PAF was hesitating to choose the RADAR for FC-1 for quite a while at the beginning...
the French radar with the light weight MICA BRV missile might be best choice for such a light fighter..our SD-10A(heavior than AIM120) is some 'big' for this class of fighters...
since PAF cound NOT get the first choice...then they spent some time on the decision between two China's offers...
1. 6XXth institute's Falcon S-7 Radar
2 14th institute's KLJ-7 radar
the decision was made very lately...that's why since 2008 all the 8 LSPs and 42 SPs( first batch ---also known as BLOCK 1)could only fire the PL-5EII missile and unguide bombs. and this is so called XiongLong FC-1
Weapon (I) certification status.
Later PAF choose the KLJ-7 Radar ,then the approvement of
Weapon (II) certifcation begans...then FC-1 could got the BVR missile and PGW(
LS-6 serial Guide Bomb, C802AKG, SD-10A) ability...the certification was issued in mid-2012 and the final authentication of this approvement was held in Dec 2012.
once again ,I would like to emphasize that JF17/FC-1 was a 50:50 Joint project. Pakistan offer the half fund for the development(the other half came from the AVIC group),as the first and major customer, PAF's will is always the key...611th institue and CAC has to meet their requirement and conditions ...As I know ,PAF's requirement was changing in the early days...
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PAF pay for the production of the first 8+42(a one billion contract signed in 2009) ,but due to the "money" problem, the production of JF/17 BLOCK1 (42 SPs) seems one year late behind the schedule...in my photo collection,I could find most of these 'Tail-numbers'
1. the eight LSPs (delivered within two pakistan financial years)
2007(4):07-101 07-102 07-103 07-104
2008(4) 08-105..........................08-108
2. the 42 SPs(BLOCK1)
2009(4): 09-109~112
2010(16?) 10-113~125
2011(8?) ex 11-130,11-134
2012(8?) ex. 12-138
2013 first half(??) ex. 13-142,13-143
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BUT the second batch SPs is another question... China government
'Giftted' the following 50 BLOCK II JF-17/Xiaolong to Pakistan which happened in May 2011.
(note: this is not a Intergovernmental loan but more like the military aid...the production(assembly job in PAC) began in the 2nd half of year 2013.
(the original schedule was the second half of 2012)
the BLOCK I JF-17s would get upgraded in PAC.