After hailing the performance of J-10C against Rafale, and positioning the J-20 Mighty Dragon as the best fifth-generation fighter, Chinese military bloggers are now highlighting the ‘much-ignored’ J-16 aircraft.

Together, the fifth-generation J-20 Mighty Dragon, the 4+ generation J-10C Vigorous Dragon, and the fourth-generation J-16 form the backbone of China’s expansive combat jet fleet.

These cutting-edge aircraft were referred to as the Three Musketeers and the Three Swords of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).

Chinese military experts, bloggers, and citizens have been riding high after Pakistan claimed that its J-10CE fighters equipped with PL-15E long-range missiles downed three IAF Rafale fighters, despite the Dassault CEO calling it incorrect news.

Chinese bloggers argue that, despite being the least capable aircraft among the three, the J-10C’s performance during the India-Pakistan clash in May proved to be a nightmare for the Indian Air Force.

Pakistan’s unsubstantiated and unproven claims have been amplified by the Chinese mouthpieces and state media as propaganda aimed at boosting the sale of the aircraft.

The J-10C has been projected as superior and more advanced than the French Rafale (which is of the same 4.5th generation). It has been offered to multiple customers following the Indo-Pakistan clash. However, Beijing has so far been unable to attract buyers, except from Pakistan.

The J-20 is a deeply revered aircraft in China, with Chinese military experts often pitting the aircraft against the US F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II stealth jets, as noted by the EurAsian Times in multiple reports over the past few years.

Chinese analysts have long projected the J-20 as an answer to the US F-22 and have been investing in enhancing the Mighty Dragon’s capabilities, such as super cruise, to one-up the Raptor.

China is also only the third country, besides the United States and Russia, to indigenously produce a fifth-generation stealth aircraft, and only the second to have produced two.

In fact, it has already started development work on a sixth-generation fighter jet, and has been test-flying two different prototypes, colloquially known as the J-36 and the J-50.

China’s J-16 Trumps Russian Jets?

The Chinese article drew parallels between the J-16 and the Su-30MKI, a Russian-origin aircraft tailored to the IAF’s requirements.

It stated emphatically that the J-16 outperforms the Su-30MKI in both numbers and performance.

“In terms of quantity, the number of J-16s has exceeded 300, close to 400, while India’s Su-30MKI has more than 270,” reads an excerpt from the machine-translated article.

Speaking of the performance of the two fighters, it asserted: “In terms of stand-alone performance, the J-16 also has obvious advantages. First of all, the avionics of the J-16 are very powerful. The Su-30MKI is equipped with a passive phased array radar, while the J-16 is equipped with a more advanced active phased array radar. The latter is technologically advanced and has superior radar performance. In addition to radar, the J-16’s onboard computer, photoelectric detection system, data chain, and other avionics equipment are also more advanced than India’s Su-30MKI.”

Ironically, the J-16 has been derived from the Russian Sukhoi Su-27 through the licensed J-11 series, representing a significant advancement in Chinese military aviation, which blends indigenous technology with a proven airframe.

The J-16 is a multirole fighter capable of air-to-air combat, precision strikes, electronic warfare (EW), and suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD). It is powered by two Chinese-made WS-10B turbofan engines and features an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, providing superior detection and tracking capabilities.

The EurAsian Times understands that the Su-30MKI has an edge in maneuverability due to thrust vectoring, which the Chinese article conveniently omits, but the J-16’s engines are sufficient for its multirole mission.

The Chinese J-16 also features a modernized cockpit with a helmet-mounted display (HMD) for improved pilot situational awareness and a glass cockpit design inspired by the J-20 stealth fighter. Interestingly, the aircraft also utilizes radar-absorbent materials (RAM) and a dark gray stealth coating to reduce its radar cross-section, thereby enhancing its survivability.

Additionally, the J-16 features electronic countermeasures (ECM), missile approach warning systems (MAWS), and chaff/flare dispensers for enhanced defense capabilities. There have been instances when the aircraft has been deployed to intercept Western reconnaissance aircraft flying over the South China Sea, in a series of dangerous encounters.

In May 2022, a J-16 intercepted an Australian RAAF P-8 Poseidon over the South China Sea, releasing chaff that was ingested into the P-8’s engine, prompting international criticism.

Separately, in May 2023, the J-16 fighter performed a dangerous maneuver by abruptly crossing the path of the US RC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft.

The introduction of new datalinks, improved EW systems, and the increased use of carbon composites by the Chinese on this aircraft give it a superior combat capability compared to even the latest Russian Flanker, the Su-35S.

The J-16 incorporates improved technologies compared to the Su-30MKI, featuring composite airframes, a Missile Warning System (MAWS), and a Radar Warning Receiver (RWR).

The article quoted a paragraph from an unknown source: “The best Eagle fighters are in the United States, but the best flanker fighters are not in Russia, but in China.” 

This aligns with previous statements by Chinese military experts that the J-16 surpasses the Russian Su-30 and Su-35 in avionics, radar, and missile technology, indicating China’s shift from reverse-engineering to innovation.

Additionally, they position the J-16 as a peer to the French Rafale and the US F-15EX.

“In terms of performance, the J-16 is superior to all types of aircraft I have flown. Speaking of the control capacity of the aircraft, the J-16 is a 3.5 generation plane with huge breakthroughs in radar and fire control systems in comparison with previous aircraft, Wang Songxi, a flying instructor at the People’s Liberation Army Northern Theater Command Air Force, was quoted by Global Times in 2021.

Wang said that during a training dogfight with China’s other jet, the J-10C, in 2020, “the J-16 and the J-10C had to call it a draw,” but he claimed the J-16 had the upper hand “because it has two engines and two pilots, while the J-10C only has one engine and one pilot.”

Additionally, the UK think tank Royal United Services Institute even called the J-16s “China’s most capable multirole and strike aircraft.”

It is safe to say that the J-16 is praised by the Chinese as the “most advanced Flanker variant,” boasting superior avionics, AESA radar, and missile capabilities, which positions it as a formidable platform.