How important is J10C for Pakistan and why?, The political situation in the world is changing rapidly. In just two years, there have been two major wars in the breakaway states of the former Soviet Union.
The use of technology, drones and air power in the Armenian-Azerbaijani war was unprecedented. Similarly, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has made the situation in the European and Asian region more challenging. Both these wars and the Pak-India battle on February 27, 2019 have proved the importance of air warfare.
In India, where army and air force chiefs have been criticized in the media for criticizing each other over whether the air force is a full-fledged attack force or a subordinate force of the army, Pakistan’s armed forces have stepped up their defense capabilities. The process of successfully incorporating J10C aircraft into the Air Force has been completed.
The completion of defense deals between India and Pakistan can be gauged from the fact that India had agreed to purchase the Rafale aircraft 10 years ago as most of the fighter jets of the Indian Air Force have either crashed or have expired. Are India has managed to get only 36 aircraft after 10 years while Pakistan has got the first squadron of J10C aircraft from China in just 8 months.
The ceremony of joining the J10C aircraft in the Pakistan Air Force fleet was held in a very simple and dignified manner. It was not made a political spectacle in any way. On the other hand, if we look at the purchase of Raphael in India, he gave a religious color to the inclusion of these planes and a special worship was performed.
The inauguration ceremony of these aircraft was held at Pakistan Air Force Base Minhas (Kamra Air Base). Speaking on the occasion, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar said that there are regional and global challenges, the geo-strategic environment is changing rapidly and it is affecting the region and Pakistan. Rapidly changing technology is constantly changing the nature of war. Space technology, electronic warfare, nanotechnology and artificial intelligence have radically changed traditional national security trends. To make the national defense invincible, Pakistan’s armed forces are timely adding new weapons.
Despite the Corona epidemic, the Pakistan Air Force has added these aircraft to its fleet in a short span of 8 months. This event is a manifestation of the great friendship between Pakistan and China. The Pakistan Air Force has added a state-of-the-art aircraft to its fleet after four decades. In 1982, F-16s became part of the Pakistan Air Force fleet.
Referring to the J10C’s military capabilities, the Air Chief Marshal said that the aircraft had a fully integrated weapon system, avionics and electronic warfare suit, which made it capable of killing even an invisible enemy. Keeps This aircraft is equipped with the latest weapons in the world. It is capable of hitting its targets from a distance from space to air and from space to earth. This aircraft has acquired the initiative and electronic warfare capability to attack the Pakistan Air Force.
Pak-China cooperation in aerospace sector
There are few countries in the world that have an aircraft manufacturing industry. At present, the United States and Western countries are leading in this field, but now Asian countries are also leading in this field. China is one of the leading Asian aircraft manufacturers. Pakistan and China are promoting cooperation in defense industry, especially in aerospace technology. The masterpiece of this collaboration is the JF17 Thunder. To further enhance this cooperation, Pakistan has set up an Aviation City in Kamra.
Looking at the Pak-China cooperation in the past, I think Pakistan has not only bought J10C aircraft from China but also the two countries will work together on this aircraft like JF17 Thunder. Perhaps this is why Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar, referring to the development of aerospace technology, said, “The aerospace industry is a strategic industry worldwide. It has technological, financial, social and national security benefits and will become a ???? 10,000 billion industry in the next 10 years. Along with the aerospace industry, the cyber and IT industries are also booming. That is why the Pakistan Air Force has established the National Aerospace Science and Technology Park.
Why did Pakistan choose J10 aircraft?
The J10Cs were built at the Aviation Hub in Chengdu, China. This company is known as Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group or Chengdu Aerospace Corporation.
Founded in 1958, the company manufactures fighter and other aircraft parts. The company employs more than 2,000 aviation experts who specialize in all stages from the design of fighter jets to their flight. In addition to the J10, Chengdu manufactures J5, J7, J9, JF17 and J20 fighter jets, as well as business jets CBJ800, unmanned aerial vehicles and various aircraft engines and parts.
The J10C is the first fighter jet to be developed in China that can be compared to Western fighter jets. This aircraft is known in China as Meng Long and Vigorous Dragon. While the West, especially NATO countries, have named it Firebird.
The J10 project was launched by China in 1988 and in 1998 the first J10 prototype aircraft was developed. The whole affair was kept secret. After several tests, the aircraft became part of the Chinese Air Force in 2004 and was publicly exhibited in 2006. According to an estimate, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force and Navy currently have 240 such aircraft in operation, while another 300 are in demand.
Pakistan is the first country after China to have J10C aircraft as part of its fighter fleet. Iran, Indonesia and Thailand are also interested in buying the aircraft.
According to experts, this aircraft is a 4.5 generation aircraft with the same capabilities as Eurostar and F16 aircraft. The aircraft has the capability to fire air-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles that hit the target BVR (beyond the human eye’s ability to see). PL-15 missiles with a range of up to 200 km from the air and PL-8 missiles with close range, as well as J10C laser-guided bombs weighing more than 500 kg to hit the ground, free fall. Equipped with bombs and 90mm rockets. The plane is also fitted with a 23 mm machine gun.
