First clear image of a working J-10C with WS-10 engines/ Source: Chinese social media As with so much in China’s air force, much of the J-10’s history is shrouded in mystery. It is understood that the J-10 fighter originated in the 1980s, the prototype was the J-9, a delta wing fighter that was abandoned in the 1980s. It is also believed that the J-10 enjoyed benefit from Israel’s Lavi fighter program. The J-10 fighter was considered a state secret until January 2007, when the media revealed that it had entered service with the PLAAF. A few months later, in May 2007, the Russian arms agency Rosoboronexport announced a $300 million deal to sell 100 Saturn AL-31 engines to China’s J-10 fleet. Then, at the end of 2008, the J-10A made its public debut at the Airshow China exhibition in Zhuhai. Since that time, the AL-31 has been the key engine for all variants of the J-10, from the original J-10A to the more advanced J-10C. Challenges related to the development of the domestic Shenyang WS-10 Taihang engine forced the J-10 to stick with the Russian engine longer than planned. Finally, in early May, a J-10C in a combat unit equipped with a WS-10 engine was discovered by the public. However, there is no official statement yet. Instead, a clear photo of a flying J-10C with a WS-10 engine appeared on social media. Andreas Rupprecht, author of China’s Modern Fighter, was one of the first observers to comment on this. “This is a real milestone not only for the J-10, but even more so for the WS-10 program as it marks the end of China’s dependence on the Russian AL-31 engine for the AL-31. with all three of the PLAAF’s main fighters, namely the J-10C, J-16 and J-20,” he said. He noted that a decade has passed since the J-10B first flew with the WS-10 and that the engine was tested on the J-10A even earlier. Finally, after years of improvement, it seems the WS-10 is reliable and safe enough to power a single-engine fighter. Mounted inside the J-10, the WS-10 can be identified by several characteristics. One is that the petals of the posterior burner are significantly wider than those of the AL-31. The WS-10 also has a structural ring inside the nozzle that is not present on the AL-31. The J-10A used by the Chinese aerobatic team can be distinguished from later variants by its rectangular intake that is not horizontal to the fuselage. This variant was in production until the end of 2014, when production switched to the J-10B. However, the J-10A has been modernized, including the ability to carry the PL-10 infrared-guided missile. However, to evaluate the success of the WS-10 engine requires one thing: Time. Only through use can we know if they are really good, really replacing the Russian AL-31 engines.

Malaysia is currently considering purchasing a new type of light single-engine fighter jet to modernize its air force, with the top three candidates being the South Korean F / A-50, the JF-17. of Sino-Pakistan and Tejas of India. According to some sources, the country’s armed forces are now leaning in favor of the JF-17, a significantly longer operational aircraft that has been produced in larger numbers and deployed. operated by three countries including Pakistan, Myanmar and Nigeria. The F / A-50 fighter is also considered a prime candidate, but the Tejas fighter is not. Other contenders believed to have been eliminated were the Yak-130 of Russia, the British Hawk and the US-Swedish Gripen. The Yak-130 and Hawk had much more limited combat capabilities and were unable to fly hypersonic, while the Gripen had limited features in use. The JF-17 and Tejas have long been regarded as rival fighter jet programs, both of which have many similarities including being very light in weight, and they are smaller than class fighters. Light standard as F-16 and J-10 in size. Both are designed to favor low operating costs and use derivative engines, the engine developed for the Cold War medium-weight two-engine fighters, but used in one engine configuration. Tejas engine was derived from the American F-18, while the JF-17 used engines from the Soviet MiG-29, a direct competitor of the US F-18 during the Cold War. . Both fighters are designed to serve the primary goal of air combat and are built to operate at low cost with either minimal fuel consumption or maintenance requirements. It can be speculated that the reason why Malaysia prefers Pakistan’s JF-17. This fighter was produced in larger numbers and had less difficulty in development than during the Tejas development. Indian fighters entered service more than 40 years after development began. The JF-17 is also available in many variants including a two-seat attack and training variant like the JF-17B. Sino-Pakistani jets are also more compatible with modern armament to which Malaysia is currently heavily dependent, while the Tejas is a Westernized aircraft. Tejas uses American engines, especially Israel’s avionics systems, which is a big drawback for an Islamic country like Malaysia – which doesn’t like Israelis. Tejas is also significantly more costly to manufacture due to the less efficient production line and the very high cost of the component parts from the US and Israel on which it depends. The latest Tejas variants especially have a superior radar advantage over the JF-17 Block 2. However the upcoming JF-17 Block 3 variant is expected to go into mass production by the end of 2023 and will be available. the performance is far superior. Among the outstanding features of the JF-17 Block 3, the most prominent are the integration of AESA radar, Chinese PL-15 air-to-air missile, improved engines and generation avionics. Thursday. In the end, no matter what type of fighter aircraft is chosen, the new aircraft will be a secondary force, while the elite Malaysian air force still consists of Russian Su-30MKA heavy fighters. In addition, the country is particularly interested in more modern Su-57 next-generation fighters. Photo source: Pinterest. India introduced the Tejas fighter – the best domestic fighter the country has ever built. Source: Nigel Woolley.