[Military & Weapon Section] Author: Tianlang
Recently, according to爆料 from the India Defense Research website, the Indian Ministry of Defense has officially made a diplomatic request to Russia, asking it to stop exporting RD-93 turbofan engines and related accessories to Pakistan. This move is clearly an "non-military" measure taken by India against the Pakistan JF-17 "FC-1 Xiaolong" fighter jets, especially its latest Block 3 version. The reason is simple - India felt the practical combat threat from the "FC-1 Xiaolong" in the just-concluded "May 7 Air Battle," and the core power of this aircraft is precisely the Russian-made RD-93 engine. But here comes the question: Will Russia yield to India's pressure? Can India really threaten the "FC-1 Xiaolong" by cutting off the supply of engines?
▲Related report from the India Defense Research website
As we all know, India is one of the largest customers for Russian arms exports, providing long-term "blood transfusion" support to Russian arms manufacturers with large orders such as Su-30MKI, T-90 tanks, and S-400 air defense systems. However, the relationship between Russia and India has been quietly changing in recent years. On one hand, India is increasingly aligning itself with the U.S. and France, joining the "Quadrilateral Security Dialogue" (QUAD) and signing multiple military agreements with the U.S.; on the other hand, Pakistan has formed a solid defense cooperation with China, while China and Russia have grown increasingly close strategically. Faced with such a triangular situation, even if Russia "values" India, it cannot abandon its cooperation with China and Pakistan. Especially given the prolonged nature of the Ukraine war and the increasing sanctions, Russia is unlikely to easily give up any buyer that can provide blood transfusions to its arms industry.
Moreover, RD-93 is essentially an improved version of RD-33, just a secondary product prepared by Russia for export fighter jets. Its strategic importance is far less than that of Su-35 or S-400, which are considered "bottom-line equipment." For Russia, Pakistan is not a "red line client," but given that China actually has the capacity for improvement and batch production of RD-93, if Russia were to truly halt supplies, it would harm both sides without any benefit, potentially accelerating the pace of China's domestic replacement layout.
▲The RD-93 engines currently equipped on the "FC-1 Xiaolong"
More importantly, India seems to still be living under outdated perceptions of China's arms industry. RD-93 was indeed the core power relied upon during the initial development of the "FC-1 Xiaolong," but China had already completed its imitation and upgrade over a decade ago. First, the WS-13 series of domestically produced medium thrust engines, whose performance is already close to that of RD-93 and has the potential for modification. Currently, the upgraded version of the WS-13E has been renamed the WS-21, with a maximum afterburning thrust of 9.2 tons and a thrust-to-weight ratio of 8.5, having completed practical verification on the J-35. Judging from the Mach ring performance of the J-35's exhaust plume at the Zhuhai Airshow, the engine's power, nozzle efficiency, and combustion control have reached a very high level.
As for the "ultimate medium thrust" engine - the WS-19 - has also gradually surfaced. According to public information, this engine can achieve a maximum afterburning thrust of 9.8~10 tons, with a thrust-to-weight ratio approaching 10, reaching or even exceeding the performance levels of the American F414 and European EJ-200, possessing the potential to provide high-energy power for fourth-generation stealth fighters. Therefore, India's设想 of "cutting off supplies" to choke the throat of the "FC-1 Xiaolong" is precisely a one-sided fantasy. The reality is that both China and Pakistan are looking forward to this situation forcing the switch to domestic production, and India's "supply cutoff offensive" may ironically be the last straw that pushes Pakistan towards full adoption of domestically produced engines.
▲The next generation of medium thrust engines expected to be equipped on the fully realized J-35
Previously, Pakistan chose to continue using RD-93 mainly due to two considerations: one was the mature logistics chain, and the other was concerns about the stability of domestically produced engines. However, the victory in the "May 7 Air Battle" and the impressive performance of Chinese fighter jets obviously changed the mindset of the Pakistani military. The strong performance of the J-10C fighter jets, PL-15 missiles, and electronic warfare systems left a deep impression on the Pakistanis, prompting them to hold an open attitude towards further developments of the "FC-1 Xiaolong" after Block 3.
In recent years, there have been multiple reports of Pakistan's intention to purchase J-35 stealth fighters, and the J-35 is precisely the "validation platform" for domestically produced engines. In other words, Chinese power is no longer a "potential alternative," but rather a "ready-for-installation" option. If the future "FC-1 Xiaolong" Block 4 were to replace the domestically produced WS-21, or even adopt a double-engine variant, it would not be a pipe dream. Moreover, the technical indicators of RD-93 have already approached their limits, and China's domestically produced models have surpassed them in terms of thrust-to-weight ratio, fuel efficiency, and structural life. If Pakistan does not update in time, it will fall behind.
▲The "FC-1 Xiaolong" Block 3 that gained fame for destroying the Indian S-400 air defense missile in the air battle
On the contrary, India itself remains stuck at the "burn money without results" stage in developing its own engines, and the purchased second-hand F-404 and F-414 engines also depend on U.S. permission. In other words, India cannot independently develop its own engines nor fully control the initiative in foreign engine purchases. Ironically, the logic behind its suppression of the "FC-1 Xiaolong" is precisely its own hardest-to-overcome shortcoming. In terms of domestic self-sufficiency in weapons, China has successfully overcome the "heart disease" shadow, while India continues to waver between reliance on Russian equipment and Western constraints. This diplomatic pressure around RD-93 reflects India's anxiety about its own predicament in military-industrial development - when the opponent surpasses it in equipment, system, and strategy, and it remains stuck in "other people's engines" and "imaginary victories."
Ultimately, India's pressure on Russia to cut off RD-93 engines is both a reaction to the psychological gap after the "May 7 Air Battle" and an anxious response to attempting to maintain regional technological superiority. However, the reality is that the "supply cutoff" theory is not only unhelpful in curbing the development of the "FC-1 Xiaolong," but will instead catalyze a major step forward in China's propulsion system iteration, and may even become the turning point for Pakistan to fully switch to domestically produced engines.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7509447148895879695/
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