1 March 2023 (Updated 2 March 2023)
China's J-10s Bunch Up
Taiwan's Southwestern ADIZ Penetrated, Again…and Again…
By Wendell Minnick (Whiskey Mike) 顏文德
TAIPEI - Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced on 1 March that China had sent 19 J-10s fighter aircraft into Taiwan’s southwestern Air Defense Identification Zone (AIDZ) in an odd projection of force for an underpowered fighter.
UPDATE: China added four (4) J-16s on a second incursion on 2 March that included another seventeen (17) J-10s. See press release for both incursions below!
The J-16s are of note, as they can carry a variety of weapons, but have also been seen equipped with the KG700 Electronic Counter-Measures pod.
A new variant, possibly the four (4) in the below press release, the JD-16 (D for “dian” or electronic) was reported operational by Chinese state-run CCTV in November 2021.
There have been some photographs on the Internet suggesting that the JD-16 (sometimes referred to as J-16D) was carrying electronic support measures (ESM) and/or Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) pods on the wingtips, possibly used as tactical jammer receivers.
Penetration of this particular area is almost a daily exercise, but the number of J-10s is unusual. Though J-10s are a normal part of a collection of fighters entering the ADIZ, they typically number no more than two (2).
The J-10s are one of the least impressive fighter aircraft in China’s fighter fleet. They are a medium weight single-engine fighter loosely based on Israel’s Lavi fighter program.
Even compared to Taiwan’s disappointing twin-engine Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF), the J-10s barely eclipse them.
Performance comparisons speak for themselves:
J-10 max speed of Mach 2 vs. IDF max speed of Mach 1.8; J-10 Range 1,850 km vs. IDF at 1,000km; and J-10s thrust/weight ratio of 1.04 vs. IDFs 0.946.
All of Taiwan’s IDF aircraft are outfitted with indigenous weapons untested in combat. Without actual combat statistics this makes survival questionable. Consult the new book by Choo and Ho: Modern Taiwanese Air Power (2021).
This is, of course, true with China’s weapons, but the plethora of the types of weapons the J-10 can carry are impressive.
Those interested in China’s fighter weapons, consult Chinese Air-Launched Weapons and Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Targeting Pods where the J-10 is listed as a potential candidate for the NAV-SDB Small Diameter Bomb (+35 kg warhead) and the NAV-REK Extended Range Guided Bomb (max. 280 kg warhead).
This would make the Pratas, occupied by elements of Taiwan’s 99th Marine Corps, an interesting test bed (see Post).
The J-10s have aerial refueling capabilities, something that no Taiwan fighter aircraft possesses. Though Taiwan has no aerial refuelers, during a war it could refuel via U.S. refuelers based in Japan. The decision by the U.S. not to give Taiwan aerial refueling capabilities was a mistake, but also a tendency in the past for the U.S. to dumb down the capabilities of weapon systems it has sold to Taiwan to placate China.
Even now that the IDF has been upgraded to the C/D variant with a heavier weapons load and conformal fuel tanks, this will not improve the engine’s performance under combat conditions.
It is curious to see such a large number of J-10s in operation without fighter support from China’s Sukhoi variants. Past J-10 incursions into Taiwan’s ADIZ normally include bigger/better Chinese fighter aircraft (see Post). It is possible that the below map and press briefing neglected to identify the other six (6) aircraft as fighters, but based on past incursions they most likely were Y-8 electronic surveillance aircraft measuring Taiwan’s response.
2 March 2023 - Ministry of National Defense (MND) Press Release with Map:
1 March 2023 - Ministry of National Defense (MND) Press Release with Map:
Below are J-10 photographs taken at the 2016 Airshow China (Zhuhai Airshow).
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