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India.com
4 days ago
- Business
- India.com
China Arms Pakistan With J-35A Stealth Jets: Is India Ready For A Two-Front Missile War?
New Delhi: Pakistan's airpower ambitions are drawing global attention. Much like Iran's aggressive missile capabilities that recently rattled Israel, Islamabad is steadily enhancing its arsenal. And with Chinese support, its edge may soon sharpen further. Pakistan already fields a mix of Shaheen, Abdali, Ghaznavi, Ghauri and the long-range Shaheen-3 ballistic missiles – some capable of reaching targets over 2,500 kilometeres away. Now, Beijing is preparing to transfer its fifth-generation stealth fighter, the J-35A, to Islamabad. This aircraft's radar-evading profile, long-range strike capability and networked combat systems could pose new challenges for Indian defense planners. Experts warn that Islamabad could deploy the J-35A to bases in Skardu (Baltistan), Karach or Gwadar. From these forward locations, the aircraft could threaten critical Indian military infrastructure in Jammu, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Paired with Pakistan's Ra'ad-II cruise missiles, the J-35A would gain standoff attack capability – the ability to strike deep into Indian territory without entering contested airspace. The J-35A, based on China's FC-31 'Gyrfalcon', is a twin-engine, single-seat stealth fighter with a combat range of approximately 1,200 kilometres. It is expected to carry advanced Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missiles like the PL-15 or PL-17, offering strike radii of 200 to 300 kilometres. Its integration with drones, AWACS, and ground-based radars gives it a multi-domain warfare profile. If Pakistan acquires 30-40 units by 2028 as anticipated, its air force will gain a significant leap in strike and defense capabilities. The threat multiplies when considering a possible dual-front scenario. The J-35A's deployment alongside China's J-20 stealth jets near the LAC could force India into a two-theatre conflict posture. Experts believe that such developments demand urgent upgrades to India's air defense infrastructure. Enter Russia's S-500 'Prometheus' air defense system. A successor to the S-400, the S-500 is designed to counter advanced aerial threats. It can intercept ballistic missiles travelling at speeds of up to Mach 19, neutralise stealth aircraft using low-frequency radar and even take down satellites in low-earth orbit. Key features of the S-500 include: Ballistic Missile Defense: Capable of intercepting hypersonic projectiles at altitudes up to 200 km and ranges up to 600 km. Anti-Stealth Detection: The 91N6A(M) and 77N6-N/N1 interceptor missiles can track low-RCS targets like the J-35A at distances beyond 400 km. Anti-Satellite Capability: Can disable satellites used for ISR and missile guidance, disrupting networks that Pakistan might rely on. Multi-Target Engagement: Able to engage over ten aerial and ballistic targets simultaneously. Mobility: High-wheel platforms allow rapid deployment along both LoC and LAC. In May, during the peak of cross-border skirmishes, the S-400 showcased its prowess by downing a Pakistani AWACS 314 km inside enemy airspace. With the S-500, India could extend this coverage and neutralise threats before they even cross the border. India already possesses five regiments of the S-400. By supplementing them with 2-3 S-500 units, New Delhi can create an interlinked air defense grid. This could secure critical urban centres like Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, as well as forward airbases and strategic installations. S-500 vs J-35A: Why India Needs It The S-500's radar and AI tracking system are designed to expose and lock onto stealth aircraft like the J-35A. Its multi-target engagement makes coordinated attacks using drones or AWACS less effective. It can intercept cruise and hypersonic missiles before they reach Indian airspace. Its satellite interception capacity threatens the ISR systems guiding Pakistani and Chinese operations. Military analysts caution that if India delays integrating the S-500 into its Integrated Air Defence Command (IADC), it risks falling behind. Pakistan's acquisition of the J-35A would tilt the balance. But if India acts decisively, it could nullify threats from both Islamabad and Beijing with a single system. The next few years may well determine whether India can stay ahead in an increasingly contested airspace.
