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Due to the opaque nature of military deals in general, it is difficult to get verified pricing figures of other aircraft competing in the market, particularly the lightweight fighter segment.
In a loose sense, the JF-17’s primary market competitors could include the Saab JAS-39E/F Gripen, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) F/A-50 Golden Eagle, and the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Tejas.
The JAS-39E/F’s last export order was from Brazil, which was valued at USD $5.44 billion for 36 aircraft in 2014. The assumed ‘all-in’ price was, at that time, USD $154 million per unit, but also included offsets and transfer-of-technology for local production.
If adjusted for inflation between 2014 and 2025, the price would be much higher, potentially (albeit with basic calculations) as high as $294 million USD per unit. However, the Brazilian contract also involved an offset package that was 160% of the value of the deal. In other words, from a foreign or hard currency standpoint, the Brazilians should not have seen an outflow but, rather, a net-positive inflow. This inflow, in turn, went to the country’s domestic aerospace industry.
The potential Thai Gripen deal could offer an approximation of the JAS-39E/F’s costs today. In June, the Thai government allocated around USD $1.85 billion for 12 aircraft, i.e., $154 million per unit.
As with the Brazilian Gripen deal, Saab is also planning to extend an offset package to Thailand, potentially up to 155% of the value of the deal. This offset could involve setting up a maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility in Thailand, transferring technology (e.g., a proprietary tactical data-link), and investment in various sectors.
The all-in unit cost of the HAL Tejas Mk1A was estimated at around USD $80-83 million. However, this was an order for the IAF; thus, it is difficult to determine how much it would cost when exported, but one can expect it to be notably higher than this amount.
Overall, in today’s pricing environment, the Azeri JF-17 deal appears to still honour the Thunder’s lower price-point. The one exception to this seems to be the KAI F/A-50, which has been sold at an all-in unit cost of USD $60 million. That said, the F/A-50 also currently benefits from South Korea’s stronger manufacturing efficiency, economies of scale, and, not least, the F/A-50’s smaller design and, potentially, its support or maintenance requirements.
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