All About China

The Jian-10 (J-10) development programme officially began in the mid-1980s, originally intended to be a high-performance air-superiority fighter to counter then emerging third-generation fighters such as F-16 and MiG-29. However, the end of the Cold War and changing requirements shifted the development towards a multirole fighter with both air-to-air and ground attack mission capabilities. This change was partially due to financial reasons, but more importantly it was a reflection of People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF)’s transformation from solely the air defence role to a more balanced power with both defensive and offensive capabilities.

The J-10 fighter marks the highest achievement of the Chinese aviation industry in the 20th century. The programme involved a significant amount of new technologies, including composite materials, computerised flight-control (“fly-by-wire”), advanced avionics, computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM), etc. In the J-10 programme, China not only obtained a modern fighter aircraft, but also gained considerable knowledge and experience in designing and developing modern combat aircraft. The programme has also benefited from Israeli and Russian technologies, including the fly-by-wire (FBW) software and AL-31FP turbofan engines.

Typical air-Superiority and interception weapon configuration:
4X PL-11 / PL-12 MRAAM + 2X PL-8 SRAAM + 1X 800ltr drop tank
2X PL-11 / PL-12 MRAAM + 2X PL-8 SRAAM + 2X 1,600ltr drop tanks + 1X 800ltr drop tank

Typical surface attack and interdiction weapon configuration:
2X PL-8 SRAAM + 6X 250kg LDGP bomb + 2X 1,600ltr drop tanks + 1X 800ltr drop tank
2X PL-8 SRAAM + 2X 500kg LGB + 2X 1,600ltr drop tanks + 1X 800ltr drop tank + laser targeting pod