Chengdu J-10A
China's first home-grown canard-delta multirole fighter, built around a Russian AL-31FN engine · First flight 1998 · In service 2004
The J-10 is a medium-weight, single-engine multirole fighter with a delta wing and close-coupled canards, designed by the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation for the PLA Air Force. The first aircraft was assembled in June 1997 and flew on 23 March 1998 with Lei Qiang at the controls. Training units began receiving the type in 2003, ahead of schedule, and the design was finalised in 2004.
The engine chosen back in 1983 was the indigenous Shenyang WS-10, but its development difficulties meant that the J-10A went into production with the Russian Salyut AL-31FN, its gearbox and accessories moved to the underside to fit the airframe. The fire-control radar is the Type 1473 pulse-Doppler set from the CETC 14th Institute, often described as China's first practical pulse-Doppler radar. More than 220 single-seaters were built between 2002 and 2014, and a land-based naval version, the J-10AH, serves with PLA Naval Aviation.
From the end of 2009 the PLAAF's August 1st aerobatic team converted to the J-10, flying the J-10AY display version in a red, white and blue scheme. The team brought its J-10s to Russia for the MAKS air show in 2013 and later displayed at Singapore and in Thailand.
