On second thought, could this be the rumoured J-35AE?
J-35A fighter (PLAAF) + FC-31 thread
- Thread starter ACuriousPLAFan
- Start date
Oh don't mix me up with them lol, I'm definitely not saying their for Pakistan.
It's just that I've told that an AVIC J-35 derivative for export is a thing and actively flying.
No, no … I‘m surely not mixing you with them! Sorry, if it sounded that way, but at the moment I‘m really annoyed by all that BS being spread all over the net! Sorry in case you felt accused.
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Well, weren't there persistent rumours of PAF getting J-10s which were largely dismissed before they actually started being delivered? So it will not be that surprising to see J-35 delivered as well sometime in the near future. Point being, it would be wise not to dismiss and deride rumours such as this so easily.
No!
Point is, the J-10 was in widespread service for years in high numbers (several hundreds) already long before rumours about Pakistan‘s renewed interest appeared! As such it was a fully operational and mature system … here the situation is totally different: It is NOT in service and the PLAAF surely does not need Pakistan to make it combat-ready, train its pilots or anything else!
So if you have several options - and yes, it is not totally off - why should the least probable one, namely that China is exporting an yet unproved fighter to a customer be the real one? It makes no sense since exporting is not only great for pride, but also a certain risk, when something goes wrong!
I can explain such nonsense only by overhyping due to enthusiasm or blind nationalism without thinking!
Same with Jf-17 Azerbaijan sales that eventually turned out to be true. The usual suspects ran with it for months prior to official confirmation.
But the point with those were more headline rumours, birds eye view of things.
This is a specific plane, a single unit. So, we have to discern what is being talked about.
Can we say with any degree of confidence that this specific unit is for PAF? I would say, absolutely no we cannot.
Can we say at some point in future, PAF will have J-35, I think that falls in realm of possibility.
So let us not confuse two similar yet very different points of discussion. Lets also focus on the aircraft
This is in addition to the point raised by Dieno.
1, J-35 not operational in PLAAF yet so not a mature system.
2, No need to further provoke India since J-10C proven it's capability already.
3, Cost still a big factor for PAF. J-10CE technically still a loaner far from completing the financial obligation.
IMO, there will be no J-35A export until at least 5 years of PLAAF service record.
2, No need to further provoke India since J-10C proven it's capability already.
3, Cost still a big factor for PAF. J-10CE technically still a loaner far from completing the financial obligation.
IMO, there will be no J-35A export until at least 5 years of PLAAF service record.
Looks like they're using hinged horizontal stabilizers like this one:High-resolution version.
