You are thinking A2A for exports? That would work, too. I was actually thinking A2G. With this kind of adaptors, J10 would be more capable in A2G missions. Even with two targeting pods, a J10 would still have two more hardpoints for guided bombs and missles.
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- Thread starter Jeff Head
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sorry if I wasn't clear. I think this will be for export as a whole. J-10s should already be able to do A2G missions, since PLAAF loves to showcase it in front of army brass with dumb bombs and rocket launchers. We also know that it has been flown with LGB and targeting pod before. So, it doesn't need something like this launcher to use A2G weapons. In fact, none of the domestic fighters should be using something like this for A2G missions.
This would be for export customers looking to use Chinese A2G weapons on a plug and play basis. I don't think it will be for A2A. You need more complicated integration with FCR to do A2A. pylon would not be able to track aircraft at meaningful range.
IIRC, there have been no photo of any guided ammo on the four ventral hardpoints. We have only seen dumb bombs and targeting pods on these points. Hence the speculation that it is because these hardpoints are difficult to wire up.
I could be wrong but I imagine that, during wars, this kind of adaptors will only need to be wired up once for a J10 to do multiple sorties.
I think PLAAF's doctrine probably does not require J10 to carry more than 4 mid-range AAMs in A2A. For A2G, the requirements might be different. As we are learning from the Ukraine conflict, PLAAF needs to use more guided weapons for A2G. In the Taiwan scenario, if J10 would be able to take more A2G missions, there would be more Flankers, J16 in particular, for A2A or longer range A2G missions. In longer term, J10 could even be turned into dedicated A2G aircrafts.
Now I agree that this adaptor would not be for A2A as it would require integration with the airplane's radar and FC.
I could be wrong but I imagine that, during wars, this kind of adaptors will only need to be wired up once for a J10 to do multiple sorties.
I think PLAAF's doctrine probably does not require J10 to carry more than 4 mid-range AAMs in A2A. For A2G, the requirements might be different. As we are learning from the Ukraine conflict, PLAAF needs to use more guided weapons for A2G. In the Taiwan scenario, if J10 would be able to take more A2G missions, there would be more Flankers, J16 in particular, for A2A or longer range A2G missions. In longer term, J10 could even be turned into dedicated A2G aircrafts.
Now I agree that this adaptor would not be for A2A as it would require integration with the airplane's radar and FC.
Could be linked by Bluetooth or similar to the cockpit and sensor pods? Is that what the hand emblem means?CATIC shows off a "Stand-alone Weapon Fire Control System" at the Saudi Arabia International Defense Show. I'm guessing this is basically a weapon pylon with built-in fire control. No need to extensively re-wire an aircraft to take advantage of new weapons, just pop this on.
by78
General
The hand icon? That's prompting someone to press the touch screen to play the promotional video. The pylon does have an antenna built in, but it's definitely not bluetooth, which doesn't have the bandwidth and robustness for this kind of military application.
In addition to targeting pods, they have also carried self defense jamming pods and datalink pods there.
If your hardpoint is compatible with relatively sophisticated systems such as those, they should definitely be compatible with much less complex PGMs which are fairly limited in terms of required inputs.
So all kinds of pods and dumb bombs. But not guided bombs. Interesting.
No, why is it interesting?
Those pylons are only able to carry 250kg class bombs.
The PLA doesn't have any 250kg class PGMs in service.
So isn't it therefore completely expected that they would not carry any PGMs on those fuselage stations, given they don't have any PGMs of that weight class to begin with?
PLA might seem to us that there isn't any 250kg PGM in services. But Chinese MIC already have those available for export. So, it's not unfathomable that those could be introduced within a year or couple of seasons. So, for sure, they don't have them now. But certainly could have them in the foreseeable future.