Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan today, at the special invitation of the Chief of Air Staff, attended the induction ceremony of the modern fighter J-10C into the Pakistan Airforce. PM Khan was accompanied by several federal ministers and the Chinese ambassador at the induction ceremony. As he arrived the Prime Minister was presented with a guard of honor. The premier congratulated the nation on the induction of the new multi-role fighter aircraft.
Chiefs of all three forces were present at the induction ceremony of the multi-role fighter. Air Chief Air Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu started his address by thanking the “outstanding support” that the air force received from the government of Pakistan. He added that this ceremony was a testimony of the “profound partnership” between Pakistan and China.
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Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the induction of J-10C was monumental to “address the security imbalance in the region” and a great addition to our military arsenal. “A sovereign country can only remain sovereign when it can defend itself,” the prime minister said. He further added that. “When F-16s were inducted 40 years ago, the whole nation was jubilant and now that time has come again as Pakistan is strengthening itself. There was an attempt to create an imbalance in the region however, the induction of the fighter aircraft has again created an equilibrium,”
The J-10C is a modern and powerful single-engine multi-role Chinese fighter. The jet measures around 15.49 meters and has a wingspan of approximately 9.75m, and is expected to replace the PAF’s 87 delta-wing Mirage III ROSE fighters, which lack modern technology and integrated system.
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The talks for the acquisition began in 2015 when Pakistan realized that the up-gradation of the F-16 was not a feasible option for it. Moreover, the next-generation aircraft under Project Azm would not make their maiden flight till the end of this decade. Thus, the PAF made the decision of inducting the J-10Cs.
Major achievement for Pakistan
This is the first time the Chinese-built J-10C’s have been exported to any country. The induction of the J-10C marks the achievement of a great milestone for the Pakistan Airforce, and the acquisition will bolster cooperation between the two countries. The induction of the J-10C has injected new confidence in Pakistan Airforce as it brings at par the conventional symmetry between the Air Forces of Pakistan and India.
Remarkable feat in the history of Air Force, induction of fighter aircraft #J10C into Pakistan Air Force!
Congratulations to #PakistanAirForce for making it happen, more power to our armed forces. pic.twitter.com/OId1qr25Im
— Dr. Iftikhar Durrani (@IftikharDurani) March 11, 2022
According to the Interior Minister, Pakistan acquired the J-10C as a response to the Indian acquisition of French Rafale. The Rafale measures a wingspan of around 10.90 meters and a length of 15.30 meters. It has a 20 percent greater thrust and 11 percent higher weight than the J-10C giving the Rafale a far better thrust-to-weight ratio than the J-10C. However, Rafale lags behind by miles in speed, offering only 1900 km/h, whereas the J-10C offers 2400 km/h.
It is pertinent to mention that the first batch of the newly inducted J-10C landed in Pakistan in the Kamra airbase on 04 March. The Air Chief commended the “dedication and professionalism,” which led to the successful induction of the J-10C in record time despite several challenges.
The J-10C would be equipped by the number 15 squadron, making it the first Pakistani squadron to operate the aircraft. The first public display of the newly acquired fighters would take place on the 23 March Parade.
Read more: Pakistan’s J-10C vs India’s Rafale: A comparison