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FC-20 / J-10CE / J-10CP Fighter

Independently developed by China's aviation industry, the J-10CE is an all-weather, single-engine, single-seat, multirole, fourth-plus generation fighter jet. It excels at systematic, cooperative combat, is capable of striking multiple targets from beyond visual range under complex electromagnetic environment, and can deliver precision attacks on ground targets with multiple guidance modes. 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 not only more powerful than the lightweight JF-17 because of its bigger size, it is also more powerful than Pakistan's old US-made F-16 fighter.

Pakistan's J-10CP uses a more stubby "Taihang" engine, and at the same time lacks the data link antenna on the baseline J-10C. Pakistan signed a $1.4 billion deal with China in 2009 to buy a reported 36 J-10B Vigorous Dragon multirole fighters. Pakistani media reports suggest that the country purchased a total of 25 J-10CEs. According to Defense News on 07 October 2013, the most probable buyer of J-10, Pakistan, might put off the purchase plan under the influence of economic factors and technology maturity. By 2013 tough International Monetary Fund conditions on Pakistan and concerns about untested technology delayed Islamabad's plan.

The United States needed Pakistan's help in the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. So from 1983 to 1987, the United States provided Pakistan with 40 F-16A/BBlock15 fighter jets. However, with the end of the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan, Pakistan's strategic value to the United States decreased sharply. In 1990, the United States froze the 28 F-16A/Bs that were about to be delivered to Pakistan and refused to return the purchase price. sanctioned for 11 years. A turnaround occurred in 2003. The United States began to get stuck in the Afghanistan battlefield. The United States needed to use Pakistan to build a stable logistics supply line. Therefore, the United States delivered 14 of the 23 F-16s detained to Pakistan from 2005 to 2008. In 2006, the United States provided Pakistan with 12 F-16Cs and 6 F-16DBlock52+ in the form of military aid and plans to provide 18 additional aircraft to Pakistan. That is to say, at least 30 of the 76 F-16s in active service in Pakistan have reached the service time of more than 30 years, which is basically the highest period of fighter service. The airframe has basically reached its life without major life extension.

Compared with Pakistan's F-16, its performance is not bad in all aspects. The J-10 itself has been replaced. The domestic "Taihang" engine has been completely localized, and export is not a problem at all. Moreover, Pakistan itself has experience in the use of Chinese fighter jets, and the main fighter jets and early warning aircraft in active service are developed and produced in China, and various ammunition are also produced in China. Therefore, even if the new J-10C is introduced, it can be quickly integrated into the combat system, forming combat effectiveness in a short period of time, and reducing the production countries and types of fighter aircraft and ammunition can also reduce the logistical pressure of the Pakistan Air Force. The overall price of Chinese weapons and equipment in the international market is not very high, and it is also suitable for Pakistan from an economic point of view.

The Pakistani Air Force often comes into contact with China's J-10 series fighter jets, and Chinese J-10C fighter jets have gone abroad for many times to participate in the "Eagle Series" exercises of the China-Pakistan Air Force. Pakistani media interviewed Pakistani Air Force sources at the time, saying that the agility and excellent avionics of the J-10C left a deep impression on the Pakistan Air Force.

Although Pakistan already offered an olive branch to China’s J-10 fighter jets and its Chief of Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa even personally mounted on a J-10C during the “Shaheen-VII” China-Pakistan joint air exercise at the end of 2018, it remained hard for the country to make up its mind to sign the official contract to purchase J-10 aircraft. It was not until 2016 that China's aviation industry admitted that it had just received official approval to export the FC-20 "in the past few years", and exhibited the J-10A with the words FC-20 written on it for the first time at the Singapore Air Show in February of that year. Fighter model. Pakistan, on the other hand, only came into contact with the J-10C fighter in a close-to-combat environment after the "Eagle-VII" China-Pakistan Air Force joint exercise in 2018.

Judging from this relatively compact procurement decision, on the one hand, Pakistan has completely abandoned the previous stereotype of Chinese aviation equipment, on the other hand, it fully recognizes the performance advantages of the new generation of Chinese fighter jets, and will obtain advanced equipment such as the J-10C as the Pakistan Air Force. On the other hand, the contract signed by India and France to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets in 2016 put enormous pressure on Pakistan, making Pakistan urgently need newer fighter jets.

the "Rafale" fighter, which uses the RBE-2AA active phased array radar after the upgrade, is completely different. As a serious fourth and a half generation fighter, the aircraft completely overwhelms the Pakistan Air Force's F-16 in performance. The Air Force purchased the "Meteor" long-range air-to-air missile with a huge range for its matching, which caused huge pressure on the Pakistani army. India purchased the "Meteor" long-range air-to-air missile with a maximum range of 200 kilometers. As a result, in the absence of an effective data link and guidance, the airborne fire control system of the "Rafale" itself is fundamental. Unable to take advantage of the missile's range, its actual combat effect is not necessarily better than the PL-15E with a range of 145 kilometers with the J-10CE.

