In what Prime Minister Imran Khan dubbed to be a ‘historic’ moment in the country’s history six Chinese J-10C aircraft were inducted in Pakistan Air Force last week.
According to Chinese observes quoted by China Daily, the deployment of the China-built J-10CE fighter jet will give a significant boost to PAF’s combat capability and diversify its operational portfolio.
The acquisition contract for the fighter jets was signed in June. Delivery of the first planes was completed in just eight months at unprecedented speed.
Wang Yanan, editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, said: “The J-10CE is an export variant of the J-10C, one of the best light-duty, multirole combat planes in the world and also one of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s most powerful pieces of hardware. With its service, the Pakistan Air Force will be able to effectively counter new threats and challenges in future aerial combat and will have a much stronger defense capability.
“The plane is able to fire missiles from beyond visual range. Together with its long flight range, the jet will substantially extend the PAF’s operational radius and give it more time to handle suspected intrusions. Moreover, the J-10C can carry out precision strikes against land targets, offering its user more options when planning military operations.”
A defense industry observer who wished to be identified as Cui said the J-10C is equipped with China’s domestically developed WS-10B engine, which has proved to be an advanced, reliable motor. It has cutting-edge avionics and control systems as well as an active electronically scanned array radar, the best aircraft radar ever used by the PAF, he said.
Another attraction is that the aircraft is armed with the PL-10E short-range missile and the PL-15E long-range missile, the most powerful Chinese air-to-air weapons available on the international market, Cui said.
“They have almost the same technologies and capabilities as missiles used by the PLA Air Force for its own fighter jets,” Cui said. “The PL-15E is an export version of the PL-15, which is likely to be used on China’s J-20 stealth fighter jet. It can hit its targets from beyond visual range and is suitable for eliminating the enemy’s high-value assets such as aerial-refueling or early-warning planes.”
Designed and manufactured by Aviation Industry Corp of China, the J-10C is an all-weather, multirole, fourth-plus-generation fighter jet. It can attack multiple targets from beyond visual range under complex electromagnetic environments, and can deliver precision strikes on ground targets with multiple guided munitions, according to AVIC.
The delivery of the J-10Cs marked a new chapter in cooperation on military aircraft between China and Pakistan and is expected to help to deepen their all-weather strategic cooperative partnership.
