A J-10 fighter jet attached to an aviation brigade of the air force under the PLA Southern Theater Command takes off from the runway during a day-into-night flight training exercise on February 2, 2021.
First published on social media on Tuesday, the images show two J-10Cs, equipped with China's domestically developed WS-10B Taihang turbofan engines, undertaking test flights at an undisclosed location, UK-based defense news website Janes.com reported on Wednesday.
"If confirmed, this could be the first time China has exported the J-10 series fighter and also the first time it has exported the WS-10 series engine," observers said.
While the authenticity of the images remains unknown, Pakistan's Interior Minister, Skeish Rashid Ahmed, told the media in December 2021 that a first batch of J-10Cs will be introduced during the fly-past that will be held for the commemoration of Pakistan's Republic Day on 23 March, 2022, according to the report.
"The J-10C will significantly enhance the combat capabilities of the Pakistan Air Force," Chinese analysts said.
"The J-10C is a 4.5-generation medium-size fighter jet and is more powerful than the China-Pakistan jointly developed lightweight fighter jet, the JF-17, which is currently in service with the Pakistan Air Force," Shi Hong, Executive Chief Editor of the Chinese magazine, Shipborne Weapons, told the Global Times on Sunday.
"The J-10C is larger and can be equipped with a bigger active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar than the one used by the JF-17 Block 3," Shi said, noting that the J-10C can also carry more advanced, fourth-generation air-to-air missiles including the short-range PL-10 and the beyond-visual-range PL-15.
"The J-10C is also significantly more powerful than the old US-made F-16 fighter jet of the Pakistan Air Force and can rival the Rafale fighter jet that recently entered service with the Indian Air Force," Shi said.
"Pakistan's J-10C will not replace the JF-17, but form a combination, leading to higher combat capabilities," Shi said.
In addition to the J-10C, Pakistan's other military branches have also recently commissioned advanced Chinese equipment. For example, the navy received the first Type 054A/P frigate, and the army acquired the HQ-9/P air defense missile system, according to media reports.
"This demonstrates that defense cooperation between China and Pakistan is going even wider and deeper, and the large-scale adaptation of Chinese equipment by all Pakistani military services will significantly boost their combat capabilities," Shi said, noting that a simple system with most Chinese hardware can also be supply chain friendly.
To China, the first successful sale of the J-10 series fighter and the WS-10 series engine will further open the international market and more countries will show serious interests in Chinese aviation equipment, analysts said.
"Pakistan's procurement of the J-10C is also meaningful for China and Pakistan as a more powerful Pakistan military can better safeguard the shared interests of the two countries in the region," Shi said.
During the induction ceremony of the first Type 054A/P frigate in January, the President of Pakistan, Dr Arif Alvi, said that the ship will help to safeguard the sea routes of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
