Pakistan Defence Explained: Budget, JF-17 Thunder, New Jets, Ships and Weapons

Assalam-o-Alaikum, my dear readers. How are you all? I hope you are well, and that your children reached school safely today and the gas came on time for breakfast.

Last month, during the school holidays, my little cousin’s son came to visit us. He is nine years old, and he had just seen a jet fly over Rawalpindi during the parade rehearsals — that deep roar that shakes the windows and makes everyone look up. He ran to me with big eyes and asked, “Baji, woh jahaz kaunsa tha? JF-17? Aur Pakistan itne jahaz, tank aur aabdoz kyun khareed raha hai?” I laughed, because it was a child’s question with a very grown-up answer hiding inside it. We hear the words every day on TV — “defence budget”, “JF-17”, “Hangor submarine”, “J-35” — and the numbers are always huge, always in trillions and billions. But what do they actually mean for us, the people who pay for them with our taxes and our expensive electricity bills? So today I will explain Pakistan’s defence in very simple words. The budget, the new jets, the new ships and submarines, the tanks — and the honest part about what is confirmed and what is only talk on social media. No difficult English. Just the truth, with real numbers.

Here is the short answer first. Pakistan’s defence is the money and the weapons that protect the country’s borders — on land, in the air, and at sea. The government set aside Rs3.01 trillion for defence in the budget for the year July 2026 to June 2027. That is the biggest defence budget Pakistan has ever set. Most of the new weapons come from China now — fighter jets, submarines, frigates, tanks, air defence missiles — because America and Europe have become difficult suppliers for us. And something new has happened in the last two years: Pakistan has started selling its own weapons to other countries, especially the JF-17 fighter jet it builds in Kamra. Some of those sales are real and confirmed. Some are only talks that TV channels report as done deals. This article will show you the difference, because that difference matters.

The Budget — Rs3 Trillion in Simple Words

Let me start with the money, because every other question starts here.

For the financial year 2026–27 — that means 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 — the federal government allocated Rs3.01 trillion for “Defence Affairs and Services”. That is about $10.8 billion at the exchange rate of June 2026. It is 17.65% more than last year’s original allocation of Rs2.55 trillion. The year before that, it was Rs2.12 trillion. So the budget has grown fast for two years in a row, and the reason is not a secret: after the short but intense fighting with India in May 2025, the government decided the armed forces needed more money, quickly.

Where does the Rs3.01 trillion go? Roughly Rs967 billion pays the salaries and allowances of soldiers, officers and civilian staff. About Rs743 billion runs the daily operations — fuel, food, training, exercises, maintenance. About Rs926 billion is for “physical assets”, which is the polite budget word for buying weapons and equipment — and that part jumped by almost 40%, the sharpest rise of all. The remaining Rs363 billion is for civil works, like buildings and cantonment roads. The three services split roughly like this: the Army gets about Rs1.28 trillion, the Air Force about Rs573 billion, and the Navy about Rs293 billion.

Two honest things you should know about this number. First, military pensions — Rs822 billion — are counted separately and are NOT inside the Rs3.01 trillion. If you add pensions and a few other military-related items that sit in other budget heads, analysts say the wider military-related total is closer to Rs4.5 to Rs5 trillion. That is their counting, not the government’s headline, and I am telling you both so nobody can mislead you with either number. Second, for comparison, India spends about $86 billion on defence — roughly eight times more than Pakistan. Our budget is about 2% of our economy. It is the biggest we have ever set in dollar terms, but the rupee has fallen so much in recent years that the dollar figure hides how hard the money has to stretch.

And I know what many of you are thinking, because my own neighbours say it: “Rs3 trillion for defence, but only Rs25 billion for health development and Rs46 billion for higher education?” That comparison is real — those are the federal development figures from the same budget — and it is a fair question to ask. I will not pretend the choice is easy. A country that cannot defend itself cannot protect its schools and hospitals either. But a country that only buys weapons and forgets its children will be weak from the inside. Both things are true at the same time, and a good citizen should be able to say both.

The Air Force — JF-17, J-10C and the Stealth Question

Now the part my little cousin really wanted to hear about: the jets.

