“Pakistan will acquire 36 J-10C fighters from China by the end of 2021,” said the Pakistan House for Strategic & International Affairs (HSIA), a Pakistani think tank, according to the Global Times, citing Defense World. The news has not been officially confirmed by either of the two countries.
The J-10C is equipped with an advanced active phased array airborne radar system, can use PL-15 missiles with a range of up to two hundred kilometers, and its use of DSI inlets effectively reduces the frontal radar reflection area.
Even in the face of heavy three-generation semi-fighters such as the J-16, the J-10C does not fall behind. From the “records”, the J-10C and the J-16 have won each other’s battles. For example, in 2019, a brigade equipped with the J-10C performed even better and was awarded the “winning unit in air combat” in the “Gold Helmet” assessment. In March of this year, Wang Songxi, the J-16 flight instructor in the northern theater, revealed: “Last year we had the opportunity to engage in an aerial confrontation with fighter jets of the same era as the J-10C. In the entire confrontation process, we were basically on equal terms. In fact, there is no clear winner.”
The Pakistan Air Force is no stranger to the J-10C fighter, and the J-10C can be seen in the joint training of the Sino-Pakistani Eagles in 2019 and 2020. Public reports show that in the “Eagle-IX” air force joint training held at the end of last year, Pakistan dispatched JF-17 fighters, “Phantom III” fighters, J-7P fighters and ZDK-03 early warning aircraft; and China dispatched J-10C, J-11BS, Y-8 electronic jammer and KJ-500 early warning aircraft.
In the past, when Pakistan is satisfied with the J-10, non-localized engines have always been a potential export hazard. To put it simply, for the export of military equipment equipped with foreign engines, it is necessary to obtain an engine re-export license from the engine-producing country, otherwise, the manufacturer could refuse to repair and maintain the engine.
For example, the positioning of the J-10C is close to that of the MiG-35, and Russia is likely to restrict the J-10 in order to ensure its own aircraft exports. At the same time, because the J-10C uses the Russian-made AL-31 series engine, which is also the source of power for the Indian Su-30MKI, this makes the J-10 series vulnerable to Saturn company’s “choke point” when it is exported.
In recent years, China’s domestically produced high-thrust engines have gradually matured, including “Taihang” engines (WS-10). In May of this year, the J-10C, which was equipped with a domestic Taihang engine, made its public debut in combat troops. Recently, the “Taihang” version of the J-10C was unveiled again, indicating that the 100% domestically produced J-10C has cleared the barriers to export.
