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Punching Above its Weight; U.S. Congressional Report’s Comparison of China’s J-10 Light Fighter to Elite F-15 Heavy Platform Shows Just How Deadly the Small Jet Really Is
Designed as a single engine light multirole fighter to replace the J-7G, China’s J-10 entered service in 2006 as a complement to the heavier J-11B and Su-30 twin engine air superiority fighters - an analogue to the U.S. Air Force’s F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-18 Hornet. Despite its extremely light weight, low cost and low maintenance requirements, the J-10’s capabilities impressed analysts across the world as soon as they became widely known, and the aircraft sets several records for a single engine fighter which it continues to hold by a considerable margin. Indeed, by the time the more capable J-10B variant entered service in the early 2010 a number of Western analysts were questioning not whether the fighter could combat aircraft of the same class fielded by rival powers, such as the F-16C or Japanese F-2, as it was clear that the Chinese jet retained an overwhelming advantage in such engagements, but rather whether the new jet could do the unthinkable and punch above its weight to take on elite and highly specialised twin engine air superiority platforms such as the F-15.
The F-15C Eagle and Japanese F-15J are analogues to China’s J-11, over which its J-11B and Su-30 retains a considerable advantage in their combat performances. The Eagle’s elite status is reflected in both its its capabilities, from its long range and world record speed of Mach 2.5 to its high operational altitude of 20km and payload of eight air to air missiles - as well as its extremely high operational and maintenance cost. The fighter remains the second most capable currently serving Western made platform in air to air combat by a considerable margin only to the F-22 Raptor, and retains a critical role in the air fleets of the United States and many of its foremost allies. Given this the fact that the J-10B, a fighter 40% lighter and costing just a fraction as much to operate and acquire, has been considered comparable to the F-15, is a considerable testament to its capabilities. Compared to the American F-16 and F-35, Sweden's Gripen or Pakistan's JF-17, none of which are in the same league as air superiority jets such as the F-15C or J-11B, the J-10’s capabilities are a far closer match for the heavy and elite twin engine fighters which dominate the skies today - arguably the greatest challenge to the dominance of these fighters since they first began enter service in the mid Cold War years. Despite its extremely light weight and single engine configuration the J-10’s capabilities are in many ways comparable to heavier and more expensive air superiority fighters fielded in its own fleet and those of rival powers. The fighter's 18km operational altitude in particular, well above its single engine rivals and higher than many elite twin engine jets such as the F-14D, allows it meet air superiority fighters near their own level and thereby nullify one of their primary advantages. A powerful WS-10 engine and three dimensional thrust vectoring systems further help compensate for advantages in speed and manoeuvrability usually held by twin engine jets. As a result of these outstanding capabilities the J-10C, the most recent and sophisticated variant of the fighter, is speculated to be the most capable single engine fighter in the world - with its rival the F-35 compensating for vastly inferior capabilities such as speed, operational altitude, firepower, sortie rate, engagement range and manoeuvrability with a lower radar cross section and stronger radar.
Attesting to the advanced capabilities of the J-10 and the perceived threat this posed to the American Eagle fleet, the United States Congress’ U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission concluded in a report in 2014 citing rapid technological progress in Chinese military aviation, and in the defence industry as a whole, and signing out the J-10 design and the threat posed by what was then the latest variant, the J-10B, as an example. The report noted that the J-10 was roughly comparable to the F-15 in its capabilities as a result. Again it is critical to note that while China has fielded air superiority jets comparable or superior to those of the U.S. Air Force since the 1990s, the fact that a Chinese single engine multirole light fighter could compete with a heavy air superiority platform was nevertheless a momentous achievement for the J-10 program. Associate Editor at Military.com and former Highly Qualified Expert at the Pentagon serving with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army - Acquisition, Logistics & Technology Kris Osborn referred to the Chinese fighter as an equivalent to the F-15 - almost certainly a reference to their capabilities considering their vastly difference configurations as heavy twin engine air superiority and light single engine multirole jets. Not only did the expert refer to the J-10 bearing analogous capabilities to the Eagle, but he also noted that the U.S. Air Force had perceived it to be a considerable threat to the F-15 which could potentially surpass the heavier jet in air to air combat, stating: “The US Air Force is vigorously upgrading the 1980s-era F-15 fighter by giving new weapons and sensors in the hope of maintaining air-to-air superiority over the Chinese J-10.” He cited a U.S. Air Force program costing half a billion dollars to provide some upgrades to the F-15 fleet as a means by which the service sought to respond to the threat posed by the J-10.
