It seems to me there is a very nice pilot training pathway from JL-10 to J-10 to J-20. We have seen young, award winning pilots on this thread who have not been flying long at all.
The UAE should be able to very quickly train a large amount of J-10 capable pilots using their dozens of new JL-10’s. They would also be able to train many other nations pilots with all these trainers.
So far, we have UAE with the imminent capacity to train hundreds of J-10 pilots, and Pakistan with the ability to westernize J-10’s with western radars and Link 16 and 17 and we also have China helping Saudi make radars.
This all indicates to me that the J-10 has a very bright future, with countries able to customize it to use and maintain their own preferred radars, communications and missiles. Each J-10 customer can indigenize components over time, producing a wide supply chain of J-10 components.
All of this comes together, of course, when China makes the follow on of the J-10. At some point one of these J-10 clients is going to buy a stealth fighter from China.
Many doubt it will be the J-20, but if countries are brining their own components and China is only supplying the airframe and WS-10 engines it should be fine. The J-20 clients can add their own stealth coatings, which China also exports.
If a client every buys J-20’s I am confident it will be a completely different beast to Chinas J-20’s, and as we heard recently, if a fighter generation could arguably be based on it’s radars and weapons then you can say that Chinas J-20’s will be a “generation” ahead of other countries J-20’s.
The UAE should be able to very quickly train a large amount of J-10 capable pilots using their dozens of new JL-10’s. They would also be able to train many other nations pilots with all these trainers.
So far, we have UAE with the imminent capacity to train hundreds of J-10 pilots, and Pakistan with the ability to westernize J-10’s with western radars and Link 16 and 17 and we also have China helping Saudi make radars.
This all indicates to me that the J-10 has a very bright future, with countries able to customize it to use and maintain their own preferred radars, communications and missiles. Each J-10 customer can indigenize components over time, producing a wide supply chain of J-10 components.
All of this comes together, of course, when China makes the follow on of the J-10. At some point one of these J-10 clients is going to buy a stealth fighter from China.
Many doubt it will be the J-20, but if countries are brining their own components and China is only supplying the airframe and WS-10 engines it should be fine. The J-20 clients can add their own stealth coatings, which China also exports.
If a client every buys J-20’s I am confident it will be a completely different beast to Chinas J-20’s, and as we heard recently, if a fighter generation could arguably be based on it’s radars and weapons then you can say that Chinas J-20’s will be a “generation” ahead of other countries J-20’s.
