China’s J-10C Fighter: Separating Myth From Reality- TWZ
As the dust settles, at least for now, on the latest clashes between India and Pakistan, it’s clear that the nations’ respective air forces played a very active role in the fighting. Many observers are already pointing to the potentially significant impact made by the Pakistan Air Force’s Chinese-made Chengdu J-10C multirole fighters, as well as their much-vaunted PL-15 air-to-air missiles — the latter of which you can read about in depth here.
Before looking in more detail at the J-10C, it remains the case that claims from both Indian and Pakistani sources are conflicting, and hard evidence of how these fighters were used and how they performed overall remains elusive. It’s also worth noting that the imagery related to the air war that has been posted to social media, together with claims about possible shootdowns, should be taken as unverified. Large-scale propaganda and information operations, as well as an avalanche of social media exchanges based on vitriol, are still ongoing, and this will likely remain the case for some time to come.In terms of the recent clashes, it is clear that the J-10C, in particular, has been heralded as a standout performer, which has implications not only in the standoff between India and Pakistan, but also in the context of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which is the type’s most prolific operator.
Provided the successes claimed for the J-10C are accurate, this is still a small sample of combat efficacy in a very unique set of circumstances. Overall, there are limits to the kinds of conclusions that can be drawn from it. Upgrades in terms of new missile, sensor, and networking technologies on fighter platforms happen regularly and could tip the balance in any direction. At the same time, modern aerial combat is less about fighter-versus-fighter than it is about a cocktail of networking, training, weapons employment, electronic warfare, tactics, and combined arms.
With all this in mind, to get a better understanding of the J-10C, its advantages, and its limitations, TWZ spoke to our friend Justin Bronk, Senior Research Fellow for Airpower and Technology at the U.K.-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank.
Combat claims
Pakistan claims to have shot down five Indian Air Force fighters, including no fewer than three Rafale multirole jets. There are reports that a high-ranking French intelligence official, speaking to CNN, confirmed one Rafale shootdown, and imagery published on social media appears to show the wreckage of one of the French-made jets. Sources official and unofficial have attributed at least some of the claimed kills to the J-10C and PL-15 combination.Pakistan claims to have shot down five Indian Air Force fighters, including no fewer than three Rafale multirole jets. There are reports that a high-ranking French intelligence official, speaking to CNN, confirmed one Rafale shootdown, and imagery published on social media appears to show the wreckage of one of the French-made jets. Sources official and unofficial have attributed at least some of the claimed kills to the J-10C and PL-15 combination.Regarding the possible Rafale loss that appears to be supported by imagery, Bronk warns about jumping to any particular conclusions, just as we have done in our previous reporting.
“The fact that a couple of U.S. officials have come out and said it appears to have been a J-10 that was involved in the shootdown of the Rafale is interesting,” Bronk says. “That makes it fairly likely that we’re looking at a shootdown, but it is worth emphasizing that at least two PL-15s found in bits of India, where we know they were firing, doesn’t actually mean the Rafale was shot down for sure. The fact that the engine and the tail seem to be a little distance apart does support the idea that it didn’t just pancake, but it is possible, for example, that they ran out of fuel having spent too much time in afterburner and at low level trying to evade shots and had to eject due to fuel starvation on the way back to base. Or friendly fire, or a long-range HQ-9 shot — although that’s a bit less likely, I suspect.”Other imagery may well point to the loss of an Indian Air Force MiG-29 Fulcrum and possibly also a Su-30MKI Flanker. For now, we also don’t know for sure that there is anything to tie these potential aerial kills to the J-10C specifically. On the other hand, the wreckage of several PL-15s recovered on Indian territory points to engagements of some kind involving the J-10.
