China “Rushing” J-35 Stealth Fighters To Pakistan

Defence affairs (Air marshal anil chopra - aurasian times)

If reports are to be believed, China could fast-track the deliveries of J-35A stealth fighters to Pakistan. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar reportedly finalized the logistics and financing details of the J-35 fighter jet deal during his visit to China immediately after Operation Sindoor.

Whether China can fast-track the production and deliveries of an aircraft that has just begun production remains a moot point. The earlier spoken timelines for such deliveries were 2029.

Is it the Pakistani military’s rhetoric to appease the sentiments of a public that has felt demoralised after India struck military and terror targets across the length and depth of the country?

Meanwhile, the timeline for the induction of India’s home-grown fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) is around 2035.

How an economically impoverished Pakistan, surviving on IMF doles for its basic survival, will pay for such expensive aircraft is being questioned. Will China give it as a gift to keep India threatened from multiple fronts? Or, as some say, it may be at a 50 percent discount as a reward for showcasing Chinese aircraft (J-10CE and JF-17) and aerial missiles (PL-15) in a good light during Op Sindoor, as they tout?

Such a supply will alter the air dominance dynamics in the subcontinent, which has generated a heated debate about India’s immediate options.

Meanwhile, the Indian strategic community is discussing the need for an interim fifth-generation fighter for the Indian Air Force (IAF). China, India’s major adversary, already has around 300 J-20 fifth-generation fighters, and the number is growing by around 60 a year.

China has also unveiled two sixth-generation fighter jets, Chengdu J-36 and Shenyang J-50, on December 26, 2024, in Chengdu, representing their next evolutionary leap based on two decades of R&D.

The only other mature fifth-generation fighters flying in reasonable numbers are the American Lockheed Martin’s F-35, F-22 Raptor, Chinese J-20, and Russian Su-57, to some extent.