The J10C is also capable of refueling in the atmosphere. The J10C is equipped with state-of-the-art radar that can detect up to 10 targets and hit 4 at a time.
Pakistan has become the first buyer of J10C. This was first reported on Chinese social networking sites when images of the J10C were released . The Pakistani flag could be seen on the tail of these planes.
The J10C has the status of a 4.5 generation jet fighter. It is equipped with a radar called the Gold Quality Radar. It has the capability of clearly identifying the enemy in the current war situation as well as more resistance against the Jamirs. The J10C uses material that is barely visible on the radar and almost eliminates the possibility of finding and targeting the J10C.
Comparison of Raphael and J10C
The inclusion of Chinese-made J10C aircraft in the Pakistan Air Force has sparked a debate in the region and around the world as to what is the difference between the J10C aircraft acquired by the Pakistan Air Force and the Rafale aircraft purchased by India from France. First of all, if you look at the price, it will be easy to compare the two planes.
The Armed Forces of Pakistan has decided to incorporate more and more advanced, cheap and locally manufactured military hardware into its defense system. That is why Pakistan’s focus is on getting low-cost but high-capacity equipment instead of fancy military hardware. That is why the price of India’s Rafale aircraft is 13 135 million while that of Pakistani J10C is only 3 35 million. In other words, Pakistan can buy a 4J10C aircraft at the price at which India has bought a Rafale aircraft.
Compared to the Raphael, the J10C is a smaller and lighter multi-role aircraft that can operate in all types of weather conditions. The J10C can fly 2,305 km with one engine while the Raphael can fly 1,912 km with two engines. The J10C is designed after Raphael, so a special system has been installed to keep the aircraft stable while improving this design. Its WS10 engine gives 125 to 145 kN thrust while one of the Raphael’s engines gives 75 kN thrust but due to reduction in weight and spread J10C can fly up to 56 thousand feet while more of Raphael The highest elevation is 51,000 feet.
The J10C has a lower thrust and weight ratio than the Raphael, so it can move much better and faster. The J10C has a speed of 2.2 knots while the Raphael has a speed of 1.8 knots. Raphael planes are low in speed despite being expensive and large, so the J10C can demonstrate better capability in dogfighting.
China is a reliable partner in defense self-reliance
Now the question also arises why Chinese technology? The answer lies in the past attitude of the US and the West towards Pakistan.
The United States imposed defense sanctions on Pakistan in the 1990’s and refused to supply the F-16s that Pakistan had paid for, while also blocking the supply of spare parts for the aircraft that Pakistan had. Difficulties were encountered and an idea developed in the country to make self-reliance in the defense sector part of the national security policy.
To implement this policy, Pakistan needed a reliable partner and who could and is a better partner than China. Pakistan’s decision to increase its defense capability with the participation of China has not only maintained the balance of power in the region but has also saved the national exchequer billions of rupees annually. Pakistan is getting military equipment from China for naval, naval and air forces and at the same time China is transferring technology.
With the cooperation of a friendly country, Pakistan has not only been able to meet its local defense needs, but Pakistan has become a country that sells its manufactured weapons in the global arms market. Pakistan wants to increase military equipment exports to ??? 1 billion target Internationally, Pakistan sells its tanks, armored vehicles and other equipment, as well as training aircraft and JF-17 Thunder aircraft , a symbol of Pak-China friendship, which has been acquired by Myanmar and Nigeria so far.
History of Pakistan Air Force No. 15 Squadron
J10C aircraft have been made part of the 15th Squadron of the Pakistan Air Force. This squadron is very important in the Pak-India air battle. Incumbent Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar started his professional journey with Pakistan Air Force from the same squadron.
The 15th Squadron of Pakistan Air Force was formed on February 2, 1958. Its first stop was PAF Base Masroor, from where the squadron continued to include various aircraft and was transferred to different airbases. The squadron is currently serving in Sargodha.
The 15th Squadron also has the honor of shooting down the first Indian aircraft in the Pak-India air battles . On April 10, 1959, Flight Lieutenant Muhammad Younis shot down an Indian Air Force Canberra aircraft from his Saber F-86 in Rawalpindi.
Similarly, in 1965, Lieutenant Imtiaz Bhatti of this squadron shot down two Indian vampire planes on the river Chenab. The same squadron also took part in Operation Swift Retart on February 27, 2019. In which 2 enemy planes were destroyed. To this day, India is anxious to avenge this defeat.
Experts also believe that China has not published all the features of the J10C because China wants to keep its military capabilities a secret. But the real test of these planes will be when these planes will face each other for a double battle or until they are tested in a mission.
Along with the standard weapons in war, the spirit of freedom and professionalism of the people who use them is also very important. In modern warfare, no formation has the same type of aircraft, but these aircraft are accompanied by electronic warfare aircraft. Better use of these assets and professional manpower is key to superiority in combat. As the world saw in Operation Swift Retart on February 27, 2019, how a JF-17 made in Pakistan shot down a plane with more sophisticated and better weapons than its own.