Ultimately while there is little doubt that the J-10 outclasses America’s own fighters of similar weights, the F-16 and F-18, with the U.S. Air Force continuing to upgrade the F-15 it is likely to retain a narrow advantage over the J-10B - with a higher altitude, speed, and payload which compensate for the Chinese jet’s greater sophistication, more advanced engine and higher use of composite materials - at least if not taking into account the single engine jet’s far lower costs and maintenance needs. The J-10C however, which entered service in April 2018 and is considered a next generation fighter designed to rival the American F-35, has effectively succeeded in punching far above its weight and challenging the air superiority jets of its rivals - fielding a more sophisticated airframe with high use of composite materials, engine technology far ahead of the Eagle’s F100, a radar cross section reducing airframe, stealth coatings, next generation PL-15 air to air missiles, an AESA radar and thrust vectoring capacities which heavily compensate for the increasingly dated Eagle’s slight advantages in other fields. With the vast majority of the U.S. fighter fleet is comprised of platforms far less capable in air to air engagements than the F-15, itself an aircraft which American Air Combat Command Chief General Mike Hostage referred to as heading for obsolescence by the year 2024, and with China for its part inducting far heavier and more capable jets to fulfil complementary roles to the J-10C such as the J-20, J-11D and J-16, this has considerable implications for the balance of power in the skies over East Asia - with the future apparently set to strongly favour China’s Air Force over that of the United States. Japan too, with its foremost air to air combat platform the F-15J apparently inferior to the lightest and least advanced of China's next generation fighters, faces a dire situation which may well force it to take urgent action to upgrade its air superiority capabilities.
Source:
militarywatchmagazine.com
Designed as a single engine light multirole fighter to replace the J-7G, China’s J-10 entered service in 2006 as a complement to the heavier J-11B and Su-30 twin engine air superiority fighters - an analogue to the U.S. Air Force’s F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-18 Hornet. Despite its extremely light weight, low cost and low maintenance requirements, the J-10’s capabilities impressed analysts across the world as soon as they became widely known, and the aircraft sets several records for a single engine fighter which it continues to hold by a considerable margin. Indeed, by the time the more capable J-10B variant entered service in the early 2010 a number of Western analysts were questioning not whether the fighter could combat aircraft of the same class fielded by rival powers, such as the F-16C or Japanese F-2, as it was clear that the Chinese jet retained an overwhelming advantage in such engagements, but rather whether the new jet could do the unthinkable and punch above its weight to take on elite and highly specialised twin engine air superiority platforms such as the F-15.
The F-15C Eagle and Japanese F-15J are analogues to China’s J-11, over which its J-11B and Su-30 retains a considerable advantage in their combat performances. The Eagle’s elite status is reflected in both its its capabilities, from its long range and world record speed of Mach 2.5 to its high operational altitude of 20km and payload of eight air to air missiles - as well as its extremely high operational and maintenance cost. The fighter remains the second most capable currently serving Western made platform in air to air combat by a considerable margin only to the F-22 Raptor, and retains a critical role in the air fleets of the United States and many of its foremost allies. Given this the fact that the J-10B, a fighter 40% lighter and costing just a fraction as much to operate and acquire, has been considered comparable to the F-15, is a considerable testament to its capabilities. Compared to the American F-16 and F-35, Sweden's Gripen or Pakistan's JF-17, none of which are in the same league as air superiority jets such as the F-15C or J-11B, the J-10’s capabilities are a far closer match for the heavy and elite twin engine fighters which dominate the skies today - arguably the greatest challenge to the dominance of these fighters since they first began enter service in the mid Cold War years. Despite its extremely light weight and single engine configuration the J-10’s capabilities are in many ways comparable to heavier and more expensive air superiority fighters fielded in its own fleet and those of rival powers. The fighter's 18km operational altitude in particular, well above its single engine rivals and higher than many elite twin engine jets such as the F-14D, allows it meet air superiority fighters near their own level and thereby nullify one of their primary advantages. A powerful WS-10 engine and three dimensional thrust vectoring systems further help compensate for advantages in speed and manoeuvrability usually held by twin engine jets. As a result of these outstanding capabilities the J-10C, the most recent and sophisticated variant of the fighter, is speculated to be the most capable single engine fighter in the world - with its rival the F-35 compensating for vastly inferior capabilities such as speed, operational altitude, firepower, sortie rate, engagement range and manoeuvrability with a lower radar cross section and stronger radar.
