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While the Pakistan
Aeronautical Complex and the Chengdu Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAC)
have ostensibly developed the JF-17 jointly, analysts say most of the
development was done by CAC
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Two
weeks after China’s new J-31 stealth fighter made its debut flight on October
31, it will be officially acknowledged with a mock-up of the aircraft in
Airshow China, the Beijing-endorsed air show that opens in Zhuhai, China, on
Tuesday. With China’s official media reporting the J-31 will be sold to abroad
customers, Indian analysts say the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) might be one of the
earliest customers of the fighter aircraft.
The
English-language newspaper Global Times, owned by the Communist Party of China
(CPC), cites Bai Wei, former editor of the Aviation World Monthly, as saying,
“Currently, the only fifth generation fighter available for sale is the F-35 by
the US. The J-31 will offer an alternative for non-traditional allies of the
US.”
The leakage of
photos of the J-31 debut flight, which analysts regard as deliberate, had
triggered speculation that the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) had
built that aircraft for the international market, creating a rival for Lockheed
Martin’s long-delayed F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Aviation experts assess the
J-31 would also need 7-10 years to enter operational service.
Indian analysts, including Pushpindar Singh of the Society for Aerospace Studies,
point out the PAF’s preference for Chinese fighter aircraft make it likely that
it would acquire the J-31 as soon as the fighter is ready for operational
service. “Already, the backbone of the PAF is made up of Chinese fighters like
the JF-17 Thunder, the J-10 and the F-7. It is close to certain that Pakistan
would also opt for at least two squadrons of the J-31, given that the US is
unlikely to allow it into the F-35 partnership,” says Pushpindar Singh.
Indian analysts believe the PAF will emerge
as a 23-squadron air force by 2020, with its backbone consisting of 12-13
squadrons of the JF-17 light fighter.
While the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and
the Chengdu Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAC) have ostensibly developed the
JF-17 jointly, analysts believe that most of the development was done by CAC.
The PAF already operates four squadrons of the JF-17, which is part-built in
Pakistan and China.
In 2020, the PAF would also have four
squadrons of Lockheed Martin F-16s, two squadrons of the J-10 from CAC, and
three squadrons of older Chinese F-7TGs.
The close relationship between the PLAAF and the PAF is evident from the
presence at the Zhuhai Air Show of three PAF JF-17 fighters, which will be
flying displays during the show.
Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is currently down to 34
squadrons, with which it must defend both the Pakistan and China borders. By
2017, the 14 IAF squadrons that fly MiG-21 and MiG-27 fighters would also have
been disbanded, and replaced by just four new squadrons of Sukhoi-30MKI
fighters.
“With the procurement of the Dassault
Rafale fighter also running late, the IAF will be facing what can only be
described as a crisis in 2017,” says Pushpindar Singh.
Airshow China will also feature, for the
first time ever, China’s new WZ-10 attack helicopter, which will be capable of
flying anti-tank and anti-aircraft missions, fielding a payload of rockets,
missiles and a rapid-fire cannon.
Like in every China-built fighter aircraft,
the five-tonne helicopter will be powered by a foreign engine.
The air show at Zhuhai will also feature a
new Chinese long-range ground-to-air missile called the FD-2000.
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