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By The South Asia Times

ISLAMABAD - A year after fending off a massive Indian air assault with the help of Chinese warplanes and missiles, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has unveiled plans to upgrade its fleet through further acquisitions of Chengdu J-10C fighters and substantial upgrades to JF-17s co-produced with China, according to a report by the South China Morning Post.

The PAF has further confirmed that it has signed an "initial collaborative agreement" for the acquisition of the fifth-generation Shenyang J-35 stealth fighter, without disclosing any details about the scope of the deal.

Speculation is rife that Pakistan could take delivery of an initial batch of J-35s by the end of this year, following the airing of a video by China's state broadcaster CCTV last week showing the first fully operational export version of the warplane. As the only overseas customer to date, the PAF is the obvious destination.

According to analysts cited by SCMP, the PAF's induction of Chinese fifth-generation warplanes into service would alter the balance of air power with India, which has a much larger fleet of 4.5-generation fighters bought from France and Russia but is lagging behind Pakistan in the acquisition of stealth warplanes.

The J-35s would also boost the PAF's ability to project military power into the Persian Gulf. Pakistan last month deployed a squadron of fighters – including JF-17s – to Saudi Arabia under a mutual defense pact signed last September.

At a press conference in Islamabad, PAF deputy chief of air staff Air Vice-Marshal Tariq Ghazi said "foundations have been laid for the acquisition of advanced capabilities" – including long-range precision weapons (LRPW), next-generation platforms, "additional" J-10C aircraft, and "much upgraded" JF-17s.

The next-generation platforms mentioned by Ghazi include emerging technologies like hypersonic boost-glide vehicles. The JF-17 upgrades were a "stepping stone" in the PAF's long-term pursuit of fifth-generation fighter capabilities, he said.

Pakistan is also considering "some collaborations" to allow its state-owned defense industry to build its capabilities from the current 4.5-generation JF-17s.

"From this, step by step, out of all these options, I assure you the option will be with us before the requirement arises," Ghazi said.

The PAF joined Turkey's Kaan fifth-generation fighter project shortly before its brief air war with India in May last year. Islamabad subsequently disclosed in June that Beijing had offered 40 J-35 warplanes, KJ-500 early-warning aircraft, and HQ-19 surface-to-air missile weapon systems.

Neither side had officially confirmed the J-35 deal until the PAF's confirmation on Thursday.

However, defense analysts say that Chinese fifth-generation stealth fighters would give the PAF a "strategic edge" over India.