Pakistan, July 21 -- If Pakistan moves forward with acquiring China's J-35 stealth fighter, it will represent the most significant upgrade to its airpower since the F-16s entered service back in 1983. For the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), this would mark several milestones: entry into fifth-generation aerial combat and the introduction of its first twin-engine fighter jet, after two and a half decades. Stealth warfare prioritises detection and first-strike capability over sheer numbers, and twin engines would give Pakistan deep strike capability.

Pakistan also has a second option of investing in the Turkish fifth-generation fighter programme KAAN. But this programme depends heavily on Western inputs, especially the aircrafts engine, which ca...