At a time when the Russo-Ukrainian War and the South Korean presidential election attracted global attention, Pakistan sent another heavy news: the J-10CE fighter was officially listed! As another important symbol of China-Pakistan friendship, the J-10CE not only benefited Pakistan a lot, but also was a big blow to the United States and India.
On March 12, pakistan's Kamra News Agency reported that the Pakistan Air Force held the induction ceremony of the first six J-10CE fighters at Minhas Air Base, which was attended by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, chief of staff of Pakistan's three armed forces, Chinese ambassador to Pakistan and a number of important diplomats. At the scene of the induction ceremony, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said: China delivered these fighter jets to Pakistan in just 8 months, which is a testimony to Pakistan's firm support, thank you To China!
It is reported that the Pakistan Air Force has ordered a total of 36 J-10CE fighters, and the first batch of J-10CE is equipped with the 15th "Cobra" squadron. During the 2020 "Eagle 9" joint air exercise, China's J-10C fighters left a deep impression on the Pakistan Air Force, the Pakistani military officially signed a procurement agreement on June 25, 2021, and the Chinese manufacturers quickly stepped up their efforts to deliver the first batch of J-10CE in just 8 months, indicating that China's aviation production capacity has been very abundant, and in the case of meeting the PLA's own needs, it can also export new fighters to the outside world in large quantities.
For the Pakistan Air Force, the inclusion of the J-10CE gives the Pakistan Air Force the confidence to control the initiative on the battlefield in Kashmir. Although the Pakistan Air Force was previously equipped with F-16 and JF-17 "Dragon Fighters", the F-16 was bound by the "End-Use Agreement" signed between Pakistan and the United States, and Pakistan could use using US military aid loans to purchase F-16 fighters, but the scope of use of pakistan's F-16 was restricted by the United States, such as without the permission of the United States, Pakistan's F-16 could not conduct exercises with other countries; Pakistan's F-16 could not be deployed in the Disputed Area between India and Pakistan: Kashmir Pakistan's F-16 can only be used against militants and to guard airspace, and is not allowed to launch a cross-border attack on India.
U.S. constraints have left Pakistan's most elite aviation force unable to carry out missions in Kashmir, and the Pakistan Air Force can only deploy JF-17 and J-7 fighter jets in Kashmir to confront the Indian Air Force. With the Indian Air Force starting to equip advanced Rafale fighters in 2020, the JF-17 Dragon is no longer enough to guarantee Pakistan's air supremacy in Kashmir.
India spent $8.9 billion in 2016 to order 36 Rafale fighter jets from France, which are extremely expensive but do perform exceptionally well. Equipped with advanced avionics equipment and airborne weapon systems, rafale fighters are capable of air combat, reconnaissance, ground attack, anti-ship and electronic countermeasures missions, and are known as "full-featured fighters" by France. India also equipped the Rafale fighter with the "Meteor" long-range air-to-air missile, which can attack air targets 120 kilometers away, while the Pakistan Air Force's active F-16 and JF-17 fighters, using AIM-120 and SD-10 air-to-air missiles, the attack range is only about 100 kilometers, coupled with the gap in avionics equipment, before the installation of the J-10CE, the Pakistan Air Force is difficult to cope with the Rafale fighter.
The J-10CE is equipped with advanced active phased array radar, wide-angle diffraction level display, photoelectric search device and multi-function fire control system, and the avionics level has reached the standard of four and a half generations of fighters.
And China also ordered the J-10CE for pakistan equipped with Thunderbolt-15E air-to-air missiles, according to the data released at the 2021 Zhuhai Air Show, the range of the Thunderbolt-15E missile reached 145 kilometers, which means that the J-10CE can preemptively attack the Rafale fighter in air combat, even in the close-range combat stage, the J-10CE with strong mobility and the large off-axis attack capability of the Thunderbolt-10E missile, the same is not a Gust fighter. In addition to its strong air combat capabilities, the J-10CE is also a multi-functional fighter that can use laser-guided bombs, anti-ship missiles and air-to-ground missiles to attack Indian ground and sea targets without relying on escorts.
In addition, the price of the J-10CE is also very "close to the people", the single aircraft price disclosed at the Dubai Air Show is only 40 million US dollars, while the single price of India's purchase of Rafale is more than 200 million US dollars, and the future Pakistan Air Force can continue to order a large number of J-10CE fighters, while the Indian Air Force is difficult to continue to purchase Rafale fighters in large quantities. The Indian Air Force tried to establish decided air superiority in Kashmir by importing advanced fighter jets, but as the Chinese side began to export J-10CE fighter jets to Pakistan, India's strategic goal was completely bankrupt, which was a big blow to the Indian military.
For the United States, the successful export of the J-10CE to Pakistan means that the United States' attempt to suppress China's high-end arms exports has failed. Previously, the United States promulgated the "Retaliation against the Enemy of the United States with Sanctions Act", which imposed sanctions on countries that purchased Russian weapons, and also hinted that it would sanction countries that bought Chinese weapons by the same means, which led to the "Dragon Fighter" fighter jets exported to Myanmar, Nigeria and other countries in the past few years, which were exported in the name of Pakistan. Pakistan's purchase of J-10CE fighter jets this time has set an example for many countries interested in buying J-10, and export orders for J-10 are expected to continue to increase in the future.
In today's international situation, the arms trade is often linked to politics, the United States through the export of a large number of advanced weapons to other countries, can indirectly affect the country's foreign policy, the country's foreign policy and the United States in rebellion, the United States will "interrupt the supply of arms parts" to threaten, forcing the country to obey. Now that Pakistan has a more advanced J-10CE fighter than the F-16, it no longer needs to look at the face of the United States, which is also a big blow to the United States.
In the past, although Pakistan imported a large number of Chinese J-6, J-7 and "Dragon Fighter" fighters, but more because of the advantages of these fighters being cheap and reliable, the high-end goods in the eyes of the Pakistan Air Force are still Western fighters. Now the Pakistan Air Force's J-10CE, as a "high-end cargo", has shown from the side that China's avionics industry strength can be compared with the West, and China's weapons have been able to compete with the United States and Russia in the international arms market.