To compare the performance of the J-10CE and the "Rafale" carefully, it is limited by the limited information that can be disclosed. Most of the time, it can only be said that the two have their own advantages. Due to the basic design factors of the Rafale, the multi-purpose performance, especially a series of ground There is even a clear advantage in the mountability of the weapon. However, in terms of air combat performance, which both the Indian and Pakistani air forces value most, it can only be said that the configuration of the "Rafale" is not as dominant as it looks on paper.

The purchase of the J-10C had not been confirmed for the Pakistan Air Force, but the rumors of Pakistan purchasing the J-10C have been around for a long time. According to the Pakistan Institute of Strategic and International Affairs (HSIA), the Pakistan Air Force has signed a supply contract with China Aviation Technology for the supply of the J-10CE (export type, also known as FC-20) fighter jets. According to the contract, the Pakistan Air Force will begin receiving the J-10CE fighter jets by the end of 2021, eventually reaching a delivery scale of about 36 aircraft and two squadrons. According to rumors, the 7th "Villain" Squadron at the Sumer Air Base will be given priority to replace the J-10C fighter jets, replacing the old "Phantom-3" fighter jets currently equipped by the unit.

According to a report by Pakistani media SAMAA TV on 29 December 2021, Pakistani Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said in a public speech to the media on the 28th that Pakistan purchased Chinese fighter jets. The 10C fighter jets will enter service as early as March 2022, and a full J-10C squadron of 25 fighter jets will perform an air show during the Pakistan Day National Day military parade on March 23, 2022. Minister Ahmed also commented that Pakistan's purchase of J-10C is a direct response to the purchase of Rafale fighter jets by the Indian army, which are far superior to French fighter jets.

In February 2022, photos of the J-10CE fighter produced by Chengfei, painted with the Pakistani flag and the Pakistani tail number, appeared on the Internet. After purported images of the J-10C fighter jet with the marking of the Pakistan Air Force emerged on social media and were widely circulated by media outlets, Chinese analysts lauded the latest defense cooperation between China and Pakistan, saying that the move yields great significance to both countries, in terms of boosting combat capabilities of the Pakistan military, promoting China's aviation equipment, and responding to both countries' security interests in the region. First published on social media on 15 February 2022, the images showed two J-10Cs, equipped with China's domestically developed WS-10B Taihang turbofan engines, undertaking test flights at an undisclosed location.

The Pakistan Air Force on 11 March 2022 held an induction ceremony for the first batch of six J-10CE fighter jets in Kamra, with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan attending the event. The official commissioning of China's new-generation main battle aircraft into the Pakistan Air Force marks the systematized, organic export of such aviation equipment by China, and is yet another major milestone in the export of China's advanced aviation equipment

The overall performance level of the array antenna is naturally much lower than that of the active phased array radar of the J-10C. Compared with the "Xiaolong" Block 3, which also adopts the active phased array radar system, the advantages of the J-10C are More comprehensive - J-10C has larger phased array radar antennas, more T/R units, more complete electronic warfare equipment, and more powerful aviation engines and generators, whether it is battlefield situational awareness or electronic countermeasures The abilities are better than the "Fierce Dragon" Block 3.

In addition, compared with the SD-10A medium-range air-to-air missiles and the PL-5E short-range air-to-air missiles used by the "Fierce Dragon" Block 3, the air combat weapons of the J-10CE have been fully upgraded, and the PL-15E long-range air-to-air missiles have similar The active radar seeker of the control array has a significantly longer range than the SD-10A. With the phased array radar of the J-10CE, it can effectively kill the enemy aircraft at a distance of 100 kilometers; the PL-10E is used as the Pakistan Air Force. The first fourth-generation short-range air-to-air missile with extremely strong combat performance.

Coupled with the J-10's larger bomb load and external capability than the "Fierce Dragon", with a new generation of air-to-surface weapons, and the ability to deeply integrate with a series of support equipment such as the Pakistan Air Force ZDK-03 early warning aircraft, the J-10 has -10CE can be described as comprehensive for the improvement of the combat effectiveness of the Pakistan Air Force.

For the Chinese aviation industry, which manufactures and produces the J-10CE fighter, the delivery of the J-10CE is of great significance: it is not only the most advanced fighter jet that China has ever exported, but also the first time China has exported a fighter jet with world-class performance. For those who pay attention to the details of the development of China's aviation industry, the delivery of the J-10CE to Pakistan is also the first time that my country's domestic "Taihang" high-thrust turbofan engine has gone abroad.

To China, the first successful sale of the J-10 series fighter and the WS-10 series engine will further open the international market and more countries will show serious interests in Chinese aviation equipment, analysts said. "Pakistan's procurement of the J-10C is also meaningful for China and Pakistan as a more powerful Pakistan military can better safeguard the shared interests of the two countries in the region," Shi said.