Team News Riveting
The Pakistan Air Force on Friday held an induction ceremony for the first batch of six J-10CE fighter jets that defence experts called counter of India’s Rafale procurement.
The fighter jets have been procured from China and this has been the first export deal of J-10CE jets by the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). Pakistan is a traditional and important partner of Chinese aviation arms products and reports suggest that the country purchased a total of 25 J-10CEs.
With the delivery of the J-10CEs, China and Pakistan opened a new chapter in aviation defense cooperation, and it will significantly contribute to the further deepening of the China-Pakistan All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership, the AVIC said. China has provided the jets to Pakistan in a “record time of eight months”.
Equipped with advanced comprehensive avionics and weapon systems, the aircraft boasts outstanding mid-to-low altitude combat maneuverability, supersonic flight, short-range takeoff and landing, large combat radius, long range and mid-air refueling capabilities.
the J-10CE is larger and can be equipped with a bigger active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar than the one used by the JF-17 Block 3. The aircraft can carry more advanced, fourth-generation air-to-air missiles including the short-range PL-10 and the beyond-visual-range PL-15.
Pakistani defence experts claim that the J-10C deal is Pakistan’s answer to Rafales bought by India from France.
