China Sets up Office to Push Exports of FC-31 Stealth Fighter

China’s Shenyang Aircraft Company (SAC)has offered to set up assembly lines abroad to find export markets for its FC-31 stealth fighter.

In order to gear up export of its stealth jet, China has established an office dedicated to promoting the country’s FC-31 stealth fighter, according to Zhan Qiang, Deputy General Manager of SAC, a subsidiary of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China.

The move to export the FC-31 is aimed squarely at the F-35 by offering a cut-price stealth fighter jet.

Zhan has put together resources from SAC and the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation to establish an office to promote exports of the FC-31 under a development tactic of “self-oriented active promoting” aimed to cultivate targeted users, according to a report in Chinese publication, Gobal times.

“Zhan transformed the company’s traditional planning-oriented marketing mindset and actively explored the arms market for high-end aviation products. Zhan made good use of air shows to showcase the FC-31’s technical advantages,” the report said.

Compared to the United States’ F-35 China’s FC-31 has its own advantages including advanced technology, acceptable pricing, the lack of political restrictions and complete service, the report said.

In a report published earlier this week introducing , the company said that Zhan made important progress in exploring the international arms market with the FC-31 as a key product to be offered.
Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military expert, told the Global Times on Thursday that F-35 mainly targets US allies and partners, and while many countries want to procure it, they lack enough budget or face a wide range of export restrictions set by the US.

China could even have deeper cooperation with a customer by building assembly lines in the customer’s country, Wei predicted.

The FC-31, China’s second stealth fighter jet after the J-20, was on display at the 2021 Airshow China in Zhuhai together with the powerful PL-15E beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile.

Reports suggest that the FC-31 will also become China’s next-generation aircraft carrier-based fighter jet.

The FC-31 is a single-seat, twin-engine, medium-sized multi-role fighter jet with outstanding stealth capabilities, strong situational awareness, high maneuverability, advanced integrated logistics and good cost-effectiveness, according to SAC.