The J-10CE, who "married" to Pakistan, returned to her mother's home. On August 28, 2023, the Chinese and Pakistani Air Force Eagle 10 Joint Training was held in China. The PLA Air Force, Naval Aviation, Pakistan Air Force combat aircraft, anti-aircraft missiles and other arms participated in the joint training, through which the combat capability of the two sides was enhanced and the friendship between the two sides was deepened.
(J-10CE back to my mother's house, dark green-blue gray ripple camouflage is very eye-catching)
Judging from the propaganda video released by the Pakistani side, the scale of the Eagle 10 joint training can be said to be unprecedented, and the participating aircraft are the main models of both sides. The PLA Air Force dispatched J-10C, J-16, J-11B fighters and Air Police 500 early warning aircraft, and the Pakistan Air Force trained J-10CE, JF-17 Thunder and J-7EP fighters. This is also the first time that the Pakistan Air Force has participated in the Eagle-10 joint training after the J-10CE, and it is also the first time that the J-10CE has returned to China to participate in the exercise.
(J-10CE landing in Xinjiang)
Judging from the video released by the Pakistan Air Force, there are a total of 6 J-10CEs returning to their mother's home, and the tactical numbers of the noses are 110, 114, 116, 117, 118 and 120. The Pakistani Air Force's three-digit nose tactical number is NATO style, with the first digit representing the batch and the last two digits representing the aircraft number. The six J-10CEs that returned to my mother's home were all the first batch of deliveries, and they have been ranked No. 20, which shows that more than 20 J-10CEs have been delivered to the Pakistani Air Force, and the first batch may have been delivered.
From the delivery of the first 2 aircraft in February 2022 to the completion of more than 20 deliveries now, Chengfei, which is responsible for the production of the J-10CE, also has to deliver the J-10C to the PLA, which is not unfast.
(J-10CE Fighter No. 120)
From the perspective of the training models, the joint training of the Chinese and Pakistani Air Force Eagles has been upgraded from a fourth-generation fighter to a fourth-generation semi-fighter, which is an upgrade in response to changes in the combat environment and objects of both sides. In the direction of the Taiwan Strait and the East China Sea, where the main contradictions are more prominent, China's fighters include F-16, Mirage 2000-5, F-15J and other fourth-generation fighters; Pakistan's main threat is the Indian Air Force's fourth-generation fighters such as the MiG-29UPG, Su-30MKI and Mirage 2000I, as well as some third-generation aircraft such as the MiG-21Bison.
Previously, Pakistan sent Thunder Dragon, Mirage 3/5 and J-7EP fighters to simulate the F-16, Mirage 2000 and MiG-21Bison; The PLA Air Force's dispatch of the J-11B and Su-30MKK allows Pakistan to learn how to confront the Su-30.
(Although the Bafang Thunder Dragon fighters participating in this exercise are from the same squadron, they include the first batch and the second batch)
Through the Pakistan Air Force, the PLA Air Force learned about Western air force strategy and tactics and related fighter air combat tactics, while the Pakistan Air Force figured out the advantages and disadvantages of the Su-27 series of fighters, so as to take the lead in the war. In the 2019 India-Pakistan air battle, the Pakistan Air Force used these experiences, they first used electronic jamming aircraft to jam the data link of the Su-30MKI fighter, leaving the MiG-21 Bison alone, isolated, and thus shot down by the Pakistani side.
(The Indian Air Force's Su-30MI is the main opponent of the Pakistani Air Force)
First of all, the PLA and Pakistani combat aircraft have been upgraded, the PLA Air Force combat system is transitioning to the fifth generation stealth fighter, and the fourth and a half generation fighter has entered the stage of popularization. The Pakistan Air Force also introduced the J-10CE fighter, and the JF-17 evolved into the Thunder Block 3, both of which have reached the level of four and a half generations. For example, the Taiwan military has gradually upgraded the F-16A/B fighter to F-16V, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force has also received the F-35A, the Indian Air Force has purchased Rafale fighters, and the Su-30MKI will also be improved in the future.
The equipment level of the imaginary enemy is improving, so the joint training of the Chinese and Pakistani air forces and eagles also needs to be increased. The Eagle-10 joint training may use the J-10C to simulate the Rafale fighter, and the J-16 to simulate the upgraded Su-30MKI in order to adapt pilots to the air combat environment in the new era.
(The J-10C fighter participated in the PLA exercise can simulate the Rafale F3R of the Indian army)
Compared with the fourth-generation fighter, the fourth-generation and half-generation fighters are only half a generation behind, but there is a considerable gap in actual combat effectiveness. The former has not only replaced the active phased array radar and the air-to-air missile with a longer range, but the avionics system has also been upgraded and improved, with higher intelligence. In layman's terms, the fourth-generation fighter pilot is the system administrator, and its avionics system only realizes comprehensive processing and display, and the pilot also needs to analyze and judge the information himself.
The fourth-and-a-half generation of fighters introduced artificial intelligence, that is, pilot-assisted decision-making systems. This system can process and analyze the information, and the pilot will get more comprehensive and thorough information, based on which tactical decisions can be made. Pakistani pilots have praised the J-10CE fighter cockpit as "highly intelligent", which greatly reduces the burden on pilots. The Rafale F3R fighter purchased by India has a similar configuration and already has preliminary intelligent cockpit characteristics.
(The J-16 fighter in the PLA exercise has a higher configuration than the Su-30MKI)
Therefore, in air combat, pilots need to solve problems such as how to better use massive information and how to make more favorable decisions, which is crucial for pilots to defeat the enemy in future air combat. Therefore, we see that the joint training of China-Pakistan eagles is becoming more and more systematic, and the PLA Air Force dispatched the Air Police 500 early warning aircraft for command and guidance, and the Air Police 500 early warning aircraft is not only equipped with domestic active phased array early warning radar, but also equipped with domestic high-speed data links, which can provide fighters with more comprehensive air information and more detailed command and guidance, and can more realistically simulate the future air combat environment.
(PLA Air Police 500 AWACS aircraft participating in the exercise)
Throughout the joint training of eagles, the status of China and Pakistan has quietly changed. In the past, the quantity and quality of the PLA's fourth-generation fighters were relatively poor, and the Pakistan Air Force received F-16 fighters much earlier, and it became an army in the 80s, so we need to learn more from the Pakistan Air Force. At present, the PLA Air Force is developing rapidly, and the troops are constantly equipped with fifth-generation stealth fighters, fourth-generation and half-generation fighters, and new AWACS aircraft. We have surpassed Pakistan in the exploration and training of the new generation of air combat, and now it is Pakistan who is learning from us the use of four and a half generations of fighters.
Looking ahead, the Pakistan Air Force may also introduce FC-31 Falcon Eagle fighters to us, and India is also seeking to develop its own fifth-generation aircraft, so the joint training of China-Pakistan Eagles should also introduce stealth fighters into training content, such as arranging J-20 to participate in confrontation, so that Pakistani pilots can experience the combat effectiveness of fifth-generation aircraft.
The People's Liberation Army installed the J-20 stealth fighter as early as 2017, and the fifth-generation stealth fighter has passed the early pilot and exploration stage and entered the large-scale application stage, so in the near future, the Pakistan Air Force will learn from us how to use the fifth-generation stealth fighter.