Latest news with #J10
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
China adds aerial refuelling to pilot training in move to boost combat readiness
China's air force has introduced aerial refuelling to its pilot training programme as the People's Liberation Army tries to step up combat readiness and long-range capabilities. Advertisement The move was highlighted in a report by state broadcaster CCTV on Friday that included footage from a PLA training video. It showed instructors from the PLA Air Force's Shijiazhuang Flight Academy piloting two J-10 fighter jets in a refuelling drill, supported by a YU-20 tanker. The J-10 – seen as China's answer to the American F-16 – has a two-seat variant for advanced fighter and strike training. Another variant, the J-10CE, was used by Pakistan to down French-made Rafale jets in combat with India's military near the disputed Kashmir region last month. The YU-20 tanker can offload up to 100 tonnes of fuel in a single sortie. Photo: Xinhua According to the CCTV report, the academy plans to expand the refuelling training in phases. It said the goal was to round out combat readiness training and better prepare pilots for operational requirements and the demands of the battlefield. Song Zhongping, a former PLA instructor, said it was a significant step for the air force as it tried to cultivate real-combat capabilities from the earliest stage in a pilot's training. 'Previously, such training was limited to experienced operational units,' Song said. 'Now it's moving upstream into pilot education. That opens a new path for building a strategic air force with global reach.' Advertisement He said the programme would help pilots to develop 'a long-range operational mindset early in their careers'. 'It will reduce the interval between graduation and combat readiness, significantly boosting the military's ability to rapidly produce a battle-ready talent pool.'
Khaleej Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
India approves stealth fighter programme amid tensions with Pakistan
India's defence minister has approved a framework for building the country's most advanced stealth fighter jet, the defence ministry said on Tuesday, amid a new arms race with Pakistan weeks after a military conflict between the neighbours. Indian state-run Aeronautical Development Agency, which is executing the programme, will shortly invite initial interest from defence firms for developing a prototype of the warplane, envisaged as a twin-engine 5th generation fighter, the ministry said. The project is crucial for the Indian Air Force, whose squadrons of mainly Russian and ex-Soviet aircraft have fallen to 31 from an approved strength of 42 at a time when rival China is expanding its air force rapidly. Pakistan has one of China's most advanced warplanes, the J-10, in its arsenal. Militaries of nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan faced-off in four days of fighting this month, which saw use of fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery by both sides before a ceasefire was announced by US President Donald Trump. It was the first time both sides utilised drones at scale and the South Asian powers are now locked in a drones arms race, according to Reuters' interviews with 15 people, including security officials, industry executives and analysts in the two countries. India will partner with a domestic firm for the stealth fighter programme, and companies can bid independently or as a joint venture, the defence ministry said in a statement, adding that the bids would be open for both private and state-owned firms. In March, an Indian defence committee had recommended including the private sector in military aircraft manufacturing to shore up the capabilities of the Indian Air Force and reduce the burden on state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, which makes most of India's military aircraft. Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh has previously criticised Hindustan Aeronautics for slow delivery of light combat Tejas aircraft, a 4.5 generation fighter, which the firm blamed on slow delivery of engines from General Electric due to supply chain issues faced by the US firm.
