Originally known as Super-7, JF 17 was developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (CAC), China and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), Kamra, under a joint venture of China and Pakistan. The JF 17 (Joint Fighter 17) Thunder, which is known as FC-1 (Fighter China) in China, is a lightweight multi-role fighter capable of boarding any sort of warhead. It is capable of beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air combat, as well as laser-guided weapons delivery. Because it has been developed primarily for the PAF and export market, it provides a low-cost replacement for many developing countries. The unit price is estimated to be US$15 million.

The maiden test flight of the first prototype took place during 2003 in China, later test flights of a more advanced version taking place in 2006. The first two SBP (small batch production) aircraft were delivered to the Pakistan Air Force on 12 March 2007 for further flight testing and evaluation.

Chengdu was selected as primary contractor and the Russian Mikoyan Aero-Science Production Group (MASPG) was contracted to provide the Klimov RD-93 turbofan engine and design assistance too.