New Delhi, Feb. 21 (IANS): China will deliver 25 J-10C fighter jets to Pakistan within weeks in a major boost to the countrys military capabilities to defend its airspace, The News reported.
UK's Financial Times reported that the first batch of combat aircraft is being tested in Chengdu, the base of its manufacturer Chengdu Aerospace Corporation.
"They will be transferred to Pakistan once Pakistan Air Force pilots and technicians complete an introduction to the aircraft," a journalist, working with a Chinese military publication, told FT.
Senior officials in Islamabad said the jets would be delivered before the end of the month, the report added.
The images of the J-10C fighter jet with the marking of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) recently surfaced on social media and were widely circulated by media outlets.
First published on social media last week, the images show two J-10Cs, equipped with China's domestically developed WS-10B Taihang turbofan engines, undertaking test flights at an undisclosed location.
"If confirmed, this could be the first time China has exported the J-10 series fighter and also the first time it has exported the WS-10 series engine," observers said.
Commenting on the matter, Chinese analysts have lauded the latest defence cooperation between the two countries, saying that the move yields great significance to them, in terms of boosting combat capabilities of the Pakistan military, promoting China's aviation equipment, and responding to their security interests in the region, The News reported.