South China Morning Post
26-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Beijing flexes its military might in South Asia and beyond
The scale and intensity of the four-day India-Pakistan conflict beginning on May 7 was marked by the battlefield debut of China's advanced military technology. At the onset of the conflict, US Vice-President J.D. Vance stated that the situation was 'fundamentally none of our business'. But, in a dramatic reversal, US President Donald Trump soon announced that his administration had brokered a 'historic ceasefire' between India and Pakistan. While India and Pakistan were still exchanging fire, the true victor was China, whose military technology transformed the conflict into a global moment of significance for its arms industry. After much speculation about its military capacity, Chinese defence tech has arrived on the global stage. The Pakistan Air Force fielded Chinese J-10C fighter jets and JF-17 planes – jointly developed by China and Pakistan – armed with Chinese PL-15 beyond-visual-range missiles. India used its French fighters and Israeli Harop drones, a line-up many, until now, considered technologically superior. Reports suggest that at least one French-made Rafale was downed by a missile shot from a Chinese-made J-10. The BBC authenticated images of the wreckage. The possibility of a French Rafale being downed by a Chinese J-10 sent shock waves through the Western military hardware industry. Even financial markets responded to the performance of Chinese military weapons as shares of AVIC Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, the state-owned manufacturer of the JF-17 and J-10C, soared by 36 per cent within two days. China reportedly provided Pakistan with significant battlefield advantages through realignment of air defence radar systems and satellite surveillance support which allowed Pakistan to monitor Indian troop movements and aerial deployments with precision. This elevated Pakistan's situational awareness and operational readiness, an advantage India did not seem to enjoy. The extent of coordination between China and Pakistan has set alarm bells ringing for both India and its Western partners, including the US which had earlier provided Pakistan with F-16 fighter jets. Anonymous US officials cited by Reuters claim F-16s were not used in the conflict, despite reports to the contrary. However, what is likely even more unsettling for the US is the implication that the conflict may have served as a proxy testing ground for China's military capabilities, especially in the event of a future confrontation over Taiwan
South China Morning Post
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Chinese state TV tells J-10 origin story as Pakistan proclaims the fighter jet's feats
A documentary depicting how the Chinese air force played catch-up to develop its J-10 fighter jet has aired on state broadcaster CCTV, days after China confirmed its variant J-10C shot down Indian planes in the recent conflict with Pakistan. Advertisement The J-10, a single-engine, multirole combat aircraft, entered service in the Chinese air force in 2003. The J-10C is the most upgraded version of the series, equipped with a better engine and more advanced active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. It can launch PL-15 missiles and is described as a 4.5-generation fighter. The two-part series Legend of the J-10 started showing on Wednesday on National Memory, a daily programme about the history of the Communist Party and China's development to 'guide the general public and young people to love the party and country', according to its official website. 02:29 Chinese nationalism surges across social media as viral video mocks downed Indian jets Chinese nationalism surges across social media as viral video mocks downed Indian jets The show aired at a time when there was a national frenzy around the model following news that Pakistan's air force used the export variant of the J-10C to shoot down India-operated French jets in the conflict near Kashmir on May 7. That day, Pakistan's foreign minister Ishaq Dar told parliament that J-10C jets had shot down Indian warplanes, including three French Rafale fighter jets. While Delhi did not confirm the news, a French official reported losing a Rafale operated by India in the conflict. On Saturday, in a clear reference to the Kashmir conflict, a CCTV military programme said the J-10CE – the export variant of the J-10C – had for the first time marked an achievement 'in a real battle in recent days', and that it had shot down a handful of foreign jets without losing one in conflict. Advertisement It added that the fighter jet had many advantages, including measures to reduce radar cross-section, advanced avionics system and missiles. The aircraft is on display at the ongoing Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition in Malaysia.
South China Morning Post
15-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
4 lessons for China as Pakistan J-10s down Indian Rafale jets
This is another 'DeepSeek moment' for China. By now, the world will have heard of how the Pakistan Air Force used Chinese-made J-10 fighter jets with Chinese-made PL-15 missiles to shoot down India's French-made Rafale fighter jets , its best enlisted combat aircraft. What lessons might Beijing draw? First, this is a milestone for China's defence industry. Until now, China's state-of-the-art weapons have had no real chance of proving their reliability or lethal power. China has not been at war in more than four decades . Development has been the largest dividend of peace and China's long march of self-reliance and innovation is producing results. The 1991 Gulf War was a wake-up call for China to modernise the People's Liberation Army (PLA). The US-led coalition's attack on Iraq showed China what a modern war looked like – and how inadequately prepared the PLA was. Chinese defence, heavily influenced in its early years by Russian systems, has now become a hi-tech modern force developing sophisticated weapons of its own. China reportedly leads in developing and testing a fractional orbital bombardment system that uses a hypersonic glide vehicle on a low-Earth orbit to reach its target. It also reportedly has not one but two sixth-generation stealth fighters , advanced models that two different Chinese companies have come up with. The aerial fight may have been between the armed forces of Pakistan and India, but it was also the first round of a duel between Chinese and Western weapon systems. True, the reported success of the J-10 fighter jet does not necessarily mean it will always prevail over the French Rafale. Both are 4.5-generation aircraft and an aerial fight is also a contest between radar systems and missile guidance. But the J-10 is not even the best aircraft in China's air force – for one, there is also the 5th-generation J-20 , also manufactured by the Chengdu Aircraft Company, which is reportedly pushing them out at a rate of 100 a year.
