iblini
Trusted Member
The report was conducted at the carrier base fighter production area, so these are for the Navy, and we can expect more J-35A elsewhere.
PAF J-35AE - News, Updates and Discussions
- Thread starter Maarkhoor
- Start date
guangdongt
Registered Member
A domestic military blogger said that the Air Force's J35A is a low-end version, and mass production reduces costs, only retaining the installation space and structure of eots, without installing eots. The Navy's J35 shipborne version is a high-end version with 360 ° eots. I don't know if it's true.
iblini
Trusted Member
This guy is not reliable, but to some extent it's a well known thing, the air force version is not downgraded, but the Navy version has the best config due to the fact that they have limited number, even the J-15T has top config in sensors, avionics compared with other 4.5th gen fighter like J-16 and J-10C.
Last edited:
Michael
VIP Member
Frankly, at what point Pakistan introduces the FC-31/J-35 is not particularly important to China. The first priority of all Chinese military industrial complexes is to serve the PLA. Foreign military trade is not their core mission.
If PAF takes the lead in buying FC-31/J-35, it will certainly help its foreign sales efforts, but that's about it.
I came across this article of his. It's a misrepresentation.
The J-35 Navy shipboard version is actually being developed more slowly than the J-35A.
The current J-35A (WS-19) is actually the official PLAAF procurement version. It completed its first flight in January 2024 only. Work is still underway to optimize the fighter platform. Its EOTS has not been installed yet. And its pre-transition version (J-35A with WS-21 engine) is already over.
And the official version of the J-35 naval carrier version has not yet been completed with the WS-19 naval version of the engine. Based on the urgent needs of the PLA Navy, SAC had to produce a batch of J-35 (WS-21) naval version first for the Navy's emergency training use. When the WS-19 naval version is completed, the new batch of J-35 naval version will use the new engine.
Simply put: the current J-35 is the official version for the Air Force and the transitional version for the Navy.
The J-35A (WS-21) that SAC currently has is not an official PLAAF procurement version. They are currently used for testing, evaluation, training, demonstration, etc.
At a later stage, after “declassification”, they may be used to conduct demonstrations and air shows for international customers of the FC-31/J-35, which will be used to promote foreign sales of the FC-31/J-35.
iblini
Trusted Member
I think this is where they parked and test the final product before conducting a test flight, the production site is bigger than this.
Mechanic
Registered Member
Out of these , 50+ F-16 and all JF-17 Block 1's will be obselete by 2035. Assuming that all 100+ Mirages and PGs will be replaced by J-10s and JF-17 Block +3s. So the induction of J-10s and JF-17 or even J35s will not increase the numbers above 300 in the next decade.
Yasser76
Elite Member
True, but with Jets like J-35 is a one for one replacement required?
Mechanic
Registered Member
Pakistan had the privilege of rejecting J-10s because Pakistan had F-16s as their front line fighters with decades of life left and because the American lobby in PAF was very strong. Even by 2014-16 we were being offered F-16s by US. Only when the US-Pak relations deteriorated in past 6-7 years and there was no hope of getting F-16s, Pak opted for J-10s immediately.
This time Pakistan does not have the privilege of having a 5th gen fighter and is neither being offered by US and never will be. So if Pakistan is not getting J-35s by end of this decade, it is probably because it is not ready to be exported yet not because Pakistan does not consider it matured.
Yasser76
Elite Member
So PAF CAS lied publicly?
lightning f57
Trusted Member
You guys have sharp eyes I only spotted 3 initially.
Mechanic
Registered Member
India exceeds the PAF in number game by a very big margin. And unless India is forced into an active two front war, it will always use its every available asset against Pakistan, so one for one replacement might be out of necessity even for jets like J-35.
PakAl
Elite Member
Your talking about 2035 which is a decade away. Paf will replace the older jf17s and F16s if needed. At the moment we can easily produce more Jf17s or order more J10CEs but it seems paf is taking it slowly due to not much need or possibly a different plan, we will have to wait and see.
