Pakistan plans to purchase Chinese FC-31 fighter jets

China will soon start supplying the Pakistani Air Force with its promising 5th-generation FC-31 “Gyrfalcon” fighter jets, also known as the J-35.

A senior Pakistani government official shared this with Janes.

According to the source, the new planes “will start arriving within a few months,” adding that their Pakistani crews are already undergoing flight training in China.

The official refused to disclose the terms of the deal to journalists, but earlier in May, another source told the media about negotiations to purchase 30-40 aircraft.

This is the first export contract for purchasing a fighter jet developed by the Chinese aircraft manufacturer Shenyang Aircraft Corporation on its own initiative at the turn of the 2010s. This is an important milestone for the development, as the Chinese military initially showed no interest in it.

Janes expects that future Pakistani FC-31s will be equipped with long-range PL-17 air-to-air missiles, which, according to some reports, have a range of 400 km. Combined with the aircraft’s stealth technology, the country’s air defense capabilities should significantly expand.

The FC-31, also known online as the J-35, was designed as a medium fighter jet and a complement to the heavy J-20s that are actively supplied to the People’s Liberation Army Air Force. However, it has not yet been adopted by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, which casts doubt on the affiliation of the index with the “J”.

The developers are positioning it as an export fighter that will be of interest to countries that want a 5th-generation aircraft but do not have access to the US F-35 program.

This is a single-seat aircraft with a twin-engine layout that has widely used technologies and design solutions designed to reduce its radar profile.

The aircraft’s tactical and technical data are largely kept secret, but open sources indicate that it uses internal weapons bays with six suspension points for aircraft missiles, precision weapons, and bombs. In addition, external suspension points under the wings have been spotted on recent versions.

The first prototypes were powered by two Russian RD-93 engines, but were later replaced by Chinese WS-19 engines with a declared maximum thrust of 98 kN each.

This year in May, Pakistani and Chinese Chengdu J-10C fighter jets shot down at least two Indian military aircraft in an air battle.