The thing is that even if 5 of JF-17 manage to down 1/2 Su-30, their job will be over but this will have a deep impact on morale...Lets be sincere and not behave as a nutcase like some of our neighbors who claim JF17 to be potent enough to down Su-30 .( In a hypothetical situation there is a possibility that they can do this..)..However since not much is known about JF-17, maybe we should finance some of the fighters which our other neighbor (bangladesh ) wants to procure and do an autopsy of this..But considering the pace with which files move in south block this is a distant probability.
So, only solution is procure LCA in hundreds in different batches ..and test them against JF-17 in various air shows (if possible )..
What is there to know about JF-17?. It is a fighter with 30 years old air frame design, with a generation behind avionics, a generation behind radar and cheap chinese weapons whose capabilities are nowhere to be known. It is no where near to actually face even LCA-MK1 in its present configuration.
And regarding the costs that PAF gives out is at least 10 year old price. Remember the avionics package that French offered for JF-17 itself was to cost 40 million but that deal fell through. It can cost less only with the junk avionics, radar and weapons supplied by China. If it gets upgraded with western avionics and radar, it will cost easily 30-40 million. Not to mention the fact that Chinese themselves are not inducting FC-1 telling how well Chinese believe in their own fighters.
So far, JF-17 had to satisfy itself by being a static display in a air show rather than flying and showing its capabilities. Tells a lot about its capabilities. In its present form it is nowhere near even touching LCA.
