Richard D Fisher Jr - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly

16 August 2017

 

 

China has used the recent ‘Aviadarts’ international aerial competition to reveal for the first time that its Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) J-10B can be equipped to perform suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD) missions, adding to the number of People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) combat aircraft able to perform this mission.

 

Images of the SEAD-equipped J-10B first appeared on Chinese web pages on 10 August as part of a ground display at Changchun Airbase in Jilin Province, occurring at the end of the Aviadarts competition, part of the larger 2017 International Army Games held from 29 July to 12 August.

 

For the SEAD mission the J-10B was revealed to carry two Hongdu Aviation Industries YJ-91 anti-radiation missiles (ARMs). The YJ-91 was developed from the Russian Tactical Missile CorporationKh-31 family of ramjet-powered ARM and anti-ship missiles that were first seen in China in the early 2000s. The YJ-91 reportedly requires a separate guidance system pod, which was seen mounted on a fuselage pylon of the J-10B.

 

As early as 2009 indications emerged that the YJ-91 also could equip the earlier J-10A. However, this version has not been seen with the Southwest Institute of Electronics Equipment (SWIEE) K/RKL007A electronic support measures/electronic countermeasures (ESM/ECM) pod seen under the J-10B. This pod possibly enables or enhances the J-10B’s ability to autonomously attack electronic targets.

早在2009年的迹象表明，YJ-91也可以装备早期的J-10A。然而，这个版本的J-10B还没有看到中国西南电子设备研究所（SWIEE，中国电子科技集团公司第二十九研究所）K/RKL007A电子支援措施/电子对抗（ESM / ECM）吊舱。该吊舱可能使J-10B能够自主地攻击电子目标。