Did Myanmar rebels down a Pak-supplied JF-17 fighter jet? Suspicions rise after warplane crash in Sagaing

File photo of a Pakistani JF-17 thunder aircraft used for representational purpose.

A military fighter jet went down in flames on Tuesday in Myanmar’s conflict-ridden Sagaing region, triggering a flurry of speculation about whether it was brought down by rebel fire or succumbed to technical failure.

While Myanmar’s state-run media attributed the crash to mechanical issues, a resistance group has claimed it shot the aircraft out of the sky, reports AP.

The incident occurred around midday in Pale township, about 140 kilometers west of Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city. Myanmar’s military-owned broadcaster MRTV confirmed the crash but provided few details, declining to identify the type of jet involved or reveal the status of the crew. It said that a search and recovery operation was underway.

Local media, however, circulated disturbing images of wreckage, including what appeared to be body parts, and identified the aircraft as a Chinese-built FTC-2000G, a light fighter and ground-attack aircraft.

But unconfirmed reports have since emerged suggesting the jet may have been a JF-17 Thunder — a multirole combat aircraft co-developed by China and Pakistan, and reportedly supplied to Myanmar’s military by Islamabad in recent years. If verified, it would mark the first known combat loss of a JF-17 in Myanmar’s civil war and could fuel further questions about the jet’s performance and survivability in high-conflict zones.

Myanmars Peoples Liberation Army forces shot down a JF-17 fighter jet belonging to the Myanmar Air Force today.Myanmar Air Force acquired a fleet of 11 JF-17s supplied by Pakistan between 2018 and 2021 as part of a contract signed in 2015. pic.twitter.com/D10BfgBmyu
Clash Report (@clashreport) June 10, 2025

Sagaing has been a hotbed of fierce resistance since Myanmar’s military coup in February 2021, which ousted the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. What began as peaceful protests has since erupted into a nationwide civil war, with the junta facing stiff opposition from various armed groups, particularly in regions like Sagaing.

The rebel group that claimed responsibility for the shootdown did not provide verifiable evidence, but analysts note that armed factions in Sagaing have recently obtained stronger anti-aircraft capabilities.