The Chengdu J-10, which first flew in 1998, is a single-engine multi-role fighter with canards and a delta wing design. The Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group manufactures the jet in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. It entered service in 2005 with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force fielding 246 airframes, and their Naval counterparts having 25. The Pakistani Air Force also boasts 18 units of the J-10C variant, with seven more on order.
This jet can fly at up to Mach 1.85 and has a combat range of almost 300 nautical miles, making it ideal for defensive operations. You can also equip it for an extended range with two 212-gallon underwing drop tanks and a 450-gallon fuselage drop tank. Furthermore, the J-10 is also capable of in-flight refueling, thus extending its range indefinitely as long as there is an available tanker in its vicinity.
The J-10’s armament includes an internal 23mm twin-barreled cannon, and up to 9,900 pounds of external ordinance mounted across 11 hardpoints. The plane accepts air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, laser-guided bombs, glide bombs, conventional bombs, and rocket pods, allowing it to conduct many different missions and making it a genuinely multi-role fighter.
