Just How Dangerous Will China’s ‘F-15’ – the J-16 – Actually Be?

Warrior Maven Analysis: Can an upgraded F-15 outmatch the new Chinese J-16? Assessment here

byDave Majumdar

China’s two-seat Shenyang J-16 multirole strike fighter is nearing full combat readiness with the People’s Liberation Army Air Force.

The advanced unlicensed Chinese derivative of the Russian Sukhoi Su-30MK2 Flanker-G would afford Beijing a long-range strike fighter capability similar in concept to the United States Air Force’s Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle. However, it is unclear how well the new Chinese warplanes perform compared to their Western and Russian counterparts. Beijing has thus far failed to demonstrate the ability to manufacture reliable jet engines suitable for a combat aircraft and there are questions about the quality and effectiveness of Chinese avionics and sensors.

“[The exercise] was a solid step towards comprehensive combat capability,” according to a People Liberation Army Air Force statement to the South China Morning Post.

According to the PLA, the J-16 has “greatly improved capability for electronic warfare” with its jamming suite in the basic strike fighter variant, but there is also a dedicated J-16D electronic attack variant.

The J-16 is equipped with a powerful indigenously developed phased array fire-control radar. Like its Russian counterpart, the J-16 also carries a 30mm cannon, 12 air-to-air missiles, rockets and satellite-guided bombs, and anti-ship and anti-radiation missiles. The aircraft is capable of aerial refueling using a drogue-and-probe system. The J-16 is powered by a pair of Chinese-made Shenyang Liming WS-10 Taihang, which are each allegedly capable of producing 20,050lb dry thrust each and rated at roughly 31,500lbs in full afterburner.

On paper, the J-16 is roughly comparable to the Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle or the Russian Su-30SM Flanker-H. However, as mentioned previously, the J-16 is an unlicensed development of the Su-30MK2, which is an export version of the Flanker built by the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant. While the Chinese have modified the airframe and fitted the jet with a new avionics package, there are questions as to how effective the new jet will be.