By Carlo Kopp
In 1992, China ordered its first batch of Russian built Sukhoi/KnAAPO Su-27SK Flanker B fighters, an export variant of the first mass-produced Soviet Flanker model. Further batches were purchased, including the dual seat Su-27UBK combat trainer and by the late 1990s, China had negotiated a deal to partly manufacture and assemble 200 examples of the Shenyang J-11A. Concurrently, multiple regiments of the dual seat Su-30MKK were procured, an aircraft best compared with early blocks of the US F-15E Strike Eagle, providing a robust all-weather strike capability with a wide range of guided weapons, including anti-radiation missiles to defeat opposing air defence radars, and a range of standoff missiles and smart bombs with TV command link, imaging optical and laser guidance.
PLANAF units have also received variants of the Su-30MK, specifically the Su-30MK2, which is equipped with the additional capability to carry Russian anti-ship cruise missiles. PLAN Flankers supplement a growing force of domestically built Xian JH-7 Flying Leopard/Flounder maritime strike fighters, now also being deployed with PLAAF units.
By the middle of the last decade, cracks had begun to appear in the relationship between Shenyang and KnAAPO. China wanted the second half of the domestic J-11A build to be produced in a more advanced configuration, something which the Russians refused to do. Shenyang had by then completed the reverse engineering of the Su-27SK airframe, and disclosed that prototypes of the fully Chinese built J-11B existed. While the Russians have alleged that the Chinese built J-11B is an unauthorised ‘clone’ of the Su-27SK, it’s actually quite different in key systems and avionics.
The PLAN also negotiated with KnAAPO for the supply of up to 50 navalised folding wing Su-27K/Su-33 Flanker D shipboard fighters, intended for operation off the Varyag. This order, which would have brought Chinese Flanker numbers planned and budgeted for well beyond the 500 aircraft mark, stalled due to Russian concerns over reverse engineering (a recent report by Kanwa claims that the PLAN procured a prototype Su-27K previously abandoned at a Ukrainian airfield, and used it to reverse engineer the J-15 Flying Shark shipboard fighter).
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ari
Reading al those American cowboys’ comments reminds me of fascist Nazis boasting about choking off Britain and Russia sea supply routes. These warlike Americans seeking and hoping for a confrontation at China’s doors brings to question the mentality and intentions of Washington. Mother Teresa these Washingtonites aren’t.
mohammad amjad
China has made great progress in the field of aviation,and in the construction of new airports.wishing good luck and lot of earning to workers in aviation industries.
James
China will not respond to a USA engineered false flag incident militarily, as she knows, the USA has all the advantaged.
If the irritant becomes unbearable, there are other preferable options.
China can wreak the USA economically by dumping a 100 billions US dollar denominated bonds in one hit! This is the equivalent of administering an electro magnetic pulse on the US Dollar.
Wall Streets will tanked overnight. The US treasuries bond market will suffered and buyers will rush for the exit doors. In essence, if the USA cannot sell its bonds or IOU, it will not have the means to pay for its oils, its imports, its infrastructures maintenance, its salaries, its pensions, its medicare….
Sure, China will suffer too, but as they say, some suffering is better when your adversary suffered more then you.The USA economy will be in a complete shambles.
So, China needs not pick a fight with the USA militarily. She has all the aces.
jun soyar
i disagree with you brother. You better come up with something believable.
Typhoon
@James,
I totally agree with you. China has the Ace on hand.
I have already dump all my US dollars fixed deposit and put my savings in Yuan.
@Jun Soyar,
Too bad. You refused to believe this will happen when China and US relation get worst.
Jonathan
Christian is so perceptive. What I would like to point out is that no one has mentioned that China does not have the capability to built her own jet engines. The engines for all those fighters are imported from Russia!
michael
the chinese successfully produced the INDIGENOUS WS-10 and WS-10A turbofan engines and implemented them on the j-11B fighters. they are also in the late stages of developing the WS-15, an engine with planned maximum thrust of 180kn, more than the AL-31Fs that currently equip su-27s by 50kns. please do some research before you publish your jingoist comments online.
durandal
guys..
when it comes to china weakness, think of only two words….”chocked points”.that`s right boys control of the sea lanes…, submarines, carriers battle groups, deep strikes by our stealth fighters and cruise missile assets . and a few allies , that`s all we need… their supply seawagons comes to a screeching halt and their economy will go in to a tailspin.that will force them to come out in to the open sea for a fight.lets see how their fancy fleet of 900 miles range fighters and their amateur, barely blue water navy will fare up agains`t the us navy 100 plus years of espirience at sea warfare,,what?? did say their ballistic missile threats!!!..hum?? that.. depends on a lot of very acurate and sophisticate space base asset for very presice targetting and we are lights years away in space compare to china.sorry boys but china has too much invested in u.s economy(treasury bill/us consumer market) to be looking for a dumb fight it cannot win.
Herb O’Fallon
The Chinese can survive their economy going into a tailspin better than we can. They’ve had hard times before. China has been around a long time for a reason. They’ve made more progress economically, militarily, etc. in the past 30 years than any other country. Their people are together. American arrogance can only last so long. Because of Washington’s stupidity in how it spends the taxpayers’ money, the U.S. can’t afford to do as much as it used to. It might be well for the U.S. to sit on the bench for a while. Think about things.