The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) is the largest air force in Asia. It was formed on 11th November 1949 and boasts 4,00,000 personnel and a fleet of over 3500 aircrafts which includes over 200 fighter jets, attack aircraft and strategic bombers. Given the balance of power in the region and the recognition of tangible military threats to India especially since the 2020 Galwan clashes, it becomes pertinent for us to be cognizant of the assets which have/can threaten the Indian sovereignty by violation of our airspace or a full-blown military attack. So, here’s a list of top 10 fighter aircraft available at PLAAF disposal:
1. Xi’an JH-7 Xi’an JH-7 is a fourth-generation two-seater, twin engine fighter bomber which was introduced into service by PLAAF in 1992. The jet is manufactured by Xi’an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC). The length is 22.32m, wingspan is 12.8m and the height is 6.22m. The maximum speed is Mach 1.52 or 1,808 kmph. The combat range (without refueling) is 900km. It is powered by dual Xian WS-9 Qinling turbofan (Rolls Royce Spey) with 54.29 kN thrust provided by each engine. It boasts firepower such as PL-5, PL-8 and PL-9 air-to-air missiles as well as C-705 and C-704 air-to-surface missiles. It employs JL-10A made-in-China airborne radar with a maximum detection range of 104 km. It currently has 165 J-7s in operation.
2. Chengdu J-7 Chengdu J-7 is a third-generation fighter which is a license-built version of Soviet-era MiG-21. It is a single seater jet with a length of 14.884m, wingspan of 8.32m and a height of 4.11m. The maximum speed is Mach 2 or 2200 kmph and a combat range of 850 km. It is powered by one Liyang Wopen-13F (Tumansky R-13 from Soviet-era) providing a 44.1 kN thrust. It boasts firepower PL-2/5/7/8/9/13 air-to-air missiles. It employs Italy’s FIAR Grifo-7 mkII radar. The jet entered into PLAAF service in 1966. It currently has 300 J-7s in operation.
3.Sukhoi Su-27/ Shenyang J-11 Shenyang J-11 is a fourth-generation fighter designed by Sukhoi and has been license-manufactured by China since 1992. It is a single seater fourth-generation fighter jet. Its length is 21.9m, wingspan is 14.7m and height is 5.92m. The maximum takeoff weight is 33,000 kg. The maximum speed is Mach 2.1 or 2500 kmph. The combat range is 1500 km. It is powered by NIIP Tikhomirov N001VE Myech coherent pulse Doppler radar with a tracking range of up to 70 km. It boasts firepower such as PL-12/9/8 as well as Vympel R-77/27/73 air-to-air missiles. It is powered by dual Lyulka AL-31F engines, each providing a thrust of 75.22 kN. The jet entered into PLAAF service in 1998.
4. Sukhoi Su-30MKK Sukhoi Su-30 is a twin-engine, fourth-generation fighter developed by Sukhoi Aviation Corporation. This emerged from internal developments carried out in Su-27. The Chinese version of this fighter jet is Su-30MKK. It is a double seater jet whose length is 21.9m, wingspan is 14.7m and height is 6.36m. The maximum takeoff weight is 34,500 kg. The maximum speed is Mach 2 or 2,120 kmph. The jet is powered by a dual Lyulka AL-31F engine, each providing 122.6 kN thrust. It employs NIIP Myech fire-control radar which has a detection range of 100km. It boasts firepower such as R-73/27/77E air-to-air missiles. It was inducted into service by PLAAF in 2000. It currently has 65 SU-30s in operation.
5. Sukhoi Su-35 Sukhoi Su-35 is a single seater fourth-generation fighter designed by Sukhoi design bureau and manufactured by Kmsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant. It has a length of 21.9m, a wingspan of 15.3m and a height of 5.9m. The maximum take-off weight is 34.500 kg. It has a maximum speed of Mach 2.25 or 2400 kmph. The combat range is 1600 km. It is powered by dual Saturn AL-41F1S engines, with each providing a thrust of 142.2 kN. It boasts firepower such as air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles and anti-ship missiles. It employs Irbis-E passive electronically scanned array radar which has a detection range of 350km (single object). The PLAAF was Su-35 first foreign customer and the first jet was inducted into service in 2016. It currently has 24 Su-35s in service.
6. Chengdu J-10 Chengdu J-10 is a medium-weight, fourth-generation, multirole combat aircraft manufactured by the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation. It is a single seater jet. It has a length of 16.9m, wingspan of 9.8m and a height of 5.7m. The maximum take-off weight is 19,277 kg. The maximum speed is Mach 1.8 and has a combat range of 2600 km. It is powered by one WS-10B engine which provides a thrust of 89.17 kN. It boasts firepower such as air-to-air missiles (PL-8/10/12/15) and air-to-surface missiles (KD-88 and YJ-91). It employs Type 1473H pulse-doppler fire control radar which has a 75-130 km detection range. It took its first flight in 1998 and was inducted into service by PLAAF in 2005. It currently has 360 J-10s in operation.
