Pakistan to receive China’s cutting-edge J-35 jet at 50% discount- A major challenge looms for India

International News: After Pakistan's growing defeat in Operation Sindoor, now China has decided to make the Pakistani Air Force available quickly at its J-35 Stealth Fighter Jet at a 50 percent discount. According to the report, China has accelerated the production of the J-35 jet and is planning to hand over the aircraft to Pakistan by August. The move has increased the pressure on India, as the Indian Air Force currently has advanced fighter aircraft Rafael and the SU-30 MKI.

J-35 Stealth Fighter threatens India

If China gives Pakistan a J-35 stealth fighter, the Pakistani Air Force will have an aircraft in the coming months that can directly compete with India's Rafael Squadron in the capacity of stealth, multirole, and electronic warfare. This is a strategic challenge for India, which will have to take important decisions to resolve.

India Options: SU-57 or F-35?
The question before India is whether it should buy the SU-57 Felon from Russia or the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet from America. This decision seeks deep analysis of strategic, diplomatic, economic, and technical aspects. Currently only the US, Russia, and China have fifth-generation fighter aircraft in the world. Turkey has also developed a Kaan fighter but is not yet operational. Therefore, choosing between the F-35 and the SU-57 is the biggest challenge for India.

SU-57 Felon's strength and weaknesses
Russia has developed the SU-57 to deal with long-distance fighter aircraft of NATO countries. The aircraft is excellent in defensive rolls, equipped with limited stealth capacity and a multi-layer defense system. Its specialty includes 3D thrust vectoring nozzle technology and supermaneuverability, which specializes in complex dogfights. The BrahMos Next Generation hypersonic missile can also be used with it. Russia has also offered technology transfer to India, and it is planned for production here.

The weaknesses include limited stealth design, backwardness in network warfare, and slow production, which are a matter of concern for India.

F-35 Lightning II strength and challenges

The American F-35 is known for real stealth technology and an excellent electronic warfare system. It has all-select stealth, advanced sensor, and data fusion technology. Many countries of NATO are already using it. The F-35 is designed to find an exact attack by detecting enemy locations as forward sensors.

This is an expensive option for India-the price of an aircraft is around $100 million. Apart from this, its maintenance and missile expenses are also quite high. The Make in India model of the F-35 is not possible due to the US policy, which limits the option of technology transfer for India. The US also has objections to the S-400 defense system, which is another challenge.

Strategic Options for India: Technology, Strategy & Diplomacy

The cost per unit of SU-57 is from F-35 to 50-70 percent lower and its operational expenses are also expected to be reduced. SU-57 can get more flights by getting ready early. However, due to lack of real stealth capacity, it is behind F-35.

If Pakistan gets modern stealth aircraft like the J-35, then India will have to take an edge in both technology and strategy instead of increasing the number of aircraft. F-35 is technically the best, but SU-57 can be a better and economically viable option for current needs.