I'm seeing reports that Saudi Arabia has rejected entering into a deal with China to purchase China's J-35 stealth fighter jet. This is being reported as a "a major blow to Chinese President Xi Jinping's Middle East strategy, as he wanted powerful Gulf nations to replace their American-made armaments with Chinese weaponry. According to experts, Xi Jinping hoped that if Gulf powers like Saudi Arabia purchased China's J-35 fighter jet, it would shut the door for American weapons in the Middle East, besides increasing Beijing's weapon sales." So far, the only foreign purchaser China has found for the aircraft was Pakistan, which may have only done so under pressure from China.
At issue may have been actual or perceived shortcomings. As the MSN article above relates:
Although cheaper than its Western-made counterparts, such as the F-35, China's J-35 stealth fighter is marred by the perceived quality and reliability of Chinese military hardware. This was evident at the World Defense Show in Saudi Arabia in February 2024, when J-35's predecessor, the FC-31, failed to secure any buyers.
The reliability of Chinese weaponry, while largely perceptional, are not completely unfounded, as they have been well documented. Chinese-made CH-4 drones have reportedly witnessed numerous operational failures in Libya and Yemen, while Chinese air defense systems such as the HQ-9 lagged behind Western competitors in live tests, resulting in potential buyer opting for Western-made systems.
Rather, Riyadh has decided to join a UK-Italy-Japan consortium to develop a 6th generation fighter aircraft. Saudi Arabia is also considering purchasing 100 units of Turkey's next generation "KAAN" fighters, and has approached U.S., French and other European manufacturers about procuring updated fighter aircraft.
Shatner should do the commercial for Turkey.
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