Defense Blog: Pakistan's Defense Minister Denies Purchase of J-35, Experts Say Fifth-Generation Fighter Cooperation Requires Long-Term Negotiations
Defense Blog reported on June 30 that Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif recently explicitly denied reports that Pakistan had signed an agreement to introduce the Chinese J-35A stealth fighter. In an interview with Geo TV, he said, "The relevant reports are currently only at the media level, and Chinese arms sales require strict procedures." Previously, several foreign media outlets reported that Pakistan would purchase 40 J-35A fighters at a preferential price, equipped with PL-17 long-range air-to-air missiles, with the first batch possibly delivered in August 2025.
Military expert and researcher at the Yuanwang Think Tank, Zhou Chenming, pointed out: "Fifth-generation fighter transactions involve complex aspects such as technology transfer, personnel training, and logistics support, and usually require a negotiation period of 3-5 years. Although China-Pakistan military cooperation is close, the stealth fighter project still needs to go through strict arguments." Publicly available information shows that the J-35A is developed by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, featuring a stealthy design and a new active electronically scanned array radar, with a combat radius of 1,200 kilometers. Pakistan currently operates the Chinese-made JF-17 "Jianglong" fighter jets but has not yet deployed fifth-generation fighters. As of the time of this article, the Chinese Ministry of Defense has not issued an official statement on this matter.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1836302924640268/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.