During the 2024 International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS 2024), the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) National Aerospace Science and Technology Park (NASTP) revealed that the JF-17 Thunder will undergo an ‘Operational Capability Upgrade’ (OCU). NASTP is also designating this JF-17 OCU project as ‘PFX Alpha’, indicating that it is the first sequential step towards the future PFX fighter program.
Currently, it seems that the primary task of the JF-17 OCU (or PFX Alpha) is to upgrade the Thunder’s radar and avionics suite and, potentially, integrate the fighter with additional air-to-air and air-to-surface munitions, especially homegrown solutions like the Rasoob 250 and AZB-81LR, among many others.
However, while the task of the OCU is to upgrade the fighter with new subsystems, the goal is deeper: it might be the PAF’s first major step towards independently managing the Thunder platform.