The hero of Pakistan’s air force is the JF-17 Thunder. It is a light, single-engine fighter jet that Pakistan builds together with China — the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra, near Islamabad, makes it with China’s Chengdu company. The first JF-17s joined the Air Force in 2007. Today Pakistan has about 123 of them, and they are the backbone of the air force — the workhorse, the way the Mehran is the workhorse car of our streets. The newest version, the JF-17 Block III, is a much smarter machine: it has an AESA radar, which is a modern radar that can see further and track many targets at once, and a helmet-mounted display, so the pilot can aim just by looking. One Block II jet costs about $25 million — cheap for a fighter jet, which is exactly why other countries want to buy it.

The second jet you should know is the J-10C, called the Vigorous Dragon. Pakistan ordered 36 of them from China, and they are already flying with the Air Force. They carry long-range air-to-air missiles, the kind that can hit a target from very far away. In May 2026, the Air Force officially announced it will buy MORE J-10Cs and further upgrade the JF-17s. That announcement came at a press briefing in Islamabad, where the Air Force spokesman also talked about long-range precision weapons and better radar and surveillance.

And then there is the question everyone asks me on WhatsApp: “Is Pakistan buying the J-35 stealth fighter?” Here is the honest answer. The J-35 is China’s new stealth jet — a jet designed to be hard for radar to see. China has offered about 40 of them to Pakistan, and in May 2026 the Air Force confirmed it has started an “initial collaborative mechanism” with China for the J-35. That is a real step, but it is not a delivery. No J-35 has arrived in Pakistan, no date has been announced, and no contract value has been confirmed. So if someone on TikTok shows you a video of a “Pakistani J-35”, check the video first — it is almost certainly a Chinese jet filmed in China, or a computer image.

One more honest note. During the May 2025 fighting, Pakistan said its JF-17 and J-10C jets shot down several Indian aircraft, including a French-made Rafale. That claim is disputed, and experts on both sides still argue about the full picture. I am telling you what Pakistan claims, and I am telling you it is disputed, because that is what an honest article does. What is not disputed is that the fighting changed everything: it is the reason the budget jumped twice in a row, and the reason the Air Force is now buying more jets and better air defence.

The Navy — Submarines and Frigates

If the Air Force is the hero of the skies, the Navy’s story is happening quietly, under the sea — and it is the biggest change in Pakistan’s defence in twenty years.

The biggest project is the Hangor-class submarine. Pakistan ordered eight of these submarines from China in 2015, in a deal reported at $4 to $5 billion — the largest arms deal in Chinese history. They are diesel-electric submarines with air-independent propulsion, which means they can stay underwater for weeks without coming up for air. Each one is about 76 metres long and displaces 2,800 tonnes. The first boat, PNS Hangor, was commissioned in Sanya, China, on 30 April 2026, with President Asif Ali Zardari as the chief guest, and it arrived in Karachi on 11 June 2026. Three more boats built in China — named Shushuk, Mangro and Ghazi — were launched in 2025 and should join the fleet by 2028. The last four will be built right here, at the Karachi Shipyard, under a technology transfer deal — the steel for the first Pakistani-built boat was cut in December 2021, though those four will likely only be ready in the early 2030s.

The name itself carries a story. The first Hangor was a French-built submarine that sank the Indian warship INS Khukri in the 1971 war — the first time a submarine had sunk a warship since the Second World War. Naming the new class after her was a deliberate choice. When all eight are ready, Pakistan’s modern submarine fleet will grow from three boats to eleven — one of the largest submarine fleets in Asia. The submarines can fire torpedoes and anti-ship missiles, and they are reported to be able to carry the Babur-3 cruise missile, which would give Pakistan a sea-based nuclear deterrent. That last part is reported, not officially confirmed, and I say so plainly.

On the surface, the Navy’s pride is the Tughril-class frigate. Pakistan ordered four of these big warships from China in 2017 and 2018. The first, PNS Tughril, was commissioned in November 2021, and all four — Tughril, Taimur, Tippu Sultan and Shah Jahan — were in service by 2023. Each one displaces 4,200 tonnes and carries a 32-cell vertical missile launcher, supersonic anti-ship missiles, and a 76mm gun. The Chinese shipbuilder called the Tughril the largest and most advanced warship China has ever exported. You can see one of them in the photo in this article — PNS Shah Jahan at a defence exhibition in Malaysia.

