Pakistan says China offered 40 J-35 stealth aircraft, among others
The post also said that Azerbaijan and Pakistan had signed a $4.6 billion contract for the former to acquire 40 JF-17 fighter jets manufactured by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC).
A J-35A stealth fighter jet performs in the sky on day 4 of the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China 2024, on November 15, 2024 in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province of China. (Photo by Song Zeyi/VCG via Getty Images)
MELBOURNE — Pakistan’s government appears to have confirmed that China offered to sell it advanced stealth aircraft, as well as airborne early warning aircraft and surface-to-air missiles.
The development was noted Friday by the Pakistani government’s twitter account, in a list of diplomat achievements credited to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, saying Islamabad had been offered “40 fifth-generation Shenyang J-35 stealth aircraft, Shaanxi KJ-500 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C), and HQ-19 air defense systems from China,” according to an online translation.
The post also said that Azerbaijan and Pakistan had signed a $4.6 billion contract for the former to acquire 40 JF-17 fighter jets manufactured by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC).
China’s purported offer was first reported back in December when unnamed Pakistani officials said deliveries of the J-35, also known as FC-31, would start “within months.” In January, Pakistan’s air chief confirmed the impending purchase.
The J-35 is currently being developed for both China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and People’s Liberation Army – Navy Air Force (PLANAF), with the latter expected to introduce they type onto its carrier air wings.
The Chinese Aeronautical Establishment, the research wing of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), had said in 2021 that it would be developing a next generation fighter aircraft for the Chinese military. This turned out to be a redesigned FC-31, a private venture by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation to develop a modern fighter jet for export markets in the early 2010s but did not manage to secure further interest from China’s traditional defense export markets.
The aircraft emerged as the J-35 around 2021, with the naval variant featuring a catapult launch bar and folding wings for carrier operations being the first to break cover. The PLAAF’s variant followed in 2023, with the type making its public debut in November 2024 at the Zhuhai Airshow in China.
The J-35 has been compared to the Lockheed-Martin F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter, and its shape bears a slight resemblance to the US fifth-generation fighter. It has likely been designed with low-observable shaping in mind.
The J-35, like other stealth fighters, will also primarily carry its weapons in an internal weapons bay. China has claimed that the J-35 will be equipped with an Active Electronically Scanned Array radar and fitted for networked warfare. However there are significant differences between the J-35 and the F-35, the most significant being that the China design is powered by a pair of engines compared to the single powerplant on the F-35.
Beyond the J-35, the Chinese offer to Pakistan allegedly also includes the Shaanxi KJ-500 AEW&C aircraft. The KJ-500 is the latest airborne early warning aircraft design in Chinese service, serving with the PLAAF.
The KJ-500 is based on the Shaanxi Y-9 turboprop airlifter with a large radar dish mounted on top, fitted with an AESA radar that can provide all-round radar coverage.
