On 06 June 2025, the Authorities of Pakistan had introduced that it obtained a serious arms supply from China consisting of the J-35 stealth fighter, HQ-19 theatre air defence system, and the KJ-500 airborne early warning and management (AEW&C) system.
The announcement was posted on the social media platform X, however was deleted on 11 June, indicating that it could have been an unintended revelation.
In any case, the announcement, for essentially the most half, was not shocking.
Pakistan expressed its curiosity and plans to induct the J-35 way back to 2024, and an accompanying KJ-500 AEW&C acquisition might make sense.
It might enable the PAF to leverage ideas like Cooperative Engagement Functionality (CEC) out of the field reasonably than delay its adoption by solely ready for an unique integration answer.
Arguably, essentially the most shocking piece of the announcement was the inclusion of the HQ-19 – i.e., China’s theater air defence system.
The timing of the announcement, a month after a battle with India, is noteworthy.
Host Bilal Khan means that the HQ-19 might point out a change in Pakistan’s protection posture or “a shift in doctrine, one which foresees preventing an escalatory battle with India reasonably than to hunt a diplomatic off-ramp or de-escalation”.
The HQ-19 – China’s analogous counterpart to the American THAAD system – is an anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system designed to intercept 3,000 km-ranged BMs.
Nevertheless, Aseem ul-Islam notes {that a} system just like the HQ-19 is meant for late-stage, high-stakes battle eventualities, “very near the nuclear threshold”.
This aligns with current official statements suggesting Pakistan would escalate in a future battle to compel worldwide intervention.
A Main Export Deal for the JF-17
The firmest information is a confirmed $4.6 billion sale of 40 JF-17 Thunder fighter jets to Azerbaijan.
That is Pakistan’s largest defence export deal to this point. Arslan Khan views the deal as a “lifesaver” for the JF-17 manufacturing line.
He argues that curiosity within the plane has been reducing throughout the PAF and from its Chinese language improvement accomplice, AVIC, particularly with the introduction of newer plane just like the J-10C and the prospect of the J-35.
“Azerbaijan is successfully single-handedly retaining the manufacturing line open,” Arslan says. This deal supplies time to resolve the way forward for the JF-17, presumably via upgrades for older fashions.
The excessive price of the deal suggests it consists of intensive work to combine non-Chinese language programs, like Turkish-made missiles.
This might create a brand new position for the JF-17 as a customizable strike platform, shifting from its unique goal of a multirole fighter to a versatile service for standoff weapons.
The Objectives Behind the J-35 Stealth Fighter
The potential acquisition of the J-35 stealth fighter is one other vital matter.
The podcast crew explains that is seemingly a part of the PAF’s long-term technique to switch older F-16s and construct a brand new offensive strike functionality.
The J-35 can be on the heart of a “strike formation,” supported by unmanned fight aerial automobiles (UCAVs), decoy drones, and loitering munitions.
This permits for a extra scalable pressure, counting on 40 crewed stealth fighters alongside bigger numbers of unmanned assist plane and programs.
Aseem ul-Islam notes that introducing the J-35 to the area would stress India to advance its fifth-generation fighter (FGFA) packages.
He additionally suggests this transfer signifies that Pakistan has “clearly chosen China” as its major defence accomplice for superior programs, however that doesn’t essentially preclude different international locations, together with Turkiye, from participating additional down the road.
Hearken to the Full Dialogue
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