According to a report by "Defense and Security Asia" on August 27, the Chinese J-10C fighter jet was once mocked by the West. However, after it dominated the Mirage in the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict, the West began to fear this Chinese aircraft.

The article recalls that the early J-10 project was initiated in the 1980s, with the initial goal of replacing the outdated J-7 and Q-5, and breaking free from the dilemma of complete reliance on Soviet platforms.

However, after more than two decades of continuous investment, the J-10 series has evolved from a single-engine light aircraft into the current J-10C version, comprehensively matching and even surpassing some Western counterparts in multiple aspects such as airframe design, avionics systems, radar technology, engines, and weapon integration.

But the West is unwilling to admit it, until this year's India-Pakistan air battle, where the J-10CE export version equipped by the Pakistani Air Force shot down multiple Indian Air Force mainstay aircraft, including the Mirage and Su-30MKI, with one PL-15 long-range air-to-air missile locking and killing a target over 200 kilometers away, setting a new record for modern air combat.

Previously regarded as a low-end alternative, the Chinese-made aircraft now have achieved decisive results in the skies of South Asia, prompting the global defense market to reassess the value of the J-10C.

J-10C

The article states directly that the J-10C has become one of the most strategically impactful fighter jets of this decade.

This is not because it is the most advanced fighter in the world, but because it has re-shaped the regional and global balance of aerial power in a disruptive way.

Firstly, the J-10C has validated the operational concept of mid-tier airframes combined with high-performance weapons through actual combat.

Previously, Western countries generally believed that only expensive stealth fifth-generation fighters could gain air superiority in high-threat environments. The J-10C, through the combination with the PL-15 long-range missile, proved that even without relying on stealth platforms like the F-35, it can gain the first strike advantage in beyond-visual-range (BVR) combat.

For countries with limited budgets, severe sanctions, or a desire to maintain strategic autonomy, this makes it an attractive solution.

Secondly, it has forced multiple parties to adjust their air combat plans strategically.

After the India-Pakistan conflict, senior officials of the Indian Air Force admitted that the Mirage lacked sufficient safety distance when facing the PL-15, thus urgently pushing forward the fifth-generation fighter plan; the U.S. Air Force also had to re-examine its BVR combat doctrine, especially the need to pull back further for warning aircraft and refueling aircraft when facing the threat of the PL-15, which will directly reduce the rapid strike capability of the U.S. military in the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East.

In addition, the United States has started investing heavily in a new generation of air-to-air missile projects, hoping to catch up with the PL-15 quickly.

PL-15E

The strategic impact of the J-10C lies in its complete transformation of several air combat rules long monopolized by the West.

The first is the factor determining air superiority, shifting from aircraft performance to missile and system combat capabilities.

Previously, the logic dominated by the West was that whoever has a higher thrust-to-weight ratio and better radar stealth would control the sky. However, the India-Pakistan conflict proved that the range of the PL-15 and the data link capability of the coordinated warning aircraft enabled the J-10C to achieve a suppression mode of first discovery, first launch, and first kill, allowing it to conduct beyond-visual-range kills against the Mirage and Su-30 even outside visual range.

This means that in the new generation of air combat, missile range and system capability are more important than single-aircraft performance.

The second is the change in weapon design concepts. The design philosophy of high-end fighters in the US and Europe has always been all-around, stealth, and high integration, leading to extremely high procurement and maintenance costs, forming an implicit rule: to obtain air superiority, you must buy the most expensive planes.

The J-10C broke this model, achieving low-cost high-kill through mid-tier airframes and high-end missiles, making high-performance air combat capabilities affordable for medium and small countries for the first time.

The third is the change in the dominance of the military trade market. Previously, the global high-performance fighter market was almost monopolized by the US and Europe, and Chinese aircraft were seen as only able to replace low-end demands in most countries. However, the practical performance of the J-10C directly opened a market gap.

Now, air forces in multiple regions such as the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America have to evaluate the J-10C alongside the F-16V and Mirage on their procurement lists. It changed the unspoken rule of buying high-end only choosing Western military equipment.

J-10C

That is why the J-10C has become a benchmark in the current global fighter market and air combat tactics system. It is not that it is the strongest fighter in terms of performance, but because countries have to compare and assess it as a baseline when formulating procurement plans, exercise doctrines, and operational concepts.

In the military trade aspect, it redefines the cost-effectiveness of fourth-and-a-half-generation aircraft. For countries with limited budgets and a pursuit of autonomy, the J-10C allows them to have the option of obtaining first-rate air combat capabilities without relying on the United States;

On the other hand, it establishes a new model of missile-driven air combat. The PL-15 has rewritten the BVR combat rules, forcing the US and European air forces to adjust the operational depth of warning aircraft and refueling aircraft, while also prompting the air forces of India and the Gulf region to re-plan formations and firepower distribution.

More importantly, the practical combat results of the J-10C have given it enough persuasive power, making it an object that must be compared when various air forces carry out systematized construction.

In other words, the J-10C has become a reference standard in the global high-performance fighter market and air force system, whether it is partners who want to buy aircraft or enemies who oppose China, they have to assess it within the coordinate system of J-10C plus PL-15. This existence itself is a new form of power projection.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7543522313828975143/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author. Please express your opinion by clicking the [Up/Down] buttons below.