Developers of the JF-17 Thunder said they are proud that Pakistan's air force used the aircraft to escort President Xi Jinping on his flight to Islamabad.

"When we watched the news on TV that President Xi's plane was escorted by eight fighter jets we made when it entered Pakistan's airspace, we were feeling very privileged and excited," Cheng Fubo, chairman of Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group, said on Tuesday.

"The aircraft's excellent capabilities have been tested and approved by the Pakistan Air Force, and we will continue to offer our best service to the users."

The JF-17 Thunder, or FC-1 Fierce Dragon as it is known in China, is a third-generation multirole combat aircraft developed by Chengdu Aircraft and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, the leading aviation company in Pakistan. Chengdu is a subsidiary of Aviation Industry Corp of China.

Li Pei, former head of the JF-17 project at AVIC, said the aircraft is one of the major achievements of the two nations' cooperation in the defense sector, as well as a witness to their long-standing friendship.

"The pride for the aircraft belongs not only to us but also the Pakistanis," he said. "They use 'national pride' to describe the fighter jet whenever it is mentioned."

Chengdu Aircraft has delivered 50 JF-17s to Pakistan and will produce another 50 for it over the next three years, Li said.

A pilot from the Pakistan Air Force's 16th Squadron who took part in the escort mission and identified himself as Khan told China Central Television that flying with the Chinese president was a great honor.

Using the JF-17 for the escort was the best way for the air force to show respect to the Chinese leader, he said.

This is not the first time that the PAF has sent JF-17s to escort Chinese leaders. The aircraft has also flown with former premier Wen Jiabao and Premier Li Keqiang during their visits to Pakistan.

Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman of the PAF has also been part of the escorts. As a wing commander, he led a formation of F-16 aircraft to escort then-Chinese president Jiang Zemin in December 1996 when Jiang visited Pakistan.

zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 04/22/2015 page3)