Pakistan’s JF-17 fighter jets grounded as Russian spares for engines blocked due to sanctions

The Pakistan Air Force has run into serious problems with its fleet of JF-17 fighter jets developed jointly with China. Most of the fleet is reported to be grounded due to a lack of spare parts for the Russian-made Klimov RD 93 engine used in the aircraft.

“Stung by multiple failures of JF-17 aircraft, primarily due to the serviceability of RD-93 engines, Pakistan had directly approached Russia for procuring the RD-93 engines, bypassing China,” according to a report in the Hindustan Times.

After multiple negotiations by Islamabad with Moscow, Russian engine company Kilmov has now indicated its willingness to supply RD-93 engines and its associated repair systems and maintenance facilities to JF-17 aircraft. However, Russian arms giant M/s Rosoboronexport which was to export the RD- 93 engines and spares has come under US sanctions. This has created banking problems in carrying out the deal.

The JF-17 fighter jet, which was supposed to be a low-cost, lightweight, all-weather, multi-role fighter with a Chinese airframe, has now become a liability for Islamabad as it failed to keep up with the hype created by China about the plane being the best fighter aircraft in the world.

The Pakistan military leadership had pinned high hopes on the JF-17 but the aircraft performed poorly compared with the Indian Air Force’s Mirage 2000 and Su-30s.

Since its induction into the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in 2009, the JF-17 recorded a string of crashes, casting serious doubts on the fitness of the aircraft as the PAF found that it did not meet the exaggerated claims made by China due to the quality of the engines.

A large number of Russian RD 93 engines, installed in the JF-17 aircraft have developed cracks in guide vanes, exhaust nozzles and flame stabilisers.

The PAF has been struggling hard to replace these engines due to contractual obligations which forces Pakistan to procure the RD-93 engines from Russia only through China.

“Adding to the woes of the PAF, the China National Aero­ Technology Export & Import Corporation’s (CATIC) tepid response in providing necessary spares and support for the RD-93 engines of PAF’s JF-17 aircraft led to the grounding of more than half of the137 China-made aircraft  in its fleet,” the Hindustan Times report states.