India-Pakistan air combat results have made the Pakistani decision-making circle very happy, and they have fully increased their procurement of Chinese stealth fighters. The Pakistan Air Force also wants more advanced J-20 fighter jets, even second-hand ones? Experts said that the J-20 is on the export ban list, and no one can sell it.

01. Disregarding the J-35, does the Pakistan Air Force want to buy a second-hand J-20?

The Prime Minister of Pakistan has clearly stated that he will purchase at least 40 Shenyang J-35 fighter jets as the main combat force for the Pakistan Air Force in the future. However, interestingly, Pakistani experts have some criticisms about the official decision to purchase the J-35. Expert Mansoor Qureshi from the design platform posted an article stating that considering that the J-35 is not yet in service with the PLA, the best choice is the proven J-20. Pakistani media also said that for the Pakistan Air Force, even a second-hand J-20 could significantly enhance its combat capabilities.

▲Wanting the J-20? The Pakistan side is overestimating, this is a non-sale item

But in fact, there are two points that need clarification: "The J-35 is not yet in service with the PLA, and the issue of whether the J-20 can be sold or not."

Firstly, regarding the experts' doubts about the J-35 not being in service with the PLA, but the official purchase by the Pakistani government, this actually highlights the lag in the experts' understanding of information related to Chinese aircraft.

▲Air Force version of the J-35

According to previous official open-source information from China, the J-35 is the first medium stealth fighter selected by both the PLA Navy and Air Force. The air force version of the J-35A has appeared multiple times at the Zhuhai Air Show last year. The PLA Air Force's J-35 mainly replaces conventional medium and light fighter jets, forming a high-low configuration with the J-20. Meanwhile, the naval version of the J-35 has been frequently showcased on the Fujian Aircraft Carrier, and recently CCTV further exposed details of the naval version of the J-35. There is no doubt that the naval J-35 will be rapidly deployed to the three aircraft carriers of the PLA.

As for the Pakistan side's repeated request to purchase the J-20, the Interior Minister of Pakistan had publicly expressed his desire to purchase the J-20 fighter jet in 2022. Throughout the years, the Pakistan side has never given up the hope of purchasing the J-20. However, under the current situation, the J-20 fighter jet has no option for export, or rather, the J-20 is currently on China's list of restricted exports of advanced weapons.

02. Is China's heavy stealth fighter entering the export ban list?

Secondly, from both technical and political factors, it is unrealistic to expect China to export the J-20. The J-20 is China's first independently developed fifth-generation advanced heavy stealth fighter. Its advanced WS-15 engine, distributed optical aperture system, and other advanced systems are all the "hidden treasures" of China's aviation industry. Therefore, for China, the most advanced equipment cannot be prioritized for export, as there is a risk of technology leakage.

Moreover, considering Pakistan's economic strength, maintaining a fleet of J-35 fighter jets already poses significant economic pressure. How could it afford the huge cost of maintaining a J-20 fleet? Only the US, China, and Russia can afford to maintain heavy stealth fighter fleets.

▲The J-20 fighter jet is impossible to sell abroad, at least before the sixth-generation fighter is fully deployed

In addition, politically speaking, selling the J-20 to Pakistan would promote a new round of arms race in South Asia. It is known that if the J-20, which is a "national treasure," is exported to Pakistan, it will completely change the geopolitical situation in South Asia. Exporting the J-35 has already greatly alarmed India, accelerating its own indigenous fifth-generation fighter project.

Indian media stated that the introduction of the J-35 to Pakistan has made the entire Indian Air Force uneasy. The leadership of the Indian Air Force has decided to increase support for its own fifth-generation fighter project, AMCA. But if Pakistan can also obtain the J-20, this will mean that India cannot catch up. After all, India's fifth-generation fighter project is already significantly behind the J-35, and compared to the J-20, it is an insurmountable technological gap. This move will force India to adopt a more aggressive policy towards China, even strengthening military cooperation with the United States and directly introducing the F-35 to build a "anti-China encirclement" together with the United States.

China's military trade has always adhered to the "three no-principles": not harming regional peace, not interfering in internal affairs, and not adding political conditions. Therefore, selling the J-35 allows the Pakistan Air Force to have complete self-defense capability and even some advantages, but it is impossible to export the J-20 and break the balance in South Asia. As a "strategic-level equipment," the J-20 is highly sensitive, and its export inevitably involves complex political considerations. Therefore, it is impossible to export the J-20 to avoid stimulating India.

03. The J-35 is completely sufficient for the Pakistan Air Force

Through exporting the J-35, China can meet the Pakistan Air Force's demand for stealth capabilities while avoiding excessive stimulation of the regional balance, which also aligns with Pakistan's "positive defense" national defense policy.

▲In fact, the J-35 fully meets the operational needs of the Pakistan Air Force

It can be said that the Pakistan side has enough with the J-35; don't "look at the pot while eating from the bowl." Previously, the domestic authorities stated that as an export model of a fifth-generation stealth fighter with full stealth capabilities, its comprehensive combat power completely surpasses the F-35.

Actually, the news of Pakistan introducing the J-35 has already made the Indian Air Force nervous. After all, the Indian Air Force's most advanced aircraft is the Rafale, which was "severely taught" by the Pakistan's J-10C in the 5.7 air battle. Compared to the Indian Air Force's Rafale aircraft, the J-35 as a stealth fighter has a generation-level technological advantage.

A clear example is that the radar cross-section (RCS) of the J-35 is expected to be less than 0.001 square meters, allowing it to launch attacks outside the effective detection range of India's current "Rafale" (RCS about 0.8 square meters) and Su-30MKI (RCS about 15 square meters), while the entire process, the Indian Air Force's aircraft cannot detect the J-35's presence.

The introduction of the J-35 can further strengthen the Pakistan Air Force's combat system. The J-35 can carry the PL-15E (range over 150 km) missile, combined with the data link support of the ZDK-003 early warning aircraft (imported by Pakistan from China), and the ground-based Hongqi-9 (HQ-9) advanced medium-to-long-range air defense systems, it can form a networked, integrated combat system covering the air and space, ensuring a strategic advantage against India.

▲India's Air Force's AMCA project, essentially another "Tejas"

Meanwhile, India's own fifth-generation fighter AMCA project is constrained by insufficient industrial foundation, weak aviation industry technology, and lack of top talent, making it impossible to quickly develop, test, and deploy. Its outcome is likely similar to the Tejas fighter project, forcing it to seek technical support from other Western countries, including radar and engine technologies, eventually becoming a "patchwork" of multi-national technologies.

Even so, according to the fastest estimate from Indian media, the first flight of India's self-developed fifth-generation fighter will not be until 2030, and its deployment will be at least after 2033. In contrast, the J-35 introduced by Pakistan can be fully operational by around 2027, forming combat capability. This means that in the competition for fifth-generation fighter squadrons, the Pakistan Air Force will initially gain an advantage over the Indian Air Force, which is a situation that has never occurred since the establishment of the Pakistan and Indian Air Forces.

Some content in the article comes from the following sources: 1. Preliminary investigation of the Indian aviation accident focuses on pilot operation, possible accidental touch of the fuel switch, Global Times

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7525784571749827112/

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