Agree with most of what you’ve said but don’t agree with your view that China won’t help Pakistan due to fear of the PFX competing for exports with Chinese Birds. If this was the case why would China have helped Pakistan develop and export the JF-17 Block 3? Is that product not a cheaper competitor to the J10CE??
China doesn’t strike me as desperate to export its fighters. If a country wants them and if providing them suits China’s strategic interests, then yes of course they would welcome any such orders, but their main focus is their own domestic needs. Second comes their Strategic interests and Pakistan is still important to these. Exporting fighters to the global market comes much lower on their priority list.
The J-10CE is a medium fighter and the JF-17 is a light fighter. Their target customers in the foreign trade market do not overlap, so there is no competition between them.
Due to the rapid development of China's fighter industry, the PLAAF heavily opted for heavy fighters it preferred, leaving the J-10 series in a rather awkward position. Since the JF-17's foreign export business has not been able to meet AVIC's expectations, AVIC plans to make the J-10CE a star product in the foreign trade market. We can tell by observing AVIC's recent moves.
1, J-20 and J-16 series are undergoing mass production, and, this mass production behavior has been going on for a long time. It will be a very huge number.
2, CAC is setting up a new J-10 production line in Guizhou. there is not much demand for J-10 in PLAAF. Obviously, this is a preparation for mass export of J-10CE.
The J-10 series was originally PLAAF's own fighter, and it was not initially planned for export.CAC initially had high hopes for the export of the JF-17, and wanted to make it a star product. Since the JF-17 is a China-Pakistani cooperation project and it's production line is in PAC, the JF-17's foreign export business is very slow (I won't analyze the exact reasons). Obviously, CAC is very sad about this situation, but it can't take over the JF-17 completely or develop it independently, so we see the “J-10CE program”.
Currently, the J-10CE and JF-17 foreign trade markets are still staggered and not competitive. However, if the PAC does not have a better and clearer development direction for the JF-17, the J-10CE will likely maintain the same foreign trade price as the JF-17 in the future. Who is more competitive under the same price condition?
i agree , which is why i am all for creating indiginous sub systems first all of them every last one of them and create an ecosystem and start small like really small. like a jet trainer for example and them go from there any ways best of luck to Pakistan on this project.
In fact, I have always hoped that Pakistan would take more pragmatic action to complete the full indigenization of the JF-17 B3.
For example:
Try to set up a factory that can produce AESA T/R components fully indigenously. Raw materials and related technology can be imported from China. It is not necessary that excessive performance can be pursued when just starting out. From nothing to something, then to something stronger. ------- directly import T/R components to assemble their own named AESA. The practical significance of this behavior is not great.
