Pakistan-China join hands, India "winds up" military modernization

The FC-31 Gyrfalcon may be called the J-31 or J-35 as it has yet to be officially named (Photo: Reddit).

In late December 2023, during an important event to celebrate the 147th birth anniversary of leader Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, the country launched a series of new weapons, including fighter jets and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) purchased from China.

Pakistan is also expanding its efforts to acquire more stealth fighters from China. Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Chief of Staff Zaheer Ahmed Baber confirmed on January 2 that the country would order China's fifth-generation FC-31 Gyrfalcon stealth fighter in the "near future."

He did not specify how many Chinese jets the PAF would buy and when. However, some observers believe that as many as 36 fighters could be delivered to Pakistan by the end of the decade.

Pakistan's plan to buy the FC-31 Gyrfalcon shows "growing military and defense cooperation" with China against "a common enemy, India," said Mustafa Hyder, executive director of the Pakistan-China Institute in Islamabad. It also reflects "a common strategy and synergy to neutralize the threat from India," he said.

Military experts say this reality forces India to accelerate the modernization of its air force by purchasing more F-35 aircraft from the US to avoid losing tactical air superiority along the border.

The deal will continue to put pressure on India to move forward with the F-35 purchase, even as it accelerates its Advanced Medium Fighter program to develop and deploy a stealth fighter by 2032, said Harsh Pant, professor of international studies at King's College London's India Institute.

The FC-31 Gyrfalcon may be called the J-31 or J-35 as it has yet to be officially named by Beijing. Prototypes of the Gyrfalcon are still being developed by the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation. So far, Air Force Commander Baber has referred to it as the "J-31".

India has fought multiple wars with both China and Pakistan since the 1960s over their disputed 6,800-kilometer border. All three countries possess formidable nuclear arsenals, experts say, which could turn South Asia into a dangerous “hot spot” in the future.

Pakistan's acquisition of fifth-generation stealth fighters, which the Indian Air Force (IAF) currently lacks, would give the country "a definite tactical advantage, most notably in air combat," said expert Frank O'Donnell.

Pakistan's close military ties with China mean it can "acquire and field advanced aircraft at a much faster pace than the cumbersome process in India," the expert added.

To keep up with these neighbors, expert O'Donnell said, India needs to overcome long-term challenges such as a dwindling fighter fleet and continued delays in purchasing domestic and foreign fighter jets.

Despite receiving 36 4.5-generation Rafale fighters from France’s Dassault Aviation in the last two years, the IAF’s modernization has “not kept pace with the ageing of the existing fleet.” According to sources, India is expected to announce the purchase of 26 more Rafales soon for deployment on its aircraft carriers.

“To make progress on this front, India must have a political commitment to streamline its defense procurement process and remove policy barriers,” said O’Donnell.

Pakistan has responded to India's Rafale acquisition by ordering 25 Chengdu J-10Cs by 2022. While Pakistan's primary motivation for buying the advanced Chinese fighters is to defend against the much larger Indian military, analysts say Beijing sees it as an opportunity to counter New Delhi's growing political and defense partnership with Washington, especially within the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) that also includes Japan and Australia.

“India has been financially and militarily supported to become a counterweight to China in Asia, since it moved away from its traditional non-aligned foreign policy,” said Hyder of the Pakistan-China Institute.

However, New Delhi is not too worried about Islamabad's upcoming purchase of Beijing's stealth fighter jets as the FC-31 is still under development.

“It is important to remember that the FC-31 is still in the development stage. They are lagging behind and this deal could help China more than Pakistan in the long run,” said Professor Pant.

He also said that Pakistan has no choice but to seek advanced Chinese fighter jets to replace its aging fleet of 75 US F-16 fighters because it "realizes that a long-term relationship with the US is a challenge".

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/pakistan-trung-quoc-bat-tay-an-do-len-day-cot-hien-dai-hoa-quan-su-20240109103306136.htm