Published: November 10 2009 08:16 | Last updated: November 10 2009 09:57
China has agreed to sell Pakistan at least 36 advanced fighter jets in a landmark deal worth as much as $1.4bn, according to Pakistani and western officials.
Beijing will supply two squadrons of the J-10 fighter jet in a preliminary agreement that could lead to more sales to Pakistan in the future, said a Pakistani official.
EDITORS CHOICE
Analysis: Pakistan needs a new world view - Nov-02
The official said Pakistan might buy larger numbers of the multi-role aircraft in the future, but dismissed reports that Pakistan had inked a deal to buy as many as 150 of the fighter jets.
Defence experts described the agreement with China as a landmark event in Pakistans defence relationship with the growing military power. Chinas transition from a manufacturer of low-fighters to more advanced jets comparable to some western models is seen as evidence of Beijings growing strategic clout in Asia.
This agreement should not simply be seen in the narrow context of Pakistans relations with China, said Abdul Qayyum, a retired Pakistani general.
There is a wider dimension. By sharing its advanced technology with Pakistan, China is ... also saying to the world that its defence capability is growing rapidly.
China has supplied Pakistan with fighter jets for more than three decades. But Beijing has seldom supplied Pakistans air force with advanced fighter aircraft. Islamabad turned to France for Mirage fighter jets in the 1970s and to the US for F-16s in the 1980s.
Pakistan has a fleet of 45 F-16s, which are built by Lockheed Martin. The Pakistani air force is using the fighter jet in its campaign against militants in South Waziristan. The US has agreed to sell Islamabad another 18 new F-16s and about a dozen older versions of the aircraft.
Over the past decade, China and Pakistan have collaborated on building their first jointly produced advanced fighter jet, known as the JF-17, or Thunder. Pakistan is expected to roll out the first domestically built version of the Thunder within weeks.
Pakistans air force plans to purchase at least 250 of the Thunder fighters over the next four to five years. Experts see the new Pakistani focus on China as a supplier of advanced fighters as evidence that Beijing is trying to expand its military power.
Countries like Iran and possibly some of the Middle Eastern countries would be keen to deal with China if they can find technology which is comparable to the west, said one western official in Islamabad.
Pakistan will work as the laboratory to try out Chinese aircraft. If they work well with the Pakistani air force, others will follow.
China has agreed to sell Pakistan at least 36 advanced fighter jets in a landmark deal worth as much as $1.4bn, according to Pakistani and western officials.
Beijing will supply two squadrons of the J-10 fighter jet in a preliminary agreement that could lead to more sales to Pakistan in the future, said a Pakistani official.
EDITORS CHOICE
Analysis: Pakistan needs a new world view - Nov-02
The official said Pakistan might buy larger numbers of the multi-role aircraft in the future, but dismissed reports that Pakistan had inked a deal to buy as many as 150 of the fighter jets.
Defence experts described the agreement with China as a landmark event in Pakistans defence relationship with the growing military power. Chinas transition from a manufacturer of low-fighters to more advanced jets comparable to some western models is seen as evidence of Beijings growing strategic clout in Asia.
This agreement should not simply be seen in the narrow context of Pakistans relations with China, said Abdul Qayyum, a retired Pakistani general.
There is a wider dimension. By sharing its advanced technology with Pakistan, China is ... also saying to the world that its defence capability is growing rapidly.
China has supplied Pakistan with fighter jets for more than three decades. But Beijing has seldom supplied Pakistans air force with advanced fighter aircraft. Islamabad turned to France for Mirage fighter jets in the 1970s and to the US for F-16s in the 1980s.
Pakistan has a fleet of 45 F-16s, which are built by Lockheed Martin. The Pakistani air force is using the fighter jet in its campaign against militants in South Waziristan. The US has agreed to sell Islamabad another 18 new F-16s and about a dozen older versions of the aircraft.
Over the past decade, China and Pakistan have collaborated on building their first jointly produced advanced fighter jet, known as the JF-17, or Thunder. Pakistan is expected to roll out the first domestically built version of the Thunder within weeks.
Pakistans air force plans to purchase at least 250 of the Thunder fighters over the next four to five years. Experts see the new Pakistani focus on China as a supplier of advanced fighters as evidence that Beijing is trying to expand its military power.
Countries like Iran and possibly some of the Middle Eastern countries would be keen to deal with China if they can find technology which is comparable to the west, said one western official in Islamabad.
Pakistan will work as the laboratory to try out Chinese aircraft. If they work well with the Pakistani air force, others will follow.
