The Chinese Air Force’s Super Weapon: Beware the J-11D Fighter

Warrior Maven Video Analysis Above: Impact of the new B61-12

On Wednesday, the J-11D made its maiden flight.

byZachary Keck

China has conducted the first test flight of a new, upgraded version of its J-11 fighter jet.

According to Russian media outlets, which cited unnamed Chinese reports, on Wednesday the People’s Liberation Army Air Force conducted the first flight tests of its J-11D fighter aircraft. The plane is an upgraded version of the J-11B fighter jets, which themselves are copies of the Russian-made Sukhoi Su-27.

According to the reports, the new J-11D incorporates a number of technologies from China’s J-16 fighter jets. Both planes are manufactured by the Chinese company, Shenyang Aircraft Corp, and the J-16 is believed to have incorporated some technologies from the J-11. However, the J-16 is a multi-role strike fighter.

Perhaps most  notable of the J11-D’s upgrades is that it reportedly incorporates the J-16’s advanced  Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. When the PLAAF first took delivery of the J-16 in April of last year, Jeffrey Lin and P.W. Singer wrote inPopular Sciencethat: