New Delhi: With the dying economy of the nation, the government of Islamabad wants to buy fighter jets like ‘Rafale’ from China – which India has purchased from France. Pakistani political leader and Senator Dr. Afnan Ullah Khan argued that the J-10C was not “as good as the Rafale”, which is in service with the Indian Air Force.
Ullah Khan, a member of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), on Friday, tweeted that “Did not understand the logic behind buying J-10C. The J-10C is the newest variant of the J-10 and entered service with the PLAAF in 2018.”
Ullah Khan wrote Pakistan already had a fighter in a “similar” class as the J-10, referring to the F-16, which the Pakistan Air Force inducted into service in the early 1980s.
The senator wrote, “I don’t understand the logic behind buying J-10C. We already have a fighter (F-16) which is in a similar class and generation. I don’t think J-10C is as good as Rafale also. We should have invested this money in building Project Azm and enhancing JF-17 capabilities.”
According to a media report, in December 2006, China announced it had inducted a new single-engine fighter designated the J-10. Over the years, the J-10 has become, arguably, the most important fighter in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force, in terms of numbers. China operates 468 J-10 fighters.
Around 15 years back, In April 2006, the UK’s media reported that Western diplomats believed Pakistan was seeking 35-40 J-10 fighters in a deal worth at least $1.5 billion.
The Indian Air Force had announced its decision to buy the Rafale in 2012. Analysts from Pakistan have argued for buying the J-10 or China’s J-31 stealth fighter to counter India.
(_Vinayak Barot)