Weapons developed by China appear in military parade in Pakistan

Attack helicopters Z-10, developed by China, appear in military parade on March 23, 2016. (Photo/Huanqiu.com)

Various main battle equipment developed by China or by China and Pakistan jointly were shown in the military parade marking the 76th anniversary of Pakistan Day on Wednesday.

Five types of fixed wing military aircraft participated in this military parade including three types of fighters -- China's homegrown J-7PG, J-7P and China-Pakistan jointly developed JF-17 Thunder fighter (called FC-1 Xiaolong by China). JF-17 costs much less than Pakistani commissioned F-16 although the two types of fighters have little difference in performance. Performance of JF-17 is even better than earlier type.

K-8 Karakorum jet trainers appear in the military parade marking the 76th anniversary of Pakistan Day on March 23, 2016. (Photo/Huanqiu.com)

K-8 Karakorum jet trainer in Sherdils, an aerobatics team of the Pakistan Air Force Academy, is co-produced by Pakistan and China and has been exported to several countries.

Chinese developed airborne early warning aircraft ZDK-03 also appeared in the military parade. This type of aircraft can make 360 degrees scanning and can obtain distance, speed and altitude statistics of an object. The performance of ZDK-03 is superior to that of Sweden Saab 2000 equipped with Erieye radar system.

Attack helicopters Z-10, developed by China, may replace Pakistani in-service American AH-1 Cobra armed helicopters. A report in Global Times said that the appearance of Z-10 in the military parade in Pakistan might means that China is willing to sell its most advanced weapon platform to its reliable allies.

China used to equip its own forces with most advanced weapons rather than to sell them to foreign armies. The article also said that China may offer improved J-10 fighters to Pakistan.

Chinese or Sino-Pakistani jointly developed weapons play a dominating role in Pakistan’s ground equipment. The Khalid, a main battle tank jointly developed by Pakistan and China in the 1990s is the most advanced main battle tank in Pakistani army, whose performance is better than Ukrainian T-80UD and Russian T-90 main battle tanks commissioned to Indian army.

Anti-tank missiles also play important roles in Pakistani army. HJ-8, a second generation tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided anti-tank missile system which was originally used in the People's Liberation Army, is totally produced in Pakistan. This type of missile also appears in the military parade.

Chinese developed FM-90 air defense missile also showed up in the military parade. In 1998, the China National Precision Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CNPMIEC) produced an improved HQ-7 missile, which is faster and has a longer range, with an IR-tracking camera. This version received the export designation FM-90.

Caihong-3 (CH-3, also known as Rainbow-3) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) developed by China appeared in the military parade in Pakistan too.