Perhaps some confusion with upgraded J11BG? Upgrading the current J11B fleet makes sense, producing yet another variant much less so.
Future PLA combat aircraft composition
- Thread starter Totoro
- Start date
??? Sino-Flankers are the backbone of PLAAF.
Flankers are easily the best missile truck available in the PLAAF and it's also multirole. J-10 maybe a better BVR fighter (for smaller scale engagements where Flanker in numbers cannot exploit superior payload and range) and at least an equal dogfighter, J-10 and stealth fighters simply do not carry anywhere near as much fuel and payload as a Flanker.
Until drones are produced and operating in numbers that offer alternatives or replacement for superior range and payload, Flankers play quite an important role. Especially in this age of deeper networking between platforms.
Until drones are produced and operating in numbers that offer alternatives or replacement for superior range and payload, Flankers play quite an important role. Especially in this age of deeper networking between platforms.
Ahh yes a geographically large country wanting to get rid of around 90% of its heavy fighter jets and relying on a single-engine fighter with somewhat limited range and payload. Very logical
A geographically large country wants its fighters not just to be able to fly further, but also to have them in as many places as possible.
Geographically large theaters not only concern reach, but also the ability to operate from remote/forward airfields.
Finally - on average, absolute majority of missions(even in high tech, high intensity conflicts) aren't about 100% capability - neither in stealth, nor in reach or payload. This leads us to 80/20 rule:
it's more efficient to perform 80% of missions with smaller aircraft (which can perform them no worse), allowing larger, more maintenance-hungry and longer-ranged aircraft to be concentrated where it matters on what matters.
Flanker cannot be exported because the body was designed by Russia, not by China. J-10 can be exported.
True words, but at the same time China does need jets that can fly long range (either striking targets deep within an adversary's borders from a relatively safe airfield not positioned on the frontline, or just reaching places like japan and performing missions like patroling the South Sea and around Taiwan, etc) as well as carrying a deacent payload while doing so.
As you pointed out, heavier fighter jets should be concentrated where it matters on what it matters, which I think is more or less what we see now with PLAAF's positioning of its flankers (especially the more advanced variants). I wasn't saying that PLAAF has no need of J-10, on the countarary I think J-10 is very much an important aircraft that is much needed by the PLAAF that has no immediate candidates that can replace it. What I posted earlier was trying to say that flankers are also needed by the PLAAF as a counterpoint (more of a jest, actually) offor someone else's post. If I accidently caused any misunderstanding I apologize. Cheers!
J-15 and J-16 can certainly be exported, if China really wants to. But I doubt China wants to do that.
I think China and Russian had a deal for Russian stay silence on any Chinese flankers (any variants, no production limitation) as long as China don’t export any of those
Only if China has bad relation with Russia. Can't see that happening anytime soon.