China's much-touted J-10C fighter jet never landed at the Paris Air Show, yet its absence is the talk of Le Bourget. Only scale models and unanswered questions on price, performance and support remain.
00:01This is the world's loudest showroom for aviation.
00:04Every deal, rivalry and new aircraft is on display at the Paris Air Show.
00:10Visitors expecting China's fighter jet J-10C's European debut on the show's flight line found only a tiny model on a shelf.
00:18Months of hype had promised Europe its first look at the frontline fighter.
00:23The real aircraft never landed, and AVIC, China's state-run aerospace group, hasn't explained why.
00:30With a price tag of around 43 million euros, it is less than half the cost of many Western fighters.
00:37Francis Dassault Rafale is listed above 110 million euros,
00:41and the US-made Lockheed Martin F-35 models come in around 90 million euros without weapons.
00:47And Beijing is also marketing J-10C with cheap loans over a long period of time.
00:53But there's a catch. Any major refitting has to be done in China.
00:57Is that whole supply chain going to hold up? Will that supply chain be there under sanctions, you know, potentially in the future,
01:04either against China or against one of these other countries?
01:07Dependency on Chinese parts and systems is something Western powers are aggressively trying to avoid.
01:13Any time you allow China to, you know, be part of your grid or your system, you know, you're allowing that potential to come in, you know, and for them to have that kind of leverage.
01:25But for countries on friendlier terms with China, the cost savings are attractive.
01:30Indonesia says it's in negotiations for the J-10C.
01:34And Cairo and Bogota have received offers with promises of lower financial hurdle and long-term credit.
01:41Anyway, by the time being said that Gaon werden to acquire more technical expenses,
01:48who need that energy is jeżeli inaudible 0010C.
01:50And bringing it to China, the future of China has a long-term credit.
01:53I can be aware that the�鉄 corporation is gold relies on toothpaste to the charade.
02:05Only Tibet have has anfortable ultimate Scootsie's atmosphere.
