ISLAMABAD: Indian media while citing media reports has claimed that Pakistan is planning buying fourth generation stealth fighter aircraft from China to boost its defence capability.
Times of India citing media reports as quoting Pakistani Minister for Defence Production Rana Tanveer Hussain, claimed that the matter was being discussed with Chinese authorities.
The report said that It was for the first time that a senior Pakistani functionary had confirmed talks with China over purchase of the longer-range stealth aircraft.
The Jane’s Defence Weekly also quoted an unnamed Pakistani official as saying that the Pakistan Air Force was in talks with China to buy 30 to 40 of the Shenyang FC-31 fighters.
FC-31 being developed by China primarily for the export market and reportedly several countries are interested in the aircraft believed to be comparable to US F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
A prototype of the aircraft, designated as J-31, has been flown by the Chinese aircraft research and development firm Shenyang Aviation Company for a couple of years now.
What particularly interests the PAF is that FC-31 prototype (J-31) and JF-17 use the same Russian Klimov RD-93 engines.
The minister was quoted as saying that Pakistan was also interested in Chinese attack helicopter Z-10.
