The first JF-17M for Myanmar performed its maiden flight on June 13. The aircraft, serial 1702, wears the typical two-tone blue colour scheme associated with the Myanmar Air Force.
The aircraft had been spotted the previous day at the CAC factory airfield in Chengdu.
This first export sale for the JF-17 was disclosed in June 2015 but at the time the customer was not identified. Rumours soon began to circulate that the client was Myanmar.
The $560m contract includes an initial batch of 16 aircraft and there are currently negotiations underway for a follow-on contract. Andreas Rupprecht
