Will Pakistan give a competition to Rafale and S-400 with JF-17? Know who is more effective

Pakistan PM Imran Khan is in the final stages of procuring 50 JF-17 Block III fighter aircraft after returning to Islamabad from Beijing. The government of Pakistan is presenting the JF-17 in a big way. It is said to be equivalent to the S-400. Although experts believe that this JF-17 is not very close to the S-400.

Can the JF-17 compete with the S-400 air defense system?

Reports suggest that the airframe of the Block III single-engine JF 17 fighter is built with composite materials, to avoid the adversary's air defense system. Even the Indian indigenous Tejas fighter jet has 45 percent composite material, but does that mean it can compete with two S-400 air defense systems? The JF-17 is powered by the same Russian RD 33 engine as that used by the Indian MiG-29 air defense fighters and often has issues with maintenance and spare parts.

Pakistan does not have the cut of S-400

The S-400 system doesn't just destroy enemy aircraft in the sky. It negates PAF trans frontier visibility by pushing back its AWACS and Strategic Reiki Systems (F 16 with DB 110 Recce Pod). This means that the Pakistani Air Force cannot fly its airborne early warning system and deep-penetration radar as the S-400 missiles will shoot them down in the event of a fight. In such a situation, Pakistani JF-17 fighters will fight without the support of AWACS and old Chinese radars. The only exception to this is the high mountainous terrain that is present in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh region.

Apart from S-400, India has many more weapons

The Indian Air Force has a multi-layered defense network and is not solely dependent on the S-400 air defense system. It has front-time fighter planes like Rafale, which have radars like AESA. It is equipped with a lethal meteorite beyond visual range air-to-air missile of 140-160 km. This means that the JF-17 will not even know when it has been wiped out from the sky.

The IAF has missiles like the 70km range surface-to-air missile (MRSAM) and the Digital Pechora. Also, the S-400 system for stand-alone missiles fired on air defense networks has always been complemented by close-in weapon systems such as the Russian Pantsir or the American Phalanx. The S-400 is not a static system but a dynamic one that can be moved.

Pakistan itself does not trust JF-17

Although the Pakistan Air Force itself is not very confident about the JF-17 fighter as compared to the American F-16. During the failed Pakistani raid in the Rajouri-Mendhar sector on 27 February 2019, not a single JF-17 crossed the Line of Control or fired any weapon.