Express Tribune
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
The four-day Indo-Pak spat
Listen to article Five weeks after the Indo-Pak confrontation, although hostilities have come to an end, the pit and cauldron of doubt and antagonism continues to simmer. War shocks still continue after closure of the four-day spat on 10 May 2025 in the shape of bluff and bluster and propaganda and misinformation. On the Pakistan side, there continues to be fear and consternation of a replay of something like Sindoor for which pretexts may be discovered or imagined. On the Indian side, a media blitz continues to be spread about the threat of terrorism from Pakistan. The flare-out between 7 and 10 May of 2025 may have only been four days long but it spewed a plethora of consequences – domestic, regional and international. Both the sides have claimed to gain the upper hand in the conflagration. India declared to have decimated nine terrorist outfits in "POK" and after nearly 27 years attacked sites across the international boundary in the Punjab. It also claimed to have struck several air bases with missiles and an AWACS plane parked in the hangers in the Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi-Islamabad which is only about 6 to 7 minutes distance from a nuclear installation. On the other hand, Pakistan claims to have taken down six Indian jets – three Rafaels, one Sukhoi, one Mirage and one MIG – with the help of Chinese provided J-10C using remotely fired missile PL-15. Just one day before the commencement of the Paris Air Show, the CEO of Dassault, the manufacturers of multi-role French F-35 jet, declared that the claim of Pakistan to have downed three Indian Rafaels "is inaccurate". This claim flies in the face of French intelligence reports confirming the shooting down of the plane as well as the statement in an interview by the Indian defence chief made in the Shangri-La Security Dialogue of admitting the felling of Indian aircraft but refusing to mention the exact number of planes taken down. The possibility of Chinese military technology having the better of cutting-edge western armaments as shown in the taking down of Rafaels by J-10Cs and PL-15 missiles reverberated throughout the world, denoting a sea change in the geo-strategic scenario particularly in the context of the US-China contest. The balance of power between India and Pakistan, supported and armed by Chinese latest technology, suddenly seemed to have undergone a big change with India having to face an uphill task in case of having to face a two-sided opponent in the shape of Pakistan and China. The fusion between Chinese ideology and military equipment and Pakistan army strategy and tactics is something of great concern for India. Another special aspect of the short confrontation was the use of social media war, hysteria and misinformation from both sides. In fact making outlandish claims of Karachi port having been destroyed and an attack on Lahore not only made a mockery of Indian media but indelibly dented the credibility of news emanating from Indian media. Shivshankar Menon, former Indian high commissioner to Pakistan and former foreign secretary, in an interview with Karan Thapar made a claim typical of Indian mindset , saying, "Sindoor may not have deterred terrorism in Pakistan and may have only provided a temporary respite since militarism is hard wired into the security structure" and weltanschauung "of Pakistan." Operation Sindoor, Menon claims, has not deterred terrorism but it has imposed costs for Pakistan to think twice before launching another terror attack. Now it is for India, according to Menon, how best to manage increasing the costs for Pakistan and gains for India. Adil Shah of Georgetown University, USA, has averred that Sindoor did not deter Pakistan but rather emboldened it by giving it the impression of victory. Trump's effort at bringing about a ceasefire between India and Pakistan to prevent the situation from escalating into a non-conventional nuclear flare-out has led to two consequences. Trump has reiterated on several occasions that he was responsible for effecting a ceasefire between the two South Asian neighbours and that he could bring about a solution to the Kashmir dispute. American efforts in the Indo-Pak spat has led to the internationalisation of Kashmir dispute much to the chagrin of India which insists that the Kashmir dispute could only be resolved through bilateral measures. Trump's attempt has also led to the rehyphenation of India and Pakistan after several years of dehyphenation of US relations vis a vis the two South Asian opponents. The May 2025 flare-out makes it all the more essential to bring an end to confrontation between India and Pakistan since another such occurrence could go out of hand due to escalation or accident. There is paramount need therefore for detente, peace and deterrence of confrontation between the two neighbours who suffer from similar problems of poverty, shelter, potable water and lack of health cover. The expenditures incurred on military and arms would be best spent upon education and health. In this day and age, two poor countries to be in possession of nuclear capabilities and increasing expenditures on ever advanced arms and armaments is a self-defeating policy depriving millions of the basic essentials of a civilised life.
