reportedly supports mission simulation training functions designed for combat readiness, tactical scenario simulations, and force integration processes related to the modern fighter aircraft transition program. Simulator transfers often carry strategic implications as the pilot conversion process remains among the longest periods in the fighter aircraft acquisition cycle for most modern air forces," the report read.
The JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft was developed jointly by the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) of China and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC).
