Air displays thrill Bahrain skies

The star of yesterday’s show, which saw airline companies and experts from all over the world sit together, talk and sign deals, was JF-17 Thunder of Pakistan Air Force. The jet crisscrossed the skies with mesmerising skills, showcasing its advanced capabilities and providing potential buyers with an opportunity to assess the potential of the combat aircraft at the Sakhir Air Base.

Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force, witnessed the performance at the Air Base. He hailed the performance of PAF personnel in the Bahrain International Airshow 2022 as a “source of pride for the nation.”

The CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder or FC-1 Xiaolong is a lightweight, single-engine, multi-role combat aircraft developed jointly by the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) of China and the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC). The JF-17 can perform multiple roles, including interception, ground attack, anti-ship, and aerial reconnaissance missions.

“JF17” stands for “Joint Fighter-17”, with the “-17” denoting that, in the PAF’s vision, it is the success or to the F-16. “ T h e Chengdu/Pakistan Aeronautical Complex-produced Block II jets arrived on 6 November after a non-stop flight from Masroor air base.

Supporting them were an Ilyushin Il-78 tanker, but hadn’t need to undergo inflight refuelling to complete the deployment,” aviation website Flight Global reported. In the afternoon, filling the skies above Sakhir Airbase were the world’s most renowned air display teams and aircraft, including RBAF, JF-17, Fursan Al Emarat and UAE F16.

After the show, @FranceinBahrain tweeted: “The_French_trade advisors in Bahrain and the French Ambassador met at the #BIAS hosted by the French Group Thales. Fruitful talks followed by a wonderful #air_show in the sky, with a rainbow of colours beyond the planes.”

The three-day show had several firsts, which included the presence of Rafael Advanced Defence Systems. Rafael showcased air defence solutions such as the SPYDER system, which are in the service of other international partners and users. The highlight was a display featuring SPIKE Missile Family, currently in use among 19 NATO member states and 20 other countries worldwide.

Also, for the first time, at least four Israeli companies exhibited their products in the first-ever Israel pavilion, though no actual Israeli aircraft, combat or civilian, were on display. The largest display in the area designated for Israeli companies is Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Rafael Advanced Defence Systems, joined by SpacePharma and Excalibur Systems from Israel.