Economic Times
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Economic Times
Operation Sindoor: Pakistan's Dy PM Ishaq Dar finally admits they asked for ceasefire after India struck Nur Khan & other key airbases
Synopsis Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed that Islamabad requested a ceasefire after India struck key airbases during Operation Sindoor—a response to the Pahalgam terror attack. India's swift action caught Pakistan off guard. Dar's admission contradicts earlier claims of a strong Pakistani response. Saudi mediation followed within 45 minutes, highlighting the urgency Islamabad showed to halt further Indian strikes. Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has confirmed that Islamabad requested a ceasefire from New Delhi after India targeted the Nur Khan and other key air bases during Operation Sindoor, a retaliatory strike following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. ADVERTISEMENT India attacked the Nur Khan and Shorkot airbases on the intervening night of May 6 and 7. Dar disclosed that the strikes took place while Pakistan was still getting ready to respond, suggesting that India moved first and took them by surprise. Within 45 minutes of the strike, Saudi Prince Faisal offered to speak to the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on behalf of Pakistan's deputy PM, seeking to halt further action against Pakistan. ALSO READ: Shehbaz Sharif admits Pakistan caught unawares by Brahmos missile Dar's remarks suggest that Pakistan urgently sought support to convince India to stop its limited and targeted military operation, which was described as 'precise, measured and non-escalatory.'His confession stands in contrast to earlier statements by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior Pakistani officials, who had asserted that Pakistan had delivered a strong response to India. ADVERTISEMENT Prime Minister Sharif himself had also recently acknowledged that India conducted BrahMos missile strikes on multiple locations, including the Rawalpindi air force Base Nur Khan, situated in Chaklala, Rawalpindi is around 10km from Islamabad, Pakistan capital. It is an active airbase that encompasses the former Benazir Bhutto International Airport within its grounds. ADVERTISEMENT ALSO READ: Pakistan's AWACS destroyed in India's BrahMos strikes, admits ex-Air Marshal: 'missiles kept on coming' The facility, originally established as RAF Station Chaklala and later known as PAF Base Chaklala, continues to serve as a vital military installation in Pakistan. ADVERTISEMENT The base is also home to PAF College Chaklala, which trains Aviation Cadets, and Fazaia Inter College Nur Khan, providing additional educational facilities on the Gul, a defence analyst, claimed that the strategically important Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi is 'under American control.'Pakistan air force base Rafiqui, situated near Shorkot in Jhang District, is a major military installation located 337 kilometers south of Islamabad. The base features a 10,000-foot runway with a parallel taxiway that serves as an emergency landing strip. ADVERTISEMENT The airbase was previously known as PAF Base Shorkot before being renamed after Sarfaraz Ahmed Rafiqui, a fighter pilot from the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. ALSO READ: Operation Sindoor: How BrahMos strikes and precision airstrikes became turning points in the standoff The base's infrastructure includes a primary runway and an emergency taxiway system that allows for aircraft recovery operations when Sindoor was India's swift, calculated tri‑service cross-border assault on the dead night of May 6 and 7, targeting nine terror camps deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan‑occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the brutal April 22 Pahalgam massacre that claimed 26 innocent 25 minutes, India's Army, Navy and Air Force deployed SCALP cruise missiles, HAMMER smart bombs, loitering munitions and ground-to-ground weaponry, killing around 70 to 100 militants and crippling key Lashkar‑e‑Taiba, JeM and Hizbul Mujahideen infrastructure at Bahalwalpur and Muridke in terrorists thought they were sending a message when they murdered husbands in front of their wives, after selecting victims by their religion. Via the name Operation Sindoor, the government sent an immeasurably bigger message back as India avenged the loss suffered by those vermillion, is a symbol of marriage in Hindu custom. Pakistan's military-intelligence-jihadi complex would have been among the first to note the image put out by Indian Army right after government's confirmation of the strikes - Operation Sindoor in block letters, with the first 'O' represented by a bowl of vermillion. (With TOI inputs) (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel) Disclaimer Statement: This content is authored by a 3rd party. The views expressed here are that of the respective authors/ entities and do not represent the views of Economic Times (ET). ET does not guarantee, vouch for or endorse any of its contents nor is responsible for them in any manner whatsoever. Please take all steps necessary to ascertain that any information and content provided is correct, updated, and verified. ET hereby disclaims any and all warranties, express or implied, relating to the report and any content therein. NEXT STORY
India Today
15-06-2025
- Business
- India Today
Stealth wars: Will Pakistan's J-35, KAAN jet deals to counter India spark new arms race in Asia?
