Somalia’s planned $900 million fighter jets could reshape EAC rankings

Somalia is in talks to acquire up to 24 JF-17 Thunder Block III fighter jets from Pakistan in a deal reportedly valued at $900 million, according to Business Insider Africa.

If completed, it would mark the country’s most ambitious military procurement in decades and a dramatic rebuild of its long-dormant air force.

The JF-17, developed jointly by Pakistan and China, is classified as a 4.5-generation multirole fighter. 

The Block III variant features an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, modern avionics, and compatibility with beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles, placing it well ahead of older third-generation platforms still in use across parts of Africa.

For Somalia, which has not operated a modern fixed-wing fighter fleet since the collapse of the central government in 1991, the acquisition would signal a return to sovereign air defence capability.

In an earlier ranking of East African Community (EAC) fighter fleets, regional air power was largely concentrated in three countries.

At the top sits Uganda, which operates the Sukhoi Su-30MK2, a heavy 4+ generation fighter with long range, high payload capacity and advanced radar systems. Uganda’s fleet remains the most formidable in the bloc in terms of raw capability.

Kenya follows with upgraded Northrop F-5 jets. Though older in design, Kenya’s aircraft have benefited from avionics modernisation and extensive operational experience, particularly in counter-terror operations.

Tanzania maintains Chengdu J-7 fighters, a platform based on older Soviet designs. While functional for air policing and limited combat roles, they are widely regarded as less advanced than the Su-30s or modernised F-5s.

Other EAC members, including Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and Burundi, do not field significant modern fighter fleets.

Somalia’s entry into this landscape would therefore be game-changing.

If Somalia successfully acquires and operationalises 24 JF-17 Block III jets, analysts suggest it could immediately move into the upper tier of regional air forces.

In pure technological terms, the JF-17 Block III’s AESA radar and modern weapons suite would likely place Somalia ahead of Tanzania’s J-7 fleet. 

The aircraft’s multirole capability, including air-to-air combat, precision ground strikes and maritime patrol, would give Mogadishu options it currently lacks.

However, Somalia would still rank below Uganda, whose Su-30MK2 is a heavier and more powerful platform with superior range and payload. 

Kenya’s advantage would lie not only in hardware but also in decades of pilot training, logistics systems and combat experience.

But capability on paper does not always translate into effective power.

Acquiring jets is only one part of building an air force. Modern fighters require trained pilots, ground crews, spare parts supply chains, hardened air bases and long-term maintenance budgets.

Somalia is still rebuilding national institutions after decades of instability. Questions remain about whether it can sustain a high-performance fleet without heavy external support. 

The reported deal is said to include training and support packages, but operational independence would take years to achieve.

There is also the broader geopolitical dimension. A Pakistani-backed jet programme would signal shifting defence partnerships in the Horn of Africa, where Russia, Turkey, the United States and Gulf states already play influential roles in the region’s security sector.

Beyond league tables, Somalia’s move reflects a wider trend: African states are increasingly investing in air power as both a deterrent and a symbol of sovereignty.

For Mogadishu, the JF-17 would not just be a military asset. It would represent an assertion of state authority over its airspace and coastline at a time when security threats remain active.

Whether the deal is finalised, and whether the aircraft become fully operational, will determine if Somalia’s leap reshapes East Africa’s air power balance or remains an ambitious headline.