China's most famous foreign trade fighter, the "Thunder Dragon" fighter, may welcome a new customer in the near future.
According to information from Pakistan's aviation industry, they are in talks with an Islamic country on an arms sale package for Thunder fighter jets.
If nothing else, we will be able to get definite information on this negotiation in the coming months, and there will be an answer to whether China's Thunder fighter jets can be exported again.
The "Thunder" fighter is the most successful fighter in foreign trade since we entered the 21 st century, and it is also the most cost-effective light fourth-generation and a half-generation fighter in the international market today.
Judging from the information disclosed by the Pakistani side, it is likely that the purchaser of this fighter is a certain Middle Eastern country. So, which country became interested in our Thunder fighters?
1
Iran wants to buy "Thunder"?
After this news broke, many media outlets were speculating about who the country was negotiating with Pakistan. Many analysts believe that Iran may be the one who purchases the "Thunder" fighters, but I think the possibility of Iran is not very high.
First of all, just some time ago, Iran and Russia have reached an agreement to introduce a batch of Su-35 fighters and Mi-28 helicopter gunships.
This is a large amount of military purchase order, and after introducing such a batch of Russian-made equipment, can the Iranian Air Force have extra funds to introduce a batch of "Thunder" fighters? I think this needs to be a question mark.
And judging from Iran's territorial situation, they need medium and heavy fighters with a long enough range more than light fighters like the "Thunder".
Even if Iran wants to buy Chinese fighters, they should choose a medium fighter like the J-10C instead of the Thunder.
Moreover, Iran does not have much demand for the Air Force at the moment, and they have introduced Su-35 fighters more to replace the already very old F14 fighters. In addition to this, they do not seem to have the need for further introduction of fighters.
Another problem is that relations between Pakistan and Iran are not so good.
According to the Pakistani side, the "Thunder" fighter is negotiating with an Islamic country that has good relations with Pakistan.
We know that Islam is divided into Shiites and Sunnis. Iran is a Shiite country and Pakistan is a Sunni country, and Iran does not fit the narrative that Pakistan calls a "friendly Islamic country."
So which countries are in line with Pakistan's statement, and at the same time have needs and ideas for buying fighter jets, especially Chinese fighter jets? Personally, I think the UAE is a more likely target.
2
UAE needs Thunder
The UAE Air Force is currently looking to update their fighter fleet, and they have already ordered a batch of F-35A fighters from the United States, becoming the second country in the Middle East to be equipped with fifth-generation fighters.
But at the same time, the UAE Air Force is also actively seeking to purchase new four-and-a-half-generation fighters.
At present, there are many choices of four-and-a-half-generation fighters in the international market, including the F-15E fighter and F-18E/F fighter of the United States, the Rafale fighter of France, and the Typhoon fighter of Europe.
But the unit price of these fighters is more than $100 million without exception, and even the deep-pocketed UAE cannot guarantee the size of the fleet by purchasing these fighters.
They needed a fighter that could not only have more advanced performance, but also be able to cooperate with the F-35A fighter jet, and at the same time have a relatively low price, which could keep the UAE Air Force's fleet size at a relatively large level
Looking at the world, there are not many models that can meet this requirement.
China's "Thunder" fighters, J-10C fighters, and Russia's Su-35 fighters can meet this requirement.
But for the UAE, they do not have a close military cooperation relationship with Russia, and if they want to buy Su-35 fighter jets from Russia, they will face resistance from many sides.
In fact, the J-10C fighter is the same thing, as one of the most advanced fighters exported by China in foreign trade, China is of course willing to export, but the UAE wants to introduce this advanced fighter, which may encounter some resistance from other aspects.
Taken together, we will find that for the UAE Air Force, the introduction of a batch of "Thunder" fighters can quickly expand the size of the advanced fighter fleet, and on this basis, establish closer military cooperation with China and Pakistan.
For the UAE, whether the fighters they introduce can fight or not is actually not the most important thing. The most important thing is to reach a good military cooperative relationship with a big country like China through the introduction of such a military procurement project as fighter jets.
3
Unexpected turbofan-13
Pakistan also revealed this time that the "Thunder" fighter produced in the future will replace the turbofan-13 engine produced by China and replace the Russian-made RD-93 engine equipped on the "Thunder" fighter in the past.
Moreover, the Pakistani side mentioned that the maximum thrust of the turbofan-13 engine is 20% higher than that of the RD93 engine.
What is this concept? The Russian-made RD-93 engine has a maximum thrust of 82 kN, and if the thrust of the engine is increased by 20%, it means that the maximum thrust of the turbofan-13 engine is close to 100 kN.
This is a figure that is far beyond expectations. In the past, it was believed that the maximum thrust of the turbofan-13 engine developed by China was about 80 to 90 kN.
Including the "Thunder" fighter, FC-31 fighter, and the J-35 fighter being developed by our PLA, these fighters using turbofan-13 engines, their maneuverability is based on previous speculative data analysis and calculation.
The maximum thrust data of the turbofan-13 engine released by Pakistan is much higher than the previous speculation.
This shows that the maneuverability of the J-35 fighter may exceed our previous predictions, and with the excellent aerodynamic design of the J-35 fighter, this fighter may not have supersonic cruise capability.
Of course, this is only a speculation, there are many factors that determine whether a fighter can achieve supersonic cruise, and engine thrust is only one aspect.
But the engine thrust is greater than what has been speculated in the past, which is always good. More thrust can bring more take-off weight, and can carry more fuel, weapons, and equipment, which means a stronger comprehensive combat capability.