Chinese weapons, fighter jets will continue to dominate Pakistan's arsenal: Expert

China, which is the the dominant supplier of military hardware to Pakistan, —supplying nearly  81 per cent of Pakistan’s total arms imports between 2020 and 2024—will continue to be so with some media reports claiming that Islamabad has even shown interest in China's sixth-generation fighter jets which are under development.

 

In a piece in Observer Research Foundation, Shalini Chawla, a Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for Air Power Studies, observed that the focus of Pakistan's defence modernisation has been enhancing its air force and aerial maritime strike capabilities.

 

"The PAF’s modernisation spree has been facilitated by Pakistan’s alliance with the US, its deepening strategic partnership with China, and its ideological and strategic bonhomie with Turkiye," she writes.

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From fourth-generation fighter aircraft JF-17,  co-developed by Pakistan and China,  airborne early warning aircraft ZDK-03, multi-role combat aircraft J-10C to the J-35A, the fifth-generation stealth fighter from Beijing that Islamabad is reportedly planning to procure, Pakistan is highly dependent on China for its weapon supplies.

 

She noted that Pakistan benefited from the integration of its weapon systems during the recent military conflict with India, as the majority of its weapons are of Chinese origin.

 

Pointing out that the conflict also highlighted the vulnerabilities of Pakistan Air Force, including the gaps in the country's air defence systems, she writes : "In the coming years, Pakistan’s focus will be on enhancing its offensive capabilities through the acquisition of advanced fighters and Long Range Standoff Weapons."

 

Chinese equipment will continue to dominate Pakistan's defence imports, she writes.

 

The heavy relaiance of Pakistan on Chinese defence equipment had prompted Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen. Rahul R. Singh to say that China used the India-Pakistan conflict like a "live lab" to test various weapon systems. 

Defence