And there is more. The Babur-class corvettes, built with Turkiye under a $1.5 billion deal, are joining the fleet too — PNS Babur in September 2024 and PNS Khaibar in December 2025, with two of the four built at the Karachi Shipyard. The next step, a new Jinnah-class frigate, had its first contract signed with the Karachi Shipyard in November 2025. The Navy is no longer a small coastal force. It is being rebuilt, ship by ship, to protect Gwadar port and the sea routes of CPEC — which is why my CPEC guide and this article belong together.

The Army — Tanks, Guns and the New Rocket Force

The Army is the biggest service, and it gets the biggest share of the budget — but its shopping list is less shiny than jets and submarines, so it gets less attention. Let me fix that.

The Army’s main new tank is the VT-4, a 52-tonne Chinese tank with a 125mm gun. Deliveries began in April 2020. The original plan spoke of more than 450 tanks, but later reports say inductions have slowed and the target was cut back, with each tank costing about $4.9 million and spare parts causing trouble. I report that carefully because it comes from defence press reports, not an official announcement. The good news is that Pakistan is now building its own version at Heavy Industries Taxila, called the Haider tank — the first locally-built lot was rolled out in March 2024. When a country builds its own tank, even under licence, its engineers learn skills no import can teach.

The Army’s artillery — the big guns — is also changing. It has bought SH-15 truck-mounted 155mm howitzers from China, which can shoot and move quickly, and it is inducting new rocket systems called Fatah-1, which can hit targets 140 kilometres away, and Fatah-2, which reaches 400 kilometres. After May 2025, the Army also sped up its air defence: the LY-80 system for medium range, the HQ-9P for long range, and about 400 small shoulder-fired FN-16 missiles for short range. Together they form a layered shield — if one layer misses, the next one tries. And the Army has created a brand-new command, the Army Rocket Force Command, to control its long-range missiles in one place.

The Army’s helicopters tell a story of their own. Pakistan tried to buy American AH-1Z Viper helicopters and Turkish T-129 ATAK helicopters, but both deals failed — the Turkish one because America refused to allow the engines to be exported. So Pakistan turned to China again, and the Z-10ME attack helicopter was formally inducted in August 2025. Reports say up to 40 may come, and a contract for 30 was reported in July — but neither Beijing nor Islamabad has officially confirmed the number, so I will not present it as a done deal. The old American Cobra helicopters, which have flown for nearly forty years, are still in service alongside them.

Made in Pakistan — the Factories Behind the Weapons

Here is the part that makes me proudest, and the part that matters most for our young people: Pakistan does not just buy weapons any more. It makes many of them.

The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra builds the JF-17 and the Super Mushshak trainer aircraft. Heavy Industries Taxila builds and rebuilds tanks — the Al-Khalid since 2001, the Haider now — and by the 2020s it had manufactured 1,800 armoured vehicles and overhauled 5,000 more. The Pakistan Ordnance Factories in Wah Cantt, running since 1951, make ammunition and small arms, and they export ammunition to more than 40 countries. The Karachi Shipyard builds submarines, corvettes and frigates. And a newer company, GIDS, builds drones like the Shahpar-II, which was shown at the IDEAS defence exhibition in Karachi in 2024.

IDEAS is Pakistan’s own defence show, held every two years at the Karachi Expo Centre since 2000. The 2024 edition had 557 companies from 41 countries. The 2026 edition, which was planned for this November, has been cancelled — the official website says plainly that “due to current geo-strategic imbroglio, IDEAS-2026 has been cancelled” and the next one will be held in 2028. That is a pity, because IDEAS is where our factories meet foreign buyers. But the factories themselves are still working, and the next show is only two years away.

Selling Weapons — What Is Confirmed and What Is Only Talk

Now the part where I must be most careful with you, because this is where social media lies the most.

