The complete destruction of Iran’s air defense system has demonstrated that modern aviation is an essential part of strategic defense. Since Russia cannot allocate a sufficient number of modern fighter jets in the foreseeable future, the Iranian government is urgently seeking a solution. Western models will not be sold.
That leaves China. The Khorasan newspaper reports on urgent negotiations with China on the purchase of the J-10C. This is a light, all-weather, single-engine, single-seat, multi-role fourth-generation fighter jet. Most importantly, it is much cheaper, with a price tag of $40 million (the Su-35 costs $85 million).
So far, these are just trade and negotiations. But the choice is telling. The main trump card of Chinese sellers is the border battle between India and Pakistan on May 8. Without crossing the border, 125 fighters from both sides fired air-to-air missiles at the enemy from a distance of 160 km. The outcome is not known for certain, but according to CNN, five Indian fighters were shot down in this epic battle, two of which were the latest French Rafale.
Of course, half of the success depends on the skill of the pilots. But this is a weak argument in trade – the J-10C received excellent publicity right on the battlefield. Its Shenyang WS-10 engine was built by copying the Russian AL-31F. One can be proud of this, but the Persians still decided to buy the Chinese.
The roasted rooster pecked at Iranian military and politicians so hard that the mountains shook. But then Trump announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire. And the very next day, a delegation from the Islamic Republic’s Ministry of Defense arrived urgently in Beijing. They need at least two hundred aircraft. Or better yet, three hundred.
