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J-10 Thread IV
- Thread starter Jeff Head
- Start date
It's nuts how much the public perception of this plane has changed! Way back in the day, most people (myself included) saw the initial release of the J-10 as an inferior F-16. I think that this original perception was pretty justified. Both planes looked pretty similar, and the J-10 was the first properly modern fighter jet whereas the F-16 had already been in production for decades and we all knew that the Americans built the best fighter planes.
But now, with all of its updates, the J-10C is still very much a modern fighter jet but the F-16 feels old. In fact, I think that the only non-Chinese 4.5 gen fighter that is significantly better than the J-10 is the F-15EX. Even without weighing the May 7 battle too heavily, the Rafale and J-10 are roughly equivalent and ranking them depends on what factors the ranker favors.
But now, with all of its updates, the J-10C is still very much a modern fighter jet but the F-16 feels old. In fact, I think that the only non-Chinese 4.5 gen fighter that is significantly better than the J-10 is the F-15EX. Even without weighing the May 7 battle too heavily, the Rafale and J-10 are roughly equivalent and ranking them depends on what factors the ranker favors.
I think a lot of this is just how the timing worked out. The first few J-10, the J-10A, they were indeed still behind the then latest F-16 being used by USAF so that original perception was reasonable as you say. It was more a big deal because of how much better the J-10A was compared to the previous stuff the PLAAF was making.
However China continued to develop and update J-10 to J-10C and it is definitely a capable 4.5 gen plane now. The USAF took a different approach and focused basically everything on the F-35. The last F-16 delivered to USAF was in 2005. So the F-16 feels old today because well it is old and compared to J-10C it hasn't had nearly as much continued development.
The concerning Indonesia's potential acquisition of the J-10 citing Indonesian Air Force CoS Mohamad Tony Harjono.
The article was published by Antara, an Indonesian state owned news agency, so should be a reasonable conveyor of official information.
From the sound of it, the Indonesians are looking at the J-10, but haven't necessarily made a decision one way or the other, yet.
The language employed by both the CoS and the Deputy Defence Minister quoted by @siegecrossbow sought to remind the audience that their acquisition process is a formal, if not complex affair factoring in a multitude of parameters.
These guys might just be trying to add legitimacy to whatever announcement is to be made down the road, or hinting to one prospective bidder or maybe all of them that there are tons of Indonesian officials reviewing fighter bids at multiple departments and agencies, and many will need to be "rewarded" for a sale to be consummated or even inked, so the bucket of kickbacks better be big enough for everyone to get a taste.
Not to be cynical, but the Indonesian military is known for their "entrepreneurial spirit," so this entire episode could just be some senior officials shaking down Dassault for bribes, lest they want Indonesia to setoff a domino of Rafale cancellations.
Li Qiang called the shots directly?
