Chengdu J-10 Multirole Fighter Air Craft News & Discussions

[gambit]

the two seater f-16s don't contain more electronics than single seat, they just had to move the electronics to the spine because of the second seat

No. Two seater F-16 have a smaller forward fuel tank to make room for the rear cockpit, and additional electronics for the rear cockpits, but the major avionics components remains in the same places: the forward avionics bays right behind the radome.

 

[gambit]

electronic Jammers and such are line of sight devices installing it on the spine makes little sense. I speculate the spine is designed to house wiring and hydraulic tubing improving the maintainability of the aircraft thus making more room for fuel.

It is the radiators that are LOS. The dorsal (spine) compartments are to house the electronics components, then the wiring are branched from there to the radiators. Fuselage fuel capacity is fixed from design so additional fuselage capacity require fuselage modifications which I doubt happened.

Fuel capacity includes fuel management. Fuselage fuel tanks literally wraps around the engine bay and have baffles in them to reduce, not eliminate, fuel movements (sloshes) because they induces undesirable body forces during maneuvers. Fuel management moves fuel from tank to tank to reduce effects on center-of-gravity shifts. So if the design is modified to include increased fuselage fuel capacity, we are looking at major redesign such as a lengthened fuselage which would be quickly visible from photos.

 

[Deino]

What do you speculate for the use of the large spine for the Ba Yi, if any? Also it has the slim HUD, was that present in this batch for other aircraft?

Here is what I got today ..

In fact based on some chats with a few Chinese friends including the one who provided me with this image, there are three different options under discussion and all three seem to fit together

1. This one is for the Ba Yi and is called J-10CY, the smoke generator and the smokewinder-like pod are IMO proof enough as well as the deleted gun, The strange fact, that it uses AL-31FN is most often explained by two options: first, the Ba Yi want an aircraft with as much as possible the same kinematics so that they retain the old engine. Also, the AL-31FN is often said to be a bit more responsive from AB ignition to full thrust, so maybe this too is a reason and finally, the 72nd Air Brigade, which is collocated with the Ba Yi also uses AL-31FN since it uses older batch J-10Cs. As such, it eases maintenance and the spine houses an oil tank for the smoke + whatever is needed.

2. Second theory, the PLAAF in fact wants an MLU package for the older J-10A (some say B/C) and this includes additional avionics, eventually an internal ECM-jammer like the KL-700, which would fit quite nicely and would free the then used intake pylon. Actually I don‘t think it is a CFT or fuel tank, for this, the added volume is IMO not large enough.

3. And finally, this spine seems to be also made on request from an as yet unnamed export customer - IMO indeed Pakistan (as per a friend at PAC Kamra) - again to fit additional avionics/EW/ECM systems.

 

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[Abid123]

The publication of images of a new configuration of China’s J-10 single engine fighter has sparked widespread speculation regarding the aircraft’s purpose, how widely it will be fielded, and what the spine itself houses. The J-10 is a lightweight combat jet currently in production on a larger scale than any other in the world, aside from the American F-35, with the newest variant the J-10C considered a close contender for the title of the world’s top single engine fighter. The aircraft is prized for its low maintenance needs and operational costs, its powerful AESA radar and network centric warfare capabilities, and its access to advanced weapons classes such as PL-15 air to air missiles. The newly revealed J-10 notably uses the older Russian AL-31FN engine, which has been phased out of new production batches in favour of the indigenous WS-10, indicating that it may be intended as an upgrade package for older J-10 variants or else that China’s Air Force is seeking to conserve the newer engines for production aircraft rather than prototypes.

J-10 Fighter Launches Rocket Bombardment

One theory for the new aircraft's purpose is that the expanded spine houses fuel for a smoke generator pod, allowing it to operate in support of older J-10s under the 72nd Air Brigade which also use AL-31FN engines. Another is that the aircraft may not be intended for Chinese service at all, but rather for an export client similarly to how American F-16Ds were modified with expanded spines for a number of foreign operators. Pakistan is the only confirmed export client for the J-10, having received its first fighters in March, although other clients most notably Iran have been speculated. Whether for export or domestic use, the package could carry new features such as an electronic warfare countermeasures jammer. The possibility of a fuel tank has also been speculated, although the relatively small size of the spine means it is unlikely to be well suited to this. The possibility that the spine as an export feature, if successful, could be implemented on future J-10s built for Chinese service, also cannot be ruled out. The spine may also be part of an upgrade package currently being tested to upgrade older J-10A and possibly J-10B variants to partly bridge the very significant performance gap with the new J-10C.

Source: https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/new-j10-enlarged-spine-what

 

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