(GEO MILITARY AFFAIRS) — Flatly denying swirling regional reports and speculation, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has categorically dismissed claims that Islamabad has sealed a deal with China to acquire the J-35A fifth-generation stealth fighter jet—an alleged move that, if true, could have significantly shifted the balance of airpower in South Asia.
Speaking during a nationally broadcast interview, Asif downplayed reports of a signed agreement with Beijing, asserting, “I think it is only in the media. It is good for sale, Chinese defence sales, you know.”
Despite the denial, authoritative defence sources and credible media reports continue to indicate that Pakistan is actively preparing to receive its first batch of J-35A fighters—potentially within months.
Should the deal be executed as expected, Pakistan would become the first international operator of the J-35A, a cutting-edge stealth platform developed by China’s Shenyang Aircraft Corporation under state-owned AVIC.
The procurement, estimated to involve up to 40 aircraft, would mark a tectonic shift in the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) force posture and propel the country into the exclusive club of stealth-capable air forces.
With each J-35A unit reportedly priced at approximately USD 85 million (RM400 million), the total package—factoring in training, logistics, and armament—could exceed USD 3.4 billion (RM16 billion).
From a doctrinal standpoint, the induction of J-35A fighters would represent a generational leap in PAF’s warfighting architecture, reinforcing its deterrent capability in both conventional and asymmetric theatres.
The move also escalates pressure on Indian military planners, who may now face stealth threats from both western (Pakistan) and eastern (China) axes in the event of a future two-front war scenario.
Strategically paired with China’s KJ-500 AEW&C platforms and the HQ-19 long-range missile defence system, the J-35A forms part of a broader integrated “kill web” that fuses air, space, and cyber capabilities into a real-time combat network.
The J-35A is designed to breach dense enemy air defences, execute precision strike missions, and remain survivable in highly contested environments through its reduced radar cross-section (RCS) and low infrared signature.
Leveraging advanced radar-absorbing materials, internal weapon bays, and stealth-optimized shaping, the aircraft is built for deep penetration missions where survivability is paramount.
Retired Air Commodore Zia Ul Haque Shamshi underscored the strategic implications, stating, “India is unlikely to possess any fifth-generation fighter capability within that timeframe, thus allowing the Pakistan Air Force to retain a major strategic advantage.”
This sentiment is echoed across strategic circles in Islamabad, where military leadership views the J-35A as a transformative platform that could guarantee technological superiority over India for the next 12 to 14 years.
In early 2023, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu confirmed that Pakistan had begun formal negotiations for the stealth jet, stating, “Negotiations have taken place to enable the acquisition of the J-35A, which will soon become part of the Pakistan Air Force.”
More recently, a senior Pakistani government official revealed that deliveries are imminent, with the first tranche expected to arrive “within the next few months.”
“PAF pilots are already in China undergoing operational conversion training for flying and handling the J-35A,” the official disclosed, highlighting the rapid pace at which Pakistan is preparing to integrate the stealth fighter into frontline operations.
The J-35A—an evolution of the FC-31 demonstrator—has been extensively modified for land-based multirole operations, featuring a 28,000 kg maximum take-off weight, twin internal bays for beyond-visual-range missiles, and a pair of side bays for short-range weapons.
In contrast to the J-20 “Mighty Dragon,” which remains restricted to PLA service, the J-35A is China’s first fifth-generation stealth aircraft being actively positioned for foreign export.
Technical sources indicate that the PAF variant will be powered by the WS-19 engine, delivering 12 tons of thrust and enabling supercruise performance—a capability typically reserved for the world’s most elite fighter platforms.
One of the most compelling aspects of the J-35A program lies in its planned integration of the PL-17 very-long-range air-to-air missile (VLRAAM), also known as PL-XX in Western intelligence circles.
Designed to strike airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, tankers, and high-value surveillance assets at standoff ranges exceeding 400 kilometers, the PL-17 dramatically expands PAF’s engagement radius.
The missile’s multi-mode seeker suite—featuring active radar, infrared, and satellite navigation—combined with mid-course data-link updates, allows it to maintain lock in high-electronic-warfare environments with lethal accuracy.
This capability will enable the J-35A to “kill from the shadows,” targeting enemy command-and-control aircraft before they can marshal fighter support—an essential hallmark of fifth-generation doctrine.
In strike configurations, the aircraft can carry precision-guided munitions, cruise missiles, and anti-ship weapons on six external hardpoints, allowing it to transition seamlessly between air superiority and multirole strike operations depending on mission demands.
The operational synergy between stealth aircraft and over-the-horizon sensors gives Pakistan a credible first-strike and counter-air capability, especially when viewed against India’s current reliance on 4.5-generation platforms such as the Rafale and Su-30MKI.
Although India is pursuing the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) under its “Atmanirbhar Bharat” (Made in India) initiative, the project is unlikely to yield an operational stealth fighter before 2035.
In the interim, the J-35A provides Pakistan with a critical overmatch in electronic warfare, sensor fusion, and long-range kill capabilities—attributes essential for air dominance in future high-intensity conflicts.
India, however, is not standing still.
In response, New Delhi is upgrading its Su-30MKI fleet with modern AESA radar, enhanced avionics, and integration of R-37M hypersonic missiles capable of engaging high-value targets at over 300 kilometers.
India is also exploring radar architectures such as Russia’s Container-S system, a ground-based over-the-horizon radar capable of detecting stealth targets at long distances through skywave reflection.
Meanwhile, China has reportedly established a dedicated export division for the J-35A, signaling broader ambitions to market the fighter to friendly states, including Iran, Egypt, and potentially Turkey.
Should Pakistan become the J-35A’s launch customer, it would catalyze stealth proliferation across conflict-prone regions and introduce a powerful new variable into existing threat equations.
Much like how the U.S. F-35 has become a force multiplier for NATO and its allies, the J-35A could emerge as the defining stealth platform for the Global South—particularly among countries excluded from Western technology transfers.
As geopolitical tensions surge across the Indo-Pacific, Middle East, and Central Asia, the introduction of a cost-effective, combat-capable stealth fighter like the J-35A could reset the calculus of airpower in volatile regions.
Despite Khawaja Asif’s public dismissal of the J-35A agreement, the operational tempo, pilot training, and logistics infrastructure underway suggest that Pakistan’s stealth era is not a matter of “if”—but “when.”
And when it arrives, the balance of airpower in South Asia may never be the same again.
–GEO MILITARY AFFAIRS