Illustrative image. (http://www.airliners.net/photo/Untitled-(AVIC)/Shenyang-J-31-(F60)/2542713/L/)
China will start supplying the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) with its Shenyang FC-31 “Gyrfalcon” fifth-generation multirole stealth fighter aircraft, Janes reported on June 4, citing a Pakistani official.
The official told the intelligence company that the FC-31s “will begin arriving within months.” He also confirmed that PAF pilots are in China undergoing training to fly the fighter jets. The official did not, however, disclose any terms of the deal, including the date it was signed.
While Janes referred the fighter jet in its report as the FC-31 “Gyrfalcon,” this codename was used by the manufacturer, the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, to refer to an export-oriented demonstrator that was used as the base for the development of the fighter jet, now officially known as the Shenyang J-35.
The twin-engine FC-31 features low-observable aircraft designs, like internal weapon bays, mainly focusing on the reduction of the radar cross-section.
The fighter jet is equipped with an active electronically scanned array radar (AESA) along with a distributed aperture system, serving as an optical early-warning system and infrared search and track at the same time. The jet is also fitted with an electro-optical targeting system.
The FC-31 has a total of 12 internal and external hardpoints, with a maximum weapon load of 8,000 kg. It can reach a top speed of Mach 1,8 and has a combat range of more than 1,200 kilometers.
Previous reports by Janes suggest that the PAF will receive as many as 30-40 FC-31s from China. Furthermore, a Pakistani official told the company last May that the fighter jets will be equipped with the latest PL-17 air-to-air missile, which is equipped with an AESA radar homing head and has a range of 400 kilometers.
Chinese-made fighter jets, namely the CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder and the Chengdu J-10, make up the majority of modern fighter jets in service with the PAF today.
During the limited confrontation with India last May, the PAF demonstrated the capabilities, shooting down several Indian fighter jets, including at least one French-made Dassault Rafale. The aerial kills were attributed to the J-10, which used the Chinese-made PL-15E, an export version of the original PL-15 with an AESA radar homing head and range of 145 kilometers.
Considering the performance of the J-10 with the PL-15, we could assume that the FC-31 with the PK-17 could tip the balance of power in the air in favor of Pakistan in any future confrontation with India, which has been struggling to obtain fifth-generation stealth fighter jets since abandoning the Sukhoi/HAL FGFA program with Russia.
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