Nope it is not as simple as that.
1. France brought out a look-down shoot-down radar in the 1980s.
It took China till the 2000s to do the same.
2. Rafale came out with a PESA in 1999 and the Chinese had to wait around 10 years later to do the same.
All those Chinese nationalists and some Pakistani fanboys forget that France does not have to make the T/R modules for the AESA as they have access to them off the shelf. France just does the integration of both the hardware and the software.
So you agree with me then dude?
My original post said that the J-10C was roughly comparable to the Rafale.
While the J-10C may be slightly behind in electronics and missiles, it definitely would be better than Rafale in high-altitude aerodynamic performance. It is quite likely that the J-10C would have the edge in BVR duels with the Rafale.
I think J-10's electronics are not China's best. We don't put that much good stuff into the J-10. It is meant as inexpensive fighter. Pakistan's purchased J-10CE version as J-10CP as we call it is reported to be around $50M per unit
without support packages price accounted.
Rafale should be better than J-10 in both aerodynamic performance and BVR.
However China has better equipment available not just for J-16 and J-20 and other future Flanker types but also Dark Sword UCAV. These are all more high tier and expensive aircraft.
China's electronic industry is far superior to Frances.
We brought out AESA before France. We have more than 20 types of AESA in service platforms.
France's first look down shoot down radar from 1980s may be before China's while China was much lesser in development but that's like saying Japan was first to bring out fighter AESA with J/APG-1 but that doesn't mean Japan now has the best.
China was the first to bring out a cannon gun but that doesn't mean 100 years later it was the best. Same for rocket.
Anyway on J-10 vs Rafale. You have it backwards. Rafale is probably slightly better. It is high tier fighter and gets the best of France and USA can give it. J-10 is China's budget fighter. However you also got the technology backwards. China's technology level truly is far higher than France's. It is simply not that apparent yet. In military aviation we're talking about of course. France's civilian aviation with Airbus is ahead of China with C919 program for example. Far ahead.
France's experience in Libya is not war and not relevant. It doesn't prove anything. No going in combat without EW aircraft doesn't mean much when it is going in against the lowest grades of Soviet era air defence and short range too. I can tell you JF-17 block 2 with some pods could achieve the same against the same.
JF-17 went into range of Indian air defences and early warning radars where IAF scrambled many types of fighters but none pulled a single shot on a JF-17 or JF-17 escorted Mirage performing air to ground.
J-10C makes JF-17 block 2 look primitive. And J-10C is China's budget and lowest tier fighter being made now.
Chinese AESA technology has taken leap after leap without anyone speaking English (outside US intelligence) really noticing. We are beyond third generations of fighter AESA now. France has yet to develop something that can match Type 346A even which is now second tier for China and has been for over 7 years.
Anyway already with China it is beyond AESA again and now the high secrecy level of active sensor field is photonic radar which while Russia talks about a lot, China developed before Russia, before USA, before France. Most of hints given in Chinese literature and even some publicly shown does indicate that not only this stuff is ready, been ready for a while for at least ground, sea and space based. Only matter of time to get it into fighters. There is some reason the statements saying J-20S is the most incredible piece of electronic machinery assembled. It makes J-20's computing and electronics look dated.
Let's remember that China pioneered photon based communications, first to develop quantum teleportation and breaking distance record after distance record until silence as projects became black. Same with quantum computing and satellite based quantum comms. For years even PLAN officer and General recounts of new technology involving lasers (photon based) for not only communication but detecting submarines and part of hypersonic weapon guidance.
Some distills into english written media but most doesn't.
I notice the in english the program is called guanlan which is light wave.
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=guanlan+satellite
This stuff was first leaked by PLA General about 5 years ago.
https://www.shine.cn/news/metro/2106281220/
https://insidegnss.com/beidou-condu...s-ahead-of-u-s-could-improve-satnav-accuracy/
https://www.9news.com.au/technology...in-world/a3cf1e8a-40d0-4934-b146-e83b87a591dd
That is more a weapon rather than sensor technology or communications technology but let's just say AESA is dated already but of course modern ones are better and photonics based active sensors for fighters may not be ready just yet.
Here's what the US would admit about China's electromagnetic (radar and EW ECM ECCM etc) levels. Still think France is up there with these two?
https://www.airforcemag.com/article/dominating-the-spectrum/
France's AESA uses American modules and only the ones USA is willing to sell to France and they are not the latest or even GaN. At least two generations behind BUT of course still extremely capable being AESA in nature alone.
