China has J-7s or license copies of it since 1960s. How hard is it to examine one in China ?
Egypt (a cold war ally of USA) had MiG-21s.
11,496 aircraft with 64 operators is dime a dozen with respect to modern combat aircraft.
My last post here, because I now suspect you are trolling instead of any interest in a serious discussion.
J-7s
This is becoming a tutorial on Mig 21s.
Once again :
The J-7 is NOT a "licensed built" copy of the Mig 21. It was supposed to be, but never was. Initially, the Soviet's agreed for licensed version but later withdrew their technical support. There were deliberate errors in the drawings given by the Russians, which frustrated Chinese development of the fighter for nearly a decade. A Mig 21 " look alike " with severely reduced performance flew in 1966, and was renamed as the J-7 was inducted in small numbers ( for whatever it was worth) into the PLAAF . With the combat experience the PAF had flying Syrian Mig 21s against Israeli Mirages, Pakistan shared their experiences with PLAAF and Chengdu aviation test pilots to improve the J-7. PAF had ome other experience on early Mig 21s when a PAF F-6 shot down an early model IAF Mig 21 using a US made AIM-9 in the last stages of 1971 war.
The captured Soviet and Afghan Air Force Mig 21s delivered, or "force landed" by defecting and surrendered pilots, were
far more advanced in every way than anything possessed by either China or Pakistan at that time.
The J-7 then with the PLAAF was a poor "look alike".
Veteran Soviet pilots flying these, advanced Mig 21s ( intended to fight NATO warplanes) backed by Tu-16 Moss AWACs , gave PAF Mirage, F-6s and even early F-16A pilots, much to worry about. These Mig 21 jets were backed up by Mig 23s and we had to contend with these as well.
Mercifully, except for one case of fratricide, no PAF aircraft were lost against the heavy odds we faced, defending our western frontier. But we learned, and the captured aircraft, and our experience was passed on to our allies, and by the mid 1980s the J-7 achieved a rough parity with its Soviet ancestor.
The first J-7Ps only arrived in Pakistan by 1988 by which time the Soviet threat had been neutralized.
Pakistan had no aircraft manufacturing capabilities then so so we worked closely with our Chinese allies to refine the J-7P into the unique double delta cranked wing J-7PG fitted with all the all the electronic gadgets such as a Grifo Radar and helmet mounted sights, and PL-7, PL-9 AAMs. A neat aerobatic plane with a superb performance , that would never have been developed into this version but for the wealth of data the PAF recovered. Read more here (
Link ).
I do not disagree here. Except that Pakistan does not have $$$ to make large purchases
40 Su-35s was an example of a deal that can be made with money. China does not make any equivalent equipment to Mi-17, Mi-35, S-400, Su-35
Ill informed. We have the $$ to buy and use 40 Mil 17, and Mil 35s and are buying more (
Link ).
We are buying attack helicopters from China also
Hint: Don't think like a "banya" that whoever has the fattest wallet wins a war. Vietnam, Korea and Afghanistan had no $$$$$$$$&&$ to fight a war . You like that $ sign don't you ?
It's the ultimate symbol of power ?
during the cold war USSR had reasons. Being dependent on China to access Pakistan is not something Russia likes.
What Russia likes is good relations with Pakistan regardless of what India or any other country likes .
That's the geo-politics
There are safe transportation corridors by sea
"I
have no idea why economic activity will increase with land corridors"
Then you need to study your geography and calculate the route of a Russian freighter leaving Novorossiysk to Sri Lanka ( Lavrov learned to speak Sinhalese) ,or the Horn of Africa. Then calculate a Chinese ship based in Gwadar loading supplies from China directly to ship out to Sri Lanka .
Then figure why the biggest
baniya has spent $63 billion and counting into CPEC . Look it up.
You can talk about cultural affinity with Arabs, Afghans, Iranians, Dagestanis. It is a 2-way street. I have no idea how other groups view Pakistanis. In every country in the West where Indians/Pakistanis emigrate you are always clubbed with Indians
Off topic .Pakistan is not merely a South Asian nation. We have a Central Asian component.
Copy your post on this thread and will talk to you there .
We are Pakistan's First .... It is necessary now as never before to emphasize our identity. We are Pakistanis, dwellers of Sindh, Baluchistan, KPK, Gilgit, Baltistan, Punjab and Azad Kashmir. We are defined by a common cultural thread of Saraiki linking our provinces and our peoples. Ours is...
defence.pk
India can always access Central Asia via Iran. Pakistan has access to 200 countries in the world. If that does not move the needle how is land access to six Central Asian states going to make a difference ? Kirghizstan and Tajikstan have nothing in the way of resources. Azerbaijan is far away. Kazakhstan has easy access to Russian and Chinese markets.
What India does is of least concern to us . If India can get along with Iran then that's fine.
We will keep Wagah and Torkham firmly shut to India. For Russia , Gwadar is open for business .