Attesting to the advanced capabilities of the J-10 and the perceived threat this posed to the American Eagle fleet, the United States Congress’ U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission concluded in a report in 2014 citing rapid technological progress in Chinese military aviation, and in the defence industry as a whole, and signing out the J-10 design and the threat posed by what was then the latest variant, the J-10B, as an example. The report noted that the J-10 was roughly comparable to the F-15 in its capabilities as a result. Again it is critical to note that while China has fielded air superiority jets comparable or superior to those of the U.S. Air Force since the 1990s, the fact that a Chinese single engine multirole light fighter could compete with a heavy air superiority platform was nevertheless a momentous achievement for the J-10 program. Associate Editor at Military.com and former Highly Qualified Expert at the Pentagon serving with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army - Acquisition, Logistics & Technology Kris Osborn referred to the Chinese fighter as an equivalent to the F-15 - almost certainly a reference to their capabilities considering their vastly difference configurations as heavy twin engine air superiority and light single engine multirole jets. Not only did the expert refer to the J-10 bearing analogous capabilities to the Eagle, but he also noted that the U.S. Air Force had perceived it to be a considerable threat to the F-15 which could potentially surpass the heavier jet in air to air combat, stating: “The US Air Force is vigorously upgrading the 1980s-era F-15 fighter by giving new weapons and sensors in the hope of maintaining air-to-air superiority over the Chinese J-10.” He cited a U.S. Air Force program costing half a billion dollars to provide some upgrades to the F-15 fleet as a means by which the service sought to respond to the threat posed by the J-10.
Ultimately while there is little doubt that the J-10 outclasses America’s own fighters of similar weights, the F-16 and F-18, with the U.S. Air Force continuing to upgrade the F-15 it is likely to retain a narrow advantage over the J-10B - with a higher altitude, speed, and payload which compensate for the Chinese jet’s greater sophistication, more advanced engine and higher use of composite materials - at least if not taking into account the single engine jet’s far lower costs and maintenance needs. The J-10C however, which entered service in April 2018 and is considered a next generation fighter designed to rival the American F-35, has effectively succeeded in punching far above its weight and challenging the air superiority jets of its rivals - fielding a more sophisticated airframe with high use of composite materials, engine technology far ahead of the Eagle’s F100, a radar cross section reducing airframe, stealth coatings, next generation PL-15 air to air missiles, an AESA radar and thrust vectoring capacities which heavily compensate for the increasingly dated Eagle’s slight advantages in other fields. With the vast majority of the U.S. fighter fleet is comprised of platforms far less capable in air to air engagements than the F-15, itself an aircraft which American Air Combat Command Chief General Mike Hostage referred to as heading for obsolescence by the year 2024, and with China for its part inducting far heavier and more capable jets to fulfil complementary roles to the J-10C such as the J-20, J-11D and J-16, this has considerable implications for the balance of power in the skies over East Asia - with the future apparently set to strongly favour China’s Air Force over that of the United States. Japan too, with its foremost air to air combat platform the F-15J apparently inferior to the lightest and least advanced of China's next generation fighters, faces a dire situation which may well force it to take urgent action to upgrade its air superiority capabilities.
Source:
Punching Above its Weight; U.S. Congressional Report’s Comparison of China’s J-10 Light Fighter to Elite F-15 Heavy Platform Shows Just How Deadly the Small Jet Really Is
Designed as a single engine light multirole fighter to replace the J-7G, China’s J-10 entered service in 2006 as a complement to the heavier J-11B and Su-30 twin engine
militarywatchmagazine.com
Last edited:
. Well we have utterly humiliated that so called superior Su-30s with far more inferior platforms than US F-15s in February 2019.
