China’s J-35 Stealth Fighter Won’t Fly for Pakistan

Key Points and Summary on J-35 and Pakistan – The Pakistani government has officially denied recent media reports claiming it had finalized a deal to purchase 40 J-35A fifth-generation stealth fighters from China.

-In a televised interview, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif dismissed the claims as unsubstantiated rumors that were “good for Chinese defence sales.”

-The denial comes after weeks of speculation that Islamabad would acquire the advanced Chinese fighter, which would give it a significant technological edge over the Indian Air Force.

-While a purchase would make strategic sense for Pakistan, for now, the deal appears to be nothing more than rumor and speculation.

Pakistan Denies Making J-35 Fighter Jet Deal with China  

The Pakistani government, in general, and the Pakistani Armed Forces, in particular, live a rather interesting dual life.

Or, to put it more diplomatically, Pakistan has long been engaged in a delicate balancing act.

On the one hand, that country is still, at least ostensibly, an ally of the United States, and indeed, the Pakistani Air Force (PAF) is a customer of the US-made Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jet program.

On the other hand, they remain a mortal enemy of one of America’s most essential partners in the Indo-Pacific (INDOPACOM) region, namely India.

Moreover, Pakistan also maintains close military ties with America’s and India’s biggest shared adversary, the People’s Republic of China (PRC). (Bear in mind that the Indo-US partnership in the Quad—along with Australia and Japan—is intended as a bulwark against the PRC’s aggression).

The China-Pakistan Military Connection 

The most recent demonstration of this cozy Sino-Pakistani partnership occurred earlier this year during Operation Sindoor, the latest hot war between India and Pakistan.

Therein, the PAF used a combination of PRC-made Chengdu J-10 “Vigorous Dragon” jet fighters and PL-15 air-to-air missiles to inflict shocking and embarrassing losses against the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) vaunted French-made Dassault Rafale and Russian-made MiG-29 and Sukhoi Su-30 jets.

Now, the question is: Will Pakistan escalate its role as a customer of Beijing’s arms industry and take it to the next level by purchasing the J-35A 5th-generation stealth fighter?

Details of the Alleged PRC-Pakistan Deal

The news comes to us courtesy of Asia-Pacific defense industrial base reporter Daisuke Sato in a June 28, 2025, article for Defence Blog, simply titled “Pakistan denies J-35 fighter jet deal.” That titular denial was issued by Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif: “In a televised interview, Asif dismissed the claims, saying, ‘I think it is only in the media. It is good for sale, Chinese defence sales, you know,’ in response to a question regarding the reported delivery of the jets by 2026.“

Meanwhile, for their part, neither China’s Ministry of National Defense nor any of the PRC’s state-affiliated defense firms have issued any statements regarding the supposed sale.

The RUMINT (RUMor INTellience) about this Sino-Pakistani J-35 deal was spurred by a series of unverified media reports asserting that Islamabad was on the verge of acquiring 40 J-35A aircraft from Beijing, with some of these outlets even going so far as to suggest the deliveries could begin as early as August 2025.

Big Picture Considerations

From a devil’s advocate perspective, it would make sense for the PAF to purchase the J-35 to keep up with its IAF adversaries.

After all, India has already modernized its fleet through its homegrown Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Tejas Mk IIA Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) and Mk II Medium Weight Fighter (MWF), both 4.5-generation fighters.

Meanwhile, India is already looking to make the leap to 5th-generation stealth fighters; the country is working on an indigenous Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), which is expected to debut in 2028.

Since the J-35 is already in production, purchasing it would enable Islamabad to outmaneuver New Delhi in the stealth fighter acquisition race.

Moreover, it would be a relatively economical choice for the PAF, as the F-35 is seen as a less expensive alternative to the US-made Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.

Indeed, the aforementioned rumored deal was being finalized at a deeply discounted price, and further sweetening the proverbial pot, the jets would come equipped with advanced PL-17 long-range air-to-air missiles.

J-35 History and Tech Specs in Brief

Built by the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (headquartered in the eponymous city that serves as the provincial capital of Liaoning Province), the J-35 made its maiden flight under the FC-31 prototype form (unofficially nicknamed the “Falcon Hawk” or “Snowy Owl” in some media reports) on Halloween Day 2012.

This was followed by the fighter’s first flight under the official J-35 designation on October 29, 2021, and the J-35A on September 26, 2023.

The warbird’s vital stats and tech specs include:

-Standard Armament (other than the aforementioned PL-17):  PL-10 short-range missiles and PL-15 beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missiles; three internal weapon bays and four external hardpoints

-Operational Range: 1,250 kilometers (780 statute miles, 670 nautical miles) on internal fuel; 2,000 kilometers (1,200 statute miles, 1079 nautical miles) with external fuel tanks

-Max Airspeed: Mach 1.8 (1,381 mph, 2,222 km/h)

-Service Ceiling: 16,000 meters (52,000 feet)

About the Author: Christian D. Orr, Defense Expert

Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU).