China Flanker Thread II

[Cloud_Nine_]

J-16s with stripes from 7th brigade! This is the first J-16 brigade with stripes as far as I have seen!

Also... what really is the deal with PLAAF and PLANAF's stripes? Is it that only aircraft that have flown on parades can wear them or sth else? It seems that all J-15s have them...

 

[caohailiang]

In fact this an almost forgotten but incredible important image since it shows - at least by my understanding a standard operational J-11B assigned to a regular unit (here from the 89th Air Brigade) already several years ago carrying a PL-15.

in which case i understand why J11bg upgrade seems not be in such a fast pace - why bother if PL15 is already available to plain b

 

[siegecrossbow]

in which case i understand why J11bg upgrade seems not be in such a fast pace - why bother if PL15 is already available to plain b

Plain J-11B can’t utilize the missile to its fullest extent.

 

[caohailiang]

Plain J-11B can’t utilize the missile to its fullest extent.

no of course, but still way better than pl12, so the motivation is diminished

 

[AndrewS]

in which case i understand why J11bg upgrade seems not be in such a fast pace - why bother if PL15 is already available to plain b

It looks like 40 J-11B were produced each year in the 2008-2014 timeframe.

So we could expect this to be the rate that they receive a mid-life update, as they are almost at the 15 year mark.

Presumably this would include an AESA radar, datalinks and also the replacement of any AL-31 engines which have reached their 3000h operating lives.

I'm of the opinion that there will be more than enough 4.5gen non-stealthy air superiority fighters in the Chinese inventory (250-300 J-11BG, 200+ J-16, 170+ J-10C) so more J-20 aircraft would be preferable to new J-11D or J-16 for air superiority tasks.

Plus there is the J-10A, J-10B, J-11A and Su-30.
There are over 550 of them and they are all non-stealthy 4gen airframes aimed at air superiority.
Plus they are all less than 20 years old, so still have another 10+ years of service life.

 

[Deino]

It looks like 40 J-11B were produced each year in the 2008-2014 timeframe.
…

Care to explain how you come to the conclusion of an annual production rate of 40 J-11s per year for a period of 7 years - so altogether 280 have been built? Even more since production of Batch 07 was only finalised in 2018?

 

[yungho]

Depends on whether J-11D lives or dies.

What's the point of iterating on the J-11 when the J-16 exists?

 

[AndrewS]

Care to explain how you come to the conclusion of an annual production rate of 40 J-11s per year for a period of 7 years - so altogether 280 have been built? Even more since production of Batch 07 was only finalised in 2018?

Whoops. I thought the J-11Bs finished earlier.

 

[Deino]

Whoops. I thought the J-11Bs finished earlier.

Ich got a break after Batch 06 and resumed with 07 later but from what did you have a rate of 40 per year?

 

[Atomicfrog]

What's the point of iterating on the J-11 when the J-16 exists?

J-16 need two crew, practically faster to build more aircrafts than training more pilots. So single seat fighter are good to keep in store.