China once again delivered on its promise to stand beside a beleaguered Pakistan which has been long accused of shielding terrorists and was retained of FATF’s grey list. Rafale jets are battle tested and have been considered superior to J-10CEs purchased by Pakistan from China

To boost the Pakistan air force (PAF), China sold six J-10CE fighter jets to Pakistan. The Pakistan air force inducted those jets in Kamra in presence of Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan.

“China and Pakistan opened a new chapter in aviation defence cooperation, and it will significantly contribute to the further deepening of the China-Pakistan All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership,” the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) said, according to news agency the Global Times.

The Global Times news report boasted that the J-10CE can rival the Rafale fighter jet which was recently inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF). “The J-10CE is not only more powerful than the lightweight JF-17 because of its bigger size, it is also more powerful than Pakistan’s old US-made F-16 fighter,” Shi Hong told Global Times in an interview. Hong is the executive chief editor of Chinese magazine Shipborne Weapons.

However, comparisons made between Rafale fighter jets and J-10CE are too early to be even considered given that Pakistan already is concerned regarding its JF-17 fighter jets which it co-developed with China but the faces engine-related inefficiencies in those jets which Chinese state-owned aviation companies have been reluctant to address, news agency Eurasian Times reported.

The debate between Rafale and J-10CEs were begun by Pakistan’s minister without any provocation indicating the restlessness among Pakistan’s military and air force as India’s defence and air force capabilities received boosts under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government.

The news agency also pointed out that Rafale uses the Meteor, which the Eurasian Times said was the ‘best Air-to-Air-Missile in the world’. On top of that Rafale is also a nuclear deterrent and is known for its all-weather combat readiness.

One of the main factors that makes Rafale exclusive and superior in its comparison to J-10CE is because of it being battle-tested. The Rafale jets built by France’s Dassault Aviation has fought in wars in Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, Iraq and Syria while the J-10C is yet to enter a combat situation.