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Pakistan has stepped up its defence cooperation with China with the most recent purchase being Chinese air-to-air SD-10 missiles and avionics to arm its 250 JF-17 Thunder fighter fleet. The country’s air force chief, Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman confirmed the deal amid signs that the French had spurned the offer to equip them, reportedly under pressure from India.

“Islamabad is seeking to deepen military cooperation with Beijing,” Rao Qamar Suleman, chief of the Pakistani Air Force told the ‘Global Times’ revealing that his country may also opt to acquire other advanced defence missile systems including Chinese Surface to Air Missiles (SAM) systems. Pakistan has opted to go in for full Chinese armament systems for the jointly developed fighters and Suleman currently on a visit to China told the paper that the advanced active radar and homing middle-range missile developed by China, called the SD-10 will become the standard Beyond Visual Range (BVR) weapon of the JF-17.

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“PAF has no plans to install western devices and weapons on the aircraft for the time being,” Pakistani Air Force Chief said. ‘Global Times’ quoting unnamed sources claimed that the French consortium has withdrawn from a reported 1.2 billion euro contract to supply radars and missiles for the first wave of 50 JF-17 fighters, after pressure from India. French sources had reported that a joint bid had been made by French aeronautic company ATE along with Thales Group and MBDA. The paper said that Pakistan may also buy up to four batteries of the Chinese SAM missiles.

The Pakistan Air Force chief is currently on a visit to China to attend the Zhuhai Air Show now underway in southern China, where the JF-17s were a major attraction. The SD-10 (ShanDian-10) is a radar guided air-to-air missile developed by China in 2002. The Red Air Force has inducted these missiles in 2007 and the ones being supplied to Pakistan would be the missiles first exports. SD-10 is said to be a variant of Italian Aspide missiles supplied to China in late 80s. Pakistan Air Force has a big fleet of Chinese made fighters including F-7PGs and A-5s. The medium technology JF-17 or Thunder jets manufactured jointly with China are a new addition to PAF.

Pakistan is interested in buying more defense systems and equipment from China, and hopes to deepen cooperation to upgrade its armed forces, a top Pakistan Air Force officer said on Wednesday. Pakistan is evaluating, among other options, three or four Chinese surface-to-air missiles, including the advanced “HQ-18″, Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman told ‘China Daily’.

‘Jane’s Defence News’, a publication that specialises in military topics, reported that China was building the Hong Qi-18 (HQ-18) missile system based on the Russian S-300V1 type 2 (SA-12A “Gladiator”), presumably under a license agreement. But this has not been confirmed by the Chinese military, the paper added. The missiles, with a maximum range of 100 km, can be used against short-range ballistic missiles, aircraft or cruise missiles, with intercepts taking place between a low-level 25 meters and an altitude of 25 kilometers, according to Jane”s.

Suleman also said that China had completed the first of four Chinese ZDK-03 airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft for the Pakistan Air Force on November 13. “The delivery to Pakistan will start in the early part of next year,” said Suleman, who is also Pakistan Air Force’s Chief of Air Staff. He said that the Pakistan Air Force was also looking at the option of purchasing Chinese engines, though any final decision will depend on the engines’ quality. Suleman brought FC-1 (Fighter China-1) Xiaolong aircraft, an improved version of China”s new generation fighter jet co-developed with Pakistan, to the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai.

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Military research and development cooperation with China will continue not only in aircraft production, but “in other areas” as well, he maintained. The Pakistan Air Force is increasing production docks for the FC-1 (named the JF-17 Thunder in Pakistan) from four to six, and is aiming to have about 25 aircraft assembled by the end of the year, the paper said. “It’s on a very fast track, and there is no other fighter aircraft anywhere in the world,” which has been produced so quickly, pointed out Suleman.

China and Pakistan have traditionally had close military relations, and Suleman said that bringing the FC-1 Xiaolong aircraft to Zhuhai was to display “solidarity with China” and “to show to the world that we have a tremendous amount of respect and love for our Chinese friends”. Commenting on cooperation in military research and development, he said China and Pakistan “will continue working together. There is no shortage of trust and no shortage of will. There will be more projects developed successfully.”

Meanwhile, Chinese experts noted that the envisaged cooperation, however, does not target any country, and is “tiny” in scale compared to huge defense deals signed by US President Barack Obama in India earlier this month. Beijing-based military strategist Peng Guangqian said that Beijing’s weapons deal with Islamabad had almost no effect on the balance of military power between Pakistan and India, especially given the multi-billion dollar defense deals signed between the United States and India during Obama’s visit.

The China-Pakistan deals should not be a cause of alarm for other countries, he said, referring to the foreign media reports that the FC-1 was a concern for the Indian Air Force. Sun Shihai, director of the Center for South Asian Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, added that Obama also promised India that the US would give it easier access to high-tech equipment for both civilian and military use.

Despite the huge gap between the Pakistani and Indian military forces, especially in terms of conventional weapons, the situation in the region is basically balanced given the fact that both countries have nuclear weapons, he said.