Pakistan
PM Imran Khan to inaugurate first batch of J-10C fighter jets
The aircraft will fly on Pakistan Day
Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Arif Alvi will inaugurate the first batch of China’s J-10C fighter jets today. They will be inducted in the Pakistan Air Force.
The ceremony will be held at the Minhas Airbase Kamra, in the Attock district of Punjab.
The first batch comprised of six J-10Cs arrived in the country on March 4. Pakistani pilots who had been training for three months in China flew the first batch to Pakistan. They will now be stationed here.
Pakistan has purchased a total of 25 J-10Cs and the first batch will be flying on the Pakistan Day parade on March 23.
The J-10C is expected to counter India’s move to buy aircraft from the West. India recently displayed the French-made Rafale jets on the Republican Day parade.
Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed earlier this month said that Pakistan Air Force is going to perform a fly-past with Chinese JS-10 planes on Pakistan Day. “This is in response to Rafale, a complete squadron of JS-10 (J-10C) aircraft will fly-past,” he said.
China is one of the biggest weapons exporters for the Pakistan armed forces. It has also partnered with the Pakistan Air Force to build JF-17 Thunder fighter Jets.