- I think the workmanship on the J-10 looks good. Well, good enough. I mean, what's the point of having better workmanship, the point is, your quality of workmanship should meet the required standards and that's all. No point in comparing one to the other.
- Design is important. I think the J-10 has certain advantages over the F-16. It appears to have a better instantaneous turn rate and higher AoA thanks to canards and lower wing loading, It probably is more maneuverable at low speeds, higher altitudes, and at supersonic speeds, while even with the F-16 at medium altitudes and medium speeds. Both can roll very fast, so any difference may not matter so much. F-16 probably has better sustained turn rates, and slightly better visibility.
- I think the avionics is right about the Block 30/40 or pre updated Block 50 level. Updated Block 50/52, 52+ still better.
- F-16 still has superior weapons integration and air to surface capability.
- I think the F-16 has a more enduring airframe (8 to 12,000 flight hours) but J-10 has about 4 to 6000 flight hours. But that is probably PLAAF's own requirement.
- Don't laugh at the IDF. That plane is very maneuverable, and even F-16 will get into serious trouble if you want to play the turn game with it. If J-10 pilot underestimates IDF, the IDF can bite back and hard.
- Big fighters like Su-27 are IMHO, overrated. While aerodynamic design and sheer engine power can afford them with great turn rates, they're not as agile as small light fighters, which excel in that hard to quantify quality called Transient Performance. The key to John Boyd's EM (energy maneuvering) theories is TP. It means that a plane must be very capable of changing its energy and turn state so fast it can produce a flight solution to an opponent regardless what position or energy state the aircraft is. To put it simply, its a quality of being NIMBLE. It is for this reason why Aggressors on F-5s and A-4 Skyhawks are able to tag F-15s and F-14s, and in the PLAAF's case, even J-7s against J-11s. How the J-10 can react against similar light fighters is what I like to see. That's why one cannot underestimate another small fighter, any small fighter.