Zahid
Junior Member
AFAIK, this su-35 sale was just for engine tech grab. The russians wanted to sell more, but the chinese wanted less. So IDK why suddently the chinese would want more. Besides, the russians have been quiet about it.
Buying SU-35 for access to engine technology is an assumption that may or may not be warranted. Moreover, we can not say for sure if the said access to engine technology could be the major reason or just a by-product of the Chinese purchase of SU-35.
Strategically, Chinese may feel pressured to bulk-up PLAAF and hence I think another order for SU-35 is plausible.
OT:
@SinoSoldier has talked about re-fueling probe & JF-17. Its important to note that with limited internal fuel capacity, a re-fueling probe was planned early on and the necessary plumbing was designed from the start. We just started seeing it now, and even that in limited numbers to show that it shall be installed as per need only.