Somalia has reportedly finalized an agreement with Pakistan to acquire JF-17 Thunder multirole combat aircraft, marking a significant milestone in Mogadishu’s ongoing efforts to rebuild its long-dormant air force. While neither government has yet issued an official public confirmation of a final procurement contract, the development signals deepening defense cooperation between the two nations.
Turkish media outlet TRHaber reported that the agreement involves the purchase of the advanced fighter jets, though specific details regarding the total number of aircraft, the financial value of the contract, and the delivery timeline remain undisclosed.
This reported milestone follows a rapid expansion of bilateral defense and security ties between Mogadishu and Islamabad. In September, a high-level Pakistan Air Force delegation—led by Air Marshal Muhammad Sarfraz, commander of air defense and deputy chief of the air staff—visited Mogadishu for crucial strategic talks.
During the visit, Air Marshal Sarfraz held high-level discussions with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, Defense Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, and senior military commanders. The talks centered heavily on comprehensive plans to reconstruct the Somali Air Force, develop robust air-defense capabilities, and coordinate specialized personnel training.
The delegation also toured Somali Air Force headquarters. In a symbolic gesture during the visit, Air Marshal Sarfraz presented Somali Air Force Commander Brig. Gen. Abdirisaaq Mahmoud Haji with a scale model of the JF-17 Thunder.
The September meetings built directly upon an August 4 visit to Pakistan by Defense Minister Fiqi, during which both nations signed a formal memorandum of understanding (MoU) covering military training, capacity building, counterterrorism, and broader institutional defense cooperation.
While earlier media reports speculated that Somalia was considering the acquisition of up to 24 JF-17 Block III aircraft in a deal potentially valued at around $900 million, those figures have not been validated by official sources.
Jointly developed by Pakistan and China and manufactured primarily in Pakistan, the JF-17 Thunder is a capable 4.5-generation fighter jet. The advanced Block III variant features an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, modern avionics, sophisticated electronic warfare systems, and the capacity to deploy a wide range of air-to-air and air-to-surface weaponry.
The Somali Air Force was once a formidable regional asset during the era of Mohamed Siad Barre but collapsed entirely alongside the central government in 1991. For decades, the service has remained non-operational, but President Mohamud’s administration has made modernizing the national armed forces a top priority. As domestic security forces gradually assume full responsibility for national defense and continue counter-terrorism operations against al-Shabab, establishing sustainable air-defense capabilities is viewed as a critical step toward long-term stability and sovereignty.
