On 22 December, Reuters reported that the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, agreed to purchase major weapons systems from Pakistan in an arms package valued at over USD 4 billion.
The deal reportedly includes 16 JF-17 Thunder multirole combat aircraft and 12 Super Mushshak trainers from Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC).
Other news sources have claimed that the deal also includes main battle tanks (MBT), naval systems, and training.
Neither the Pakistani government nor the Pakistani military has confirmed any of these details.
However, in November, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had revealed that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a “friendly country for the procurement of the JF-17.”
Thus, there are grounds for the LNA reports, as Pakistan has an active JF-17 deal (in addition to a 40-unit sale to Azerbaijan).
Moreover, with the Bangladesh Air Force committing to the Eurofighter Typhoon, the potential pool of active JF-17 buyers is narrower – if not the LNA, it would potentially be the Iraqi Air Force.
Get Timely Pakistani Defence News
Unmatched depth on the JF-17, Project Azm, Hangor submarine, Babur, Fatah, and more. Be the first to know about Pakistan's next-gen UAVs, USVs, and emerging platforms.