Pakistan is embarking on a frenzied shopping spree to bolster its air combat capabilities after the military stand-off with India exposed the vulnerabilities of its air defence Islamabad has announced China's offer of 40 fifth-generation J-35 stealth fighter jets, 500-KJ AWACS and 19 HQ long-range anti-ballistic defence systems. Second, Pakistan intends to procure the KAAN fifth generation stealth fighter jet from Turkey. Ankara has repeatedly underlined 'brotherly' relations with Pakistan and has been supporting its position on Kashmir at international too is hitting the throttle on its stealth ambitions by expediting the indigenous fifth generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). It is in the process of issuing expression of interest to private players to join the minister Rajnath Singh, on May 27, cleared the execution model for the AMCA, marking a crucial phase in India's aerospace ambitions. According to the ministry of defence, the execution model will allow the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), the nodal design body for AMCA, to carry out the programme through a robust industry partnership. The model promises equal opportunity to both public and private sector players, enabling them to bid competitively—either independently, as joint ventures, or as consortia, under the umbrella of an Indian-registered company compliant with national the government had planned to adopt the special purpose vehicle route for the AMCA's development. Now, a shift towards an industry partnership model seems to be in motion. With private defence giants, such as L&T and Tata, emerging as key aerospace players, ADA believes this is the right time to empower the Indian private industry rather than continue to rely solely on the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).advertisement'We are very shortly coming out with expression of interest regarding the AMCA's development. Once finalised, the industry partner will be shortlisted for development, production and lifetime maintenance of the jet. The shortlisted partner does not have to invest in the development phase. They only have to invest in setting up a manufacturing infrastructure base,' said a key defence official privy to the AMCA week, the Pakistani government's social media account, in a list of diplomatic achievements credited to prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, said Islamabad had been offered '40 fifth-generation Shenyang J-35 stealth aircraft, Shaanxi KJ-500 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C), and HQ-19 air defence systems from China'. The post also said Azerbaijan and Pakistan had signed a $4.6 billion contract for the former to acquire 40 JF-17 fighter jets manufactured by the Pakistan Aeronautical observers claimed that while the KJ-500 is the latest airborne early warning aircraft design in Chinese service, serving with the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), J-35 jets are also expected to be equipped with PL-17 air-to-air missiles (range of 400 km, making it one of the longest-range air-to-air missiles in the world).Scheduled to begin arriving by August this year, the deal for J-35 jets is reportedly being offered at half the price, with Pakistani pilots already undergoing training in China. The J-35 is currently being developed for both China's PLAAF and People's Liberation Army Navy Air Force (PLANAF), with the latter expected to introduce the type onto its carrier air Pakistan has shown keen interest in the Turkish KAAN fighter jet. It has been reported that representatives from multiple institutions gathered at the eighth meeting of the Pakistan-Turkey Industrial Expo in Pakistan earlier this year and finalised plans for a partnership between Ankara and Islamabad for the production of Turkiye's KAAN fighter defence minister Yasar Guler had at that time reportedly confirmed an agreement for Pakistan's official participation in the KAAN jet project. Meanwhile, Indonesia has signed a contract to procure 48 KAAN fighter jets from Turkiye at an estimated cost of $10 billion. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2026. This shifts Indonesia's focus from additional Rafale orders. Jakarta, in 2022, had signed an agreement with Dassault Aviation for 42 Rafale jets at $8.1 its procurement spree, Pakistan has increased its defence spending by more than 20 per cent—the most substantial hike in a decade. Presenting the annual federal budget on June 10, finance minister Muhammad Aurangzeb proposed an allocation of 2.55 trillion rupees ($9 billion) for the country's three armed services, amounting to 1.97 per cent of Pakistan's gross domestic product (GDP), up from 1.7 per cent in the previous Pakistan scrambles to modernise its air force, questions arise about the implications of these deals on regional security and the balance of power. Experts believe the timing of these deals is notable, coming on the heels of Operation Sindoor, which showcased India's military capabilities and exposed Pakistan's air defence vulnerabilities. As Pakistan seeks to bolster its air power, it remains to be seen whether these acquisitions will be enough to tip the scales in its favour or spark a new arms race in the to India Today Magazine
India.com
11-06-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Operation Sindoor: Rafales, Sukhois Shot Down Pakistan's JF-17s, Mirages In Dogfight; India Set To Reveal Smoking Gun Evidence
New Delhi: Clouds parted. Secrets spilled. Under the cloak of night, the Indian Air Force launched a mission that would rattle Islamabad to its core. It was Operation Sindoor, a storm that tore through terror camps and left Pakistani war machines in flames. On the intervening night of May 6 and 7, the air throbbed with tension. Rafale and Sukhoi jets soared out of Indian bases. Precision. Power. Payloads locked. Targets across the border marked in red – terror launchpads nestled in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Airstrikes hit like thunderclaps. Explosions followed. Camp after camp, bunker after bunker flattened. Over 100 terrorists eliminated in minutes. The April 22 Pahalgam's bloodshed avenged. But the night did not end there. Pakistan scrambled its jets. JF-17s. Mirages. J-10Cs. Interceptors on a collision course. The dogfight was brutal. Aerial combat at lightning speed. Engines screamed. Missiles launched. Skies lit up. And then silence. Flames fell from the heavens. Pakistan's jets crashed and burned. Sources inside India's top defence establishment confirm that enemy aircraft shot down mid-air. India watched. Recorded. Tracked every move with AWACS and ground-based radar. The wreckage? Scattered across the rugged terrain of PoK. And India has the evidence. High-resolution satellite images. Infrared signatures. Radio logs. Visual confirmation from cockpit feeds. Soon, the truth will go public. Pakistan panicked. Cross-border firing intensified. Ceasefire torn to shreds. India retaliated with full force. Missiles rained down on major Pakistani airbases. Noor Khan. Rafiqui. Sukkur. Chunian. Rahim Yar Khan – once considered strategic strongholds. Now smoking craters. One hit after another. Pakistan's Chinese-made HQ-9 air defense systems shredded. Its backbone was broken. Operation Sindoor was a verdict – justice delivered at supersonic speed.
