The Pakistan Air Force will soon join the select group of fifth-generation aircraft operators when China delivers 40 J-35 stealth fighter jets to Pakistan.
A government notification states that deliveries should start by the end of this year. The J-35, a platform that is still in its early phases of deployment even within China’s own military, is being exported for the first time abroad.
Pakistan will get the J-35’s FC-31 version. In comparison to the naval variant intended for China’s aircraft carriers, the land-based version is intended for export and ground operations. The model can connect to other weapon systems to exchange target data and has an infrared search-and-track system installed on its nose.
In the upcoming years, India would be able to buy Russian Su-57E fighter jets or American F-35s, according to many media reports. According to certain estimates, Russia offers better prices and conditions for knowledge transfer, therefore, New Delhi may be able to purchase fifth-generation aircraft from them.
But India is also developing its own fighter jets using its own technologies. Through the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) project, DRDO and Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) are creating fighter jets of the fifth and sixth generations.
Another piece of news is that the Indian Armed Forces will shortly get the Tejas MK1A fighter plane from HAL.
The Tejas MK1A is a fighter aircraft of the 4.5 generation. The Indian Air Force will receive 97 Tejas MK1A fighter jets as part of a Rs 67000 agreement with HAL.
According to rumors, the Tejas MK1A will undergo flight testing in July before being delivered to the IAF.
According to reports, the J-35, China’s second fifth-generation fighter, can reach a top speed of Mach 1.8, or 1,400 mph. Despite being a “black box” because of the lack of publicly available information, it is thought to be a single-seater, twin-engine, supersonic jet intended for multirole missions.