Pakistani officials are aware of China’s new stealth fighter jet, and they like what they see.
Talks have started between Pakistan and China to work out a deal for up to 40 of the planes, which debuted Nov. 11 at the Zhuhai Airshow.
“It is our dream to break the monopoly that foreign countries have on new-generation jet fighters,” Li Yuhai, the deputy general manager at Aviation Industry Corporation of China, told reporters, the Financial Times reported at the time. “The J-31 will also be a flagship product for us in the international arms market.”
Pakistani Defense Production Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain told Asia News International on Nov. 22 that discussions were ongoing.
If talks with China bear fruit, then Pakistan would receive the export version of the J-31, the FC-31. The aircraft includes two Russian-made Klimov RD-93 engines and is designed to fly close air support, military.com reported Wednesday.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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