7. Shenyang J-16 Shenyang J-16 is a 4.5 generation, multi-role fighter jet which was derived from Shenyang J-11. It was built by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation. It is a twin seater jet. Its length is 21.9m, wingspan is 14.7m and height is 6.36m. Its maximum takeoff weight is 35,000 kg. It has a maximum speed of Mach2. It can be armed with PL-12 and PL-9 air-to-air missiles as well as anti-ships and anti-radiation missiles. It is powered by twin Shenyang WS-10A engines with each producing a thrust of 120-140 kN. It was introduced into service by PLAAF in 2015.
8. Chengdu J-20 Chengdu J-20 is a fifth-generation, all-weather, stealth fighter jet manufactured by Chengdu Aerospace Corporation. It is one of the only three fifth-generation fighter jets in operation after F-22 and F-35. It was inducted into service in March 2017. It is a single-seater aircraft. Its length is 21.2m, wingspan is 13.01m and height is 4.69m. The gross take-off is 37,000kg. The maximum speed is Mach2.0. The combat range is 2000km. It is lethally armed, with PL-10/12/15/21 air-to-air missiles as well as anti-radiation missiles. Different variants are powered by different engines. J-20 is powered by twin WS10B engines. J-20A is powered by twin AL-31FM2 engines (145kN thrust each) as well as WS-10C (147kN thrust each). It boasts 1475 (KLJ-5) Active Electronically Scanned Array radar with a range of 138-150 km. It currently has 10 J-20s in operation.
9. Xian H-6 Xian H-6 is a strategic bomber which is a licensed version of Soviet-era Tupolev Tu-16 twin-engine jet bomber. The technology transfer took place in the 1950s and the PLAAF inducted its first H-6 in 1969. Its crew capacity is four. The length of the bomber is 34.8m, the wingspan is 33m and its height is 10.36m. The maximum take-off weight is 95,000kg. The maximum speed of the bomber is 1,050kmph and the combat range is 1800km. It is armed with YJ-100, C-601 and YJ-62 anti-ship missile as well as 12,000kg of guided bombs (GB6,2A,5). It is powered by twin-Soloviev D-30KP-2 turbofan engines, each producing 118kN of thrust. It currently has 80 H-6 in operation.
10. Shenyang J-8 Shenyang J-8 is a high-speed, high-altitude Chinese built single-seat interceptor. It is manufactured by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation. It is used by both the PLA Air Force and PLA Navy. It is a single-crew aircraft, with a length of 21.39m, wingspan of 9.344m and a height of 5.41m. Its maximum take-off weight is 18,879 kg. The maximum speed of the interceptor is Mach 2.4 or 2300 kmph. The combat range is 1000km. It is armed with PL-2B/5/7 air-to-air missiles. It is powered by twin Guizhou WP-13B/Tumansky R-13 engines, each producing a thrust of 47.1kN. It also boasts Zhuk-8 II Radar (detection range 140-165 km), KJ-8602 Omni-directional RWR (radar warning receiver max range is 222km). It was introduced into service in 1980. There are currently 100 J-8 in service.
11. Shenyang J-15 Shenyang J-15, nicknamed as the “flying shark” is a fourth-generation fighter jet which was in the Chinese Navy in 2013. It is a single seater jet, with a length of 21.9m, wingspan of 14.7m and a height of 17.5m. The maximum speed is 2940 kphr (Mach 2.4) and has a combat range of 1500km. It carried PL-12 (medium range) and PL-7/8/9 short range air-to-air missiles. It is powered by twin Woshan WS-10A Taihang engines with each thrust being 89.17kN. It is alleged that the jet is a spin-off of Russia’s Sukhoi Su-33. There are currently 20 J-15s in service with the PLA Navy.
12. Shenyang FC-31 Shenyang FC-31 is a prototype, stealth, fifth-generation fighter jet being developed by the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation. As per information available in public domain, it is a single-seater jet with a length of 17.3m, wingspan of 11.5m and a height of 4.8m. The maximum take-off weight is 28,000kg. It is reportedly powered by twin-WS-13 engines, each producing a thrust of 87.2kN. Its maximum speed is said to be Mch1.14 (1400kmph). The combat range is 1200km. It is supported by KLJ-7A AESA radar with a detection range of 150km. It took its first flight in 2012.