Pakistan’s defence exports used to be small — about $300 to $500 million a year, mostly ammunition and small arms. That is changing fast, and the JF-17 is the reason. Here is what is CONFIRMED. Azerbaijan bought JF-17 Block III jets in a deal reported at $1.6 billion in 2024 — later reports describe a larger package, but $1.6 billion is the reported contract figure. Myanmar and Nigeria already fly the JF-17; Nigeria bought three jets in 2021.

Here is what is REPORTED but not fully confirmed. Reuters reported, from documents it had seen and Pakistani defence officials, that Pakistan finalised a deal worth more than $4 billion to supply 16 JF-17 jets and 12 Super Mushshak trainers to the Libyan National Army, the force that controls eastern Libya. That is a serious report from a serious news agency — but remember that Libya is under a United Nations arms embargo, and the Libyan National Army is a rival authority to the UN-recognised government in Tripoli, so this deal, if it goes ahead, will be controversial around the world. Reuters also reported that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are in TALKS to convert about $2 billion of Saudi loans into a JF-17 purchase. Talks. Not a deal. Pakistan’s own Foreign Office said it was “unaware” of any Saudi deal being finalised. Bangladesh’s air chief visited Pakistan in January 2026 and discussed buying JF-17s — that is interest, not a contract. Indonesia is in early, exploratory talks for about 40 jets. Sudan is reported to be close to a $1.5 billion deal for jets and drones — reported, not confirmed.

The Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, said in January 2026 that potential defence orders worth around $10 billion could come from Azerbaijan, Libya, Bangladesh and Nigeria. A brokerage report put the tracked deals even higher, at about $13 billion, and said that if they all happen, Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves could jump by 82%. Those are big, exciting numbers. But please hear me clearly: “potential” and “tracked” are not the same as “money in the bank”. A deal is only real when the contract is signed, the jets are delivered, and the payment arrives. Until then, it is a hope — and some hopes on social media have been dressed up as done deals by people who want views, not truth. That is exactly the kind of lie this website exists to correct.

What Does It Mean for an Ordinary Pakistani?

Let me end with my own opinion, as your friend, not as a newsreader.

Pakistan’s defence is being rebuilt, and the rebuilding is real: a Rs3 trillion budget, new jets from China, eight new submarines, four big frigates, tanks built in Taxila, and a fighter jet that other countries now want to buy. The May 2025 fighting was the push, and China is the partner making most of it possible. That dependence on one supplier is also the risk nobody should hide from you — when one country supplies your jets, your submarines, your tanks and your missiles, your freedom to say no to that country becomes smaller. A wise country builds its own factories so that one day it does not have to depend on anyone. Kamra, Taxila, Wah and Karachi Shipyard are the beginning of that wisdom, not the end of it.

So what should you do with this information? If you are a young person who dreams of joining the armed forces, know that the Ministry of Defence announces jobs in newspapers and on the official recruitment websites of the Army, Air Force and Navy — and nobody can sell you a job. If anyone on WhatsApp or Facebook asks you to pay Rs5,000 or Rs10,000 for a “defence job” or “army registration”, it is a fraud, exactly like the fake CPEC job scams I warned you about. Real jobs are advertised openly, the tests are free to apply for, and no agent can get you in. And if you want to work in the defence industry itself, learn a real skill first — the same advice I gave in my freelancing guide: welding, electronics, machining, computer skills. The factories in Kamra and Taxila need skilled hands more than they need degrees on a wall.

And to my little cousin’s son, who asked why Pakistan buys so many weapons: we buy them so that no one can force us to live in fear, beta. But the strongest defence of a country is not its jets or its submarines. It is its children going to good schools, its mothers getting good healthcare, and its people knowing the truth instead of believing every video on their phone. That is why I write these guides — so that you know, and knowing, you can decide for yourself.

Take care, my dear readers, and if you work in Kamra, Taxila, Wah Cantt or the Karachi Shipyard — or if you serve in the Army, Air Force or Navy — please tell me through our Contact Us page. I would love to hear what you see with your own eyes: what is being built, what has improved, and what questions you still have. Your questions are always welcome, and I will try my best to answer them.