Chinese Military Prowess On Show At Pakistan National Day Parade

Chinese military hardware including J-10 and JF-17 fighter jets, ZDK-03 early warning aircraft and FM-90 air defense missile are likely to be on show on the occasion of Pakistan's National Day on March 23.

The country’s Bayi Aerobatic Team will stage a flight aerobatic performance in the Pak event. Contingents from Pakistan’s “all-weather friend” China, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey will be taking part in the parade.

“China sending fighter jets to celebrate Pakistan Day is symbolic of the friendship between China and Pakistan,” Hu Zhiyong, a research fellow at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of International Relations, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Pakistan currently operates a number of Chinese defense hardware like ZDK-03 early warning aircraft, MBT-2000 main battle tank (designated as Al-Khalid in the Pak Army), HJ-8 anti-tank missile and FM-90 air defense missiles, according to China Military Online.

China is also currently working on making the Block III version of the JF-17 Chinese-Pakistani jet to match the latest version of the United States F-16 V aircraft by equipping the aircraft with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, helmet-mounted targeting system, an advanced targeting pod, data links and beyond visual range weapons.