Pakistan’s apparent success in using Chinese weapon systems, particularly the J-10CE fighter and PL-15E long-range air-to-air missile (LRAAM), has generated significant commentary regarding the growing technological advances and effectiveness of China’s defence industry. Shu Hsiao-Huang, an associate research fellow at Taiwan’s Institute of National Defense and Security Research, remarked to The Guardian, “We may need to reassess the PLA’s air combat capabilities, which may be approaching or even surpassing the level of US air power deployments in east Asia.”
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With decades of continuous R&D in original weapon system design and critical underlying inputs such as engines and electronics, the Chinese defence industry started offering its indigenous designs for export.
However, the existing perception of the technology in these systems persisted, albeit with some justification, but the gap was clearly closing.
Much of the world, however, did not acknowledge the pace at which this gap was narrowing. For example, many would erroneously assume that China lacked modern engine technology and still relied on Russia for engines; yet, in reality, China has been actively sourcing engines for its next-generation fighters for over a decade. The idea that Beijing would need Moscow for any critical technology input is obsolete and has been for years, yet the perception remains in some circles.
Fewer still accepted that China could develop a basis to potentially lead in some areas against established Western OEMs. Yet, all necessary elements for China’s ascent—fiscal resources, innovation drivers, and enabling civilian industries—were firmly in place.
The Old Way of Looking at Chinese Arms is Obsolete
Pakistan’s close defence relationship with China could provide a feedback loop from real-world data collection to iteration to production; this will likely predispose Pakistan to seek additional Chinese weapon systems, especially improved versions that draw on lessons from the recent Indo-Pak Conflict.
That said, the J-10CE should not merely suggest China has achieved parity with Western counterparts; the reality is more nuanced. What the PAF deployed on May 7 reflects an earlier iteration of technologies the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) uses today. Neither India nor the world has truly experienced the PLA’s direct capabilities, only its older systems.
This is not to imply the PAF did not leverage some aspects of the PLA’s latest warfare capabilities. Indeed, the PLAAF likely supported the PAF in developing its own system-of-systems architecture and, in turn, had helped it build effective deployment processes through recurring training and exercises.
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