DSI is also there on the JF 17.Its widely believed that the Chinese got the DSI tech through espionage (stealing some f 35 design files or something like that). And I think it has been suggested before in this forum that the main advantage of DSI is related to maintenance.

JSF espionage story i believe is circa 2008-2009. I had read an internal PAF article in 2005 or so that DSI work started in parallel at the time of first prototype(which did not have DSI) in 1999. Only in 4th prototype they were confident enough to apply DSI.

The hilarious bit in this whole story is the fact that China’s premium jet J-20 has DSI. Few years ago i used to hear skeptically from few (and rather authortatively from tphuang- he is different :diablo: ) how DSI hinders speed limit of jets to mach 2 and below and will be excluded from advanced aircrafts made for high speed performance. Anyone with different view was supposed to be a fan boy.

First it appeared on J-10B and now on J-20. 😀

Agreed on perspective bit. I guess we would need more clear pictures to make any size comparisons.

It seems the current reports are suggesting an AESA in a mechanical rotadome, similar in configuration to the E-2D. The KJ-200 is also an AESA with 360 degree coverage, similar in performance to the Erieye, so the ZDK-03 having 360 degree coverage doesn’t automatically make it superior to the KJ-200. There’s still no real performance details out, so difficult to compare, but I believe cost may have been the ultimate reason why the KJ-200 wasn’t selected. IMHO, I also doubt whether the ZDK-03 will be superior in performance to the KJ-200.

Another article that indicates it is an AESA
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/11/24/350025/pakistan-to-receive-first-zdk-03-aewc-aircraft.html

“Pakistan to receive first ZDK-03 AEW&C aircraft
By Greg Waldron

Pakistan will receive the first of four Shaanxi ZDK-03 airborne early warning and control system aircraft by the end of January 2011.
The other three aircraft are likely to arrive later in the year, says the Pakistan air force.
“The ZDK-03s have been developed to our specifications,” says the air force. “It won’t be an E-3C Sentry, but it will have the latest electronics and everything an AEW&C aircraft needs.”
The Chinese-built aircraft will have an active electronically scanned array radar, and its open architecture electronics will allow for future developments and upgrades.
Pakistan has also received its third of four Erieye radar-equipped Saab 2000s being acquired from Sweden, with the final aircraft likely to arrive in the coming months. The four-engined Chinese aircraft has a greater range than the Saab, say sources.
The ZDK-03 deal underlines the strong military ties between Pakistan and China. The countries have also jointly developed the Chengdu JF-17 Thunder fighter, of which Pakistan is likely to buy 200.
Purchasing AEW&C aircraft from two separate sources is indicative of Pakistan’s strategy of not becoming too reliant on any one ally. The USA imposed military sanctions against Islamabad from 1990 until 2005 in response to its testing nuclear weapons.
The air force’s current fleet includes Lockheed Martin F-16s, Dassault Mirage III/5s and Chengdu F-7s and JF-17s.
In terms of military transports, Pakistan flies Lockheed C-130s, but also operates Ilyushin Il-76/78 tankers.”

BTW: Where do they come up with these silly names?:D

The original name given on the link you posted and other news stories i have seen is “Karrar”.

This was the title given to Ali ibne abi talib (Prophet’s cousin) for his fighting style of unrelenting or repeated attacks on the battle field. Ali is the central figure in Shia Islam.

Another way to describe the title is “one who comes back and attacks repeatedly”. Sort of appropraite for a UCAV/ Strike UAV?

Most likely an ECM/EW pod

thats what my hunch is too. But this looks more compact a bit different from other Chinese ECM/EW pods we have seen on JH-7 and other in service aircrafts.
A better view from airlines.net
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Pakistan—Air/Pakistan-Aeronautical-Complex/1745592/L/

On the side it says BS15369.

Any idea what is that pod in third picture on the left (post 300)? It can also be seen behind the optical sensor pod in the lfirst and ast picture.

so are you saying the FC-1 is basically a super developed J-7 variant?

You can effectively go back to original J-7 from FC-1 quite easily:
http://img827.imageshack.us/i/pafjf171011304.jpg/

This took less than a minute. turning Cropped delta to full delta will be the next logical step for anyone curious in this excercise. The intakes are clearly more like enlarged version of auxliary intakes that appeared on advanced Chinese fishbeds than actual well thoughout full fledge intakes you would notice on other fighters.

:dev2: