'Combat-tested': Pakistan in talks with 13 countries to sell arms, report says - details

Pakistan has held talks with 13 countries for arms deals after its jets, drones, and missiles earned the coveted “combat-tested” tag following their extensive use during last year’s conflict with India, Reuters reported.Discussions with six to eight of these nations are reportedly at an “advanced stage” for deals involving JF-17 jets, co-produced with China, along with training aircraft, drones, and other weapons systems. “These talks are taking place, but they can fall through due to international pressures,” Pakistan’s defence production minister Raza Hayat Harraj told Reuters, describing any negotiations as “guarded secrets.”“There are a lot of queries, but we are negotiating,” he said, adding that interest had been shown in air force equipment, ammunition, and training.The potential buyersAccording to sources, countries engaged in talks include Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Morocco, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. The government in eastern Libya, under its de facto leader Khalifa Haftar, is also reportedly negotiating with Islamabad. Discussions on JF-17 jets and other weapons with Bangladesh and Iraq have been publicly acknowledged by Pakistan’s military, though further details have not been disclosed.Bangladesh was formerly part of Pakistan and was known as East Pakistan. It gained independence following India's decisive victory in the Indo-Pakistan war of December 1971. Relations between the two have improved significantly following the ouster of Bangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina-led government in August 2024, after which a caretaker administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge.Almost all the potential buyers are Muslim-majority nations, like Pakistan, with many from the predominantly Muslim Middle East, where Islamabad has historically acted as a security provider.According to retired Air Marshal Asim Suleiman, "three other African countries" are also in line for deals. These, however, do not include agreements with the Libyan National Army or Sudan.What's in demandThe talks cover JF-17 Block III multi-role fighters, MFI-17 Mushshak aircraft, Pakistani-made drones including Shahpar reconnaissance and attack UAVs, air defence systems, and Mohafiz mine-resistant armoured vehicles.During last year’s conflict, Pakistan Air Force squadrons operated the JF-17s alongside advanced Chinese-made J-10s.Analysts believe the demand is driven by countries seeking new supply chains following disruptions caused by the war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East. Pakistan’s weapons have emerged as a “viable alternative” after being tested in last year’s large-scale air battle with India, they say.Why PakistanHarraj, the Pakistani minister, highlighted the cost advantage of Islamabad’s jets and weapons compared with US- and European-made alternatives. While some Western systems may be technologically superior, they cost more than three times as much as a JF-17, which is priced around $30–40 million.Further, Andreas Krieg, a lecturer in security studies at King’s College London, opined that Islamabad is increasingly seen as “a flexible, mid-tier provider of defence capacity.”“It can train forces, provide advisers, run joint exercises, support maritime operations, and offer a menu of cost-effective platforms. For fragile African partners, that combination can be attractive: it is faster than Western capacity-building, less politically encumbered, and often cheaper,” Krieg explained.China and other hurdlesSiemon Wezeman, a senior arms transfer researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, noted that it is unclear how many reported JF-17 discussions will translate into actual deals, pointing out that Beijing could object to sales to certain clients.While Pakistan is a natural partner for China to market the aircraft across the Middle East and Africa, “it’s the ones to Sudan and Libya that are really problematic,” Wezeman said, as both Sudan’s Darfur region and Libya are under UN arms embargoes.In addition to managing its ties with China, Pakistan is navigating tensions in the Middle East between allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Islamabad has signed a mutual defence pact with Riyadh and is discussing another defence agreement involving Saudi Arabia and Turkey, though details have not been made public.“On the ideological side, Islamabad is more aligned with the Saudis on the overall narrative. But where things get murkier is on the business, ports, mineral sides—those supply chains are very much dominated by UAE. That’s where the battle is playing out, and Saudis have to play catch-up,” said Emadeddin Badi from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.Another key challenge is whether Pakistan can scale up JF-17 production. Suleiman, the retired air marshal, noted that by the end of 2027, Islamabad's jet production rate could rise significantly—potentially doubling from the current roughly 20 aircraft manufactured annually—thanks to upgrades and expansions at the main factory.