China’s 4.5-generation fighter the J-10C appeared at the Singapore Airshow this week amid a drive by Beijing to boost arms sales to Southeast Asia.
The model has gained increasing global prominence following reports last May that it had been used by the Pakistan Air Force to shoot down at least one French-made Rafale fighter operated by India during a brief border conflict.
The seven J-10C jets taking part in the Singapore Airshow arrived last Wednesday, accompanied by a Y-20A refuelling tanker.
Six of the jets later took part in an aerobatic display outside the Changi Exhibition Hall, where the air show is taking place, and two of them also performed solo aerobatic manoeuvres.
The J-10C is a single-engine, multi-role combat aircraft developed by China’s Chengdu Aircraft Corporation. Earlier models, such as the J-10A, featured at the 2020 Singapore Airshow.
The J-10C is equipped with an advanced engine and active electronically scanned array radar (AESA), and is armed with weapons such as PL-10 and PL-15 air-to-air missiles.
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