You asked why China didn’t buy Suhkois before Su-27/Su-30. That’s because for the longest time PLAAF was a fighter/interceptor force that focused on point aerial defense. Sukhoi didnt really make maneuvering fighters until the flanker series. I guess China might’ve been interested in Su-15 but those weren’t for sale.
Why not post-1980s when relations cooled down, in addition to JH-7A?
Their first post-war mass production jet was SU-7 fighter-bomber, but when it entered service, it was early 1960s and Sino-Soviet relation was already too bad............
Better to go for a multirole platform with air dominance slant than specialized aircraft since PLAAF was so behind. And there is already a domestic aircraft in the form of JH-7. It did take a while before PLAAF warmed up to the flying leopard though.
...? They are all J-16s with the exception of a single J-8
Which image has a J-35? I only see flankers and J-8.
J-35 doesn't have a tail boom that is easily visible on these. These look like J-16, flanker without canard.
Thanks, the GE image of 14 April 2025 indicates J-16 configured for signature reduction or testing
That's a J-8