M8 it becomes a hard thing to believe…Not again Deino, what is the issue with you dear?
You may be the most knowledgeable poster on Chinese hardware in the World but you are certainly not an employee in Shenyang. Do you even know how many Pakistani Engineers have been seconded by various Chinese aircraft manufacturers including Chengdu, Nanchang, and Shenyang over the years?
The answer is a big NO because all these matters are between Govt to Govt. I say that because one of my cousins served there, who retired as an Air Commodore in the PAF. Pakistanis along with others have been giving their input for decades, the Chinese are grateful for their modernization efforts.
When the top men in the PAF declare the induction and training of the J31, it does not mean they are receiving the jets in the next decade. It means they have sorted out all the modalities and are ready to receive the production models.
It may sound like a surprise to you but this is how our procurements work. We waited for India to waste its resources on Rafale and in the meantime worked on the J31 procurement. Had we declared it earlier the Indians would have gone on the Stealth aircraft procurement rampage all over the World. An insight into our F16 procurement and the Indian NIGHTMARE spanning over five decades will be helpful.
So sir we value your precious input but please don't act as a spoiler in our happiness, it is below your stature. And certainly, if the Jets don't arrive within the next 18-24 months, we will apologize and hope you do the same if it happens.
If negotiations have been going for the previous 5-6 years… no rumors or leaks emerged earlier
If 5-6 prototypes have been flying for the past year why no pictures? Even rumors of them on chinese blogs?
Even if it is completely ready with testing done do you seriously expect they have a manufacturing line up and running or coming online within the next year?
Why would SAC prioritize j-31 production over navalized j-35? Surely the PLAN will over the course of the next decade order more jets than what PAF would go for. So why would they prioritize us ?
These realities makes it impossible for it to appear in a year or two over Pakistan skies.
Even I have been hearing rumors from close members but no one confirms any time line.
Just the phrase soon. Even 28-29 is hell of alot sooner considering how military projects and accusations go.
You can’t blame @Deino for ripping his hair out watching posts like these