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India-Pakistan tensions
This Week in AsiaPolitics

Chinese J-35 stealth jets set to give Pakistan edge over India in fifth-generation tech

India has a much larger fleet of 4.5-generation fighters but is lagging behind Pakistan in the acquisition of stealth warplanes

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The J-35A fighter jet appears during a CCTV report on Shenyang Aircraft Corporation on May 1. Photo: CCTV
Tom Hussain

A year after fending off a massive Indian air assault with the help of Chinese warplanes and missiles, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on Thursday unveiled plans to upgrade its fleet through further acquisitions of Chengdu J-10C fighters and substantial upgrades to the JF-17s co-produced by the two allies.

The PAF further confirmed that it has signed an “initial collaborative agreement” for the acquisition of fifth-generation Shenyang J-35 stealth fighter, without disclosing any details about the scope of the deal.

Speculation is rife that Pakistan could take delivery of an initial batch of J-35s by the end of this year, following the airing of a video by CCTV last week showing the first fully operational export version of the warplane. As the only overseas customer to date, the PAF is the obvious destination.
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According to analysts, the PAF’s induction of Chinese fifth-generation warplanes into service would alter the balance of air power with India, which has a much larger fleet of 4.5-generation fighters bought from France and Russia but is lagging behind Pakistan in the acquisition of stealth warplanes.
The J-35s would also boost the PAF’s ability to project military power into the Persian Gulf. Pakistan last month deployed a squadron of fighters – including JF-17s – to Saudi Arabia under a mutual defence pact signed last September.
An export variant of the J-35A fighter jet appears on CCTV’s May 1 special programme. Photo: CCTV
An export variant of the J-35A fighter jet appears on CCTV’s May 1 special programme. Photo: CCTV

At a press conference in Islamabad, PAF deputy chief of air staff Air Vice-Marshal Tariq Ghazi said “foundations have been laid for the acquisition of advanced capabilities” – including long-range precision weapons (LRPW), next-generation platforms, “additional” J-10C aircraft and “much upgraded” JF-17s.

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