Not for PLAAF, but it makes sense for Pakistan.
J-10 Thread IV
- Thread starter Jeff Head
- Start date
Still doesn’t, they’ll be better off with larger platforms like the Y-9 than trying to pack everything a ew platform should have into a single engine jet with nowhere near the internal space, electrical power output, pylons (for large dedicated ew pods) or range to fulfill the role.
Large slow platforms like Y-9 are good for stand-off jamming and SIGINT but not for Escorting fighters.
Internal space and electrical power output are irrelevant because the pods are outside and have turbines for power generation. No doubt J-10 won't be able to carry as many pods as the J-16 or have as much fuel but it's better than nothing. And the spine (if it contains fuel) could be the way to mitigate these disadvantages.
Pods are just pods - antennaes and power.
Major part of EW aircraft is within the platform itself - both E/A-18G and J-15/16D contain key mission electronics inside.
If you want just an escort jamming capability - well, just order one, it doesn't require you to make a full EW platform.
Not necessarily. Pakistani Air Force is probably not in a position to spend money on dedicated specialized platforms - i.e. it just isn't so large when spending money on such assets outweighs spending on general capability.
Furthermore, J-10(or F-16 for the matter) isn't exactly known as a prolific payloads carrier.
It can take off with them, sure, but that isn't exactly enough.
It could be a SEAD variant for export.
I think even normal J-10C should be able to do the job.
We aren't in 1980s anymore, modern multirole fighters can target emission sources for quite a while already.
Sure, some specialized airframes do it much more accurately - but for a lot of money and volume.
I struggle to imagine too many export customers which will go for it. Even EA-18G, for all its obvious advantages, is not an export success.
Of course you can do it 50/50 - the way eurocanards do it with their fancy EW suites. Probably it's the right way for J-10 tbh, as it basically belongs to the same subgeneration of aircraft. Probably it's actually exactly that we're going to see there.
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It should make sense for the PLAAF too. It's just modular (optional) mission-specific capability in case you need it. Specialist aircraft are always a luxury, even for big air arms. They can't be everywhere all the time. So integrated specialized capability in multi-role squadrons comes in handy. In any case, we'll find out if the PLAAF is taking delivery of this D-variant or whether they are only thinking about exporting it.
Well certainly internal space and electrical power output are not irrelevant if you look at the design of Chinese jamming pods, none of which actually have turbines in the way that AN/ALQ-99 or the NGJ utilizes them. Also there’s more to a proper ew platform than simply hanging pods on the wings. You need a lot of dedicated avionics and sensors, which is why the US and now China have not made ew jets by simply hanging a few pods on existing fighters. If they make a supposed J-10 ew version in this manner, AKA putting extra fuel in the spine and hang a few pods on hard points that’ll be a sorry excuse for a dedicated ew platform. At that point just give ECM pods to every jet on the mission, probably won’t be worse off.
Yes, it’s better than nothing. No, it’s not better to the degree that it makes sense to make a separate model.
plus if it’s a dedicated ew platform it in all likelihood will need more than one crew, so using a J-10B/C prototype test doesn’t really make a lot of sense, they have J-10S on hand why not use that?
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Hi so basically if we stick to the theory of extra fuel in spine how much that could be and how many hard points will be free with these in spine fuel carrying capability coz in that way PAF can able to put some pods for EW role as india & PakistanI border as not that long if any of these want to cross over
if possible to answer
thank you
imo the spine will at most be capable of holding several hundred kg worth of fuel, AKA less than one of the J-10's fuel tanks. So using that to hold fuel (as opposed to avionics) is not really a smart move if you ask me.