In ironic twist, Iran may receive 'Chinese Lavi' fighter jets

Although the ink on the nuclear deal signed between Iran and world powers is barely dry, the WantChinaTimes website reported on Thursday that China will sell 24 J-10 Chengdu fighter jets to the Islamic republic.

The deal is worth close to $1 billion, but Iran will not be paying in money. In return for the jets, Iran will grant China the rights to the Azadegan oil field for the next 20 years. The planes will be delivered to Iran in 2020.

According to Chinese experts, the Chengdu aircraft would constitute a significant upgrade for the Iranian air force and could even pose a threat to Israel.

In Israel, meanwhile, news of the deal stirred a minor uproar. Firstly, because now the sanctions on Iran have been lifted, and it is hurrying to equip itself with advanced fighter jets. Secondly, because Israel has a special connection to the J-10, which in Israel goes by the nickname "The Chinese Lavi."

The J-10 is a multi-faceted fighter jet with similar characteristics to the American F-16, the French Rafale and the European Typhoon (Eurofighter). According to various reports, the Chengdu's maximum range is 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles); its operational range is 900 kilometers (559 miles). It is equipped with advanced radar and avionics, along with electronic weapons systems. It can reach a speed of Mach 2.2, more than double the speed of sound. Until now, China has exported the plane to just one other country -- Pakistan.

But what is most interesting to Israel is the Chengdu's similarity to the Lavi, a fighter jet developed and manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries in the mid-1980s and eventually shut down due to American pressure. The Americans preferred that the Israel Air Force use the F-16, not Israeli-made planes, and Israel conceded.

According to several conspiracy theories, which have been denied by Israel and China, the Lavi program found itself in Beijing via unconventional means, in spite of U.S. opposition, and the J-10 was modeled after those plans.

The similarities between the planes' capabilities, aside from their outer appearances, are tenuous at best, and aviation experts have largely disregarded the comparison.

The J-10 was inaugurated in 2006, 20 years after the Lavi, and belongs to a far more advanced generation than the Israeli jet.

Meanwhile, one can ponder the irony of the crown jewel of Israel's aviation industry -- via the nuclear deal being pushed by U.S. President Barack Obama, through China -- falling into the hands of our most bitter enemy, Iran. Perhaps we will need to contend with the Chengdu regardless.