The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) in China has unveiled its first indigenous, fourth-generation J-10 fighter aircraft to a select group of international military attaches for the first time.
The PLAAF 24th Fighter Division displayed four J-10 fighters in a 15-minute fly-by in diamond formation with the wingtips of each aircraft 5m apart from others and performed a series of multiple rolls and spins.
The J-10, built by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (CAC), is a multirole combat aircraft capable of all-weather day and night operation, according to Times Online.
Powered by the AL-31 turbojet engine, the J-10s feature manoeuvrability, stability and an integrated avionics system and estimated to cost about 190m yuan ($27.84m) each.
The aircraft has 11 external hardpoints including five hardpoints on the fuselage, one on the centreline, a pair on each side of the fuselage and three on each wing.
