On May 30th, the People’s Daily published a full-page article titled “Dragon Soaring in the East (Reported Literature) – Birth of the J-10”. Following the aerial confrontation between India and Pakistan on May 7th, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) briefly mentioned the achievements of the J-10 fighter jet without much fanfare. However, the party media couldn’t resist and published this over 8,500-word long article, which was filled with blindly piled up words, covering up and avoiding the facts, exposing many flaws.
The May 30th edition of the People’s Daily consisted of 20 pages, including news, comprehensive reports, economy, international news sections, to name a few. Regarding the J-10 fighter jet shooting down Indian aircraft in the India-Pakistan confrontation, the party media specifically crafted a propaganda piece. It should have been placed prominently in an important section but was instead relegated to the last page, as if it was the least important content. The article was even labeled as “Reported Literature,” suggesting that the newspaper editors themselves had doubts about the authenticity of the content.
Reported literature falls between news reporting and fiction, characterized by prose that combines features of news and literature. The People’s Daily categorized the article about the birth of the J-10 as “Reported Literature,” which seemed self-doubting.
The CCP Military Network reprinted the same article with the same title but without the label “Reported Literature.” The CCP’s military propaganda department should have written this article, but perhaps some official believed that the People’s Daily was better suited for such lofty articles.
While the writers of the People’s Daily may excel at piling up words, their understanding of military matters is limited. The article did not meet expectations, was too fictionalized, and was downgraded to “Reported Literature” when published, placed in the least significant section. The CCP Military Network likely received the same article but may not have known that the People’s Daily added the “Reported Literature” label, leading to the CCP Military Network treating it as top news and publishing it without delay.
The CCP’s military propaganda apparatus is likely dissatisfied with this article as they only reposted it on the website, without timely publication in the CCP’s military newspaper. The May 30th edition of the CCP’s military newspaper had 12 pages, covering news, military enterprises, weapons overview, supplements, and more, but this article was nowhere to be found; as of May 31st and June 1st, it still had not been published.
The People’s Daily article described how the domestically produced J-10CE aircraft achieved combat success for the first time in foreign warfare, downing multiple enemy aircraft.
Even though the J-10 fighter jet had success in combat, the party media should have given it the highest possible praise. However, the article only referred to the J-10 fighter jet as a “significant achievement in Chinese aviation industry,” showcasing the spirit of “self-reliance” among aviation personnel.
The lengthy article recounted the birth process of the J-10, but only referred to the J-10 as a “prideful plane,” an “innovative aircraft,” a “high-quality aircraft,” without providing further praise. The article did not promote the J-10’s combat strength or compare it with advanced foreign aircraft like J-11, Su-30/J-16, let alone mentioned.
Having learned the true situation, the writers of the article found it challenging to find something worth boasting about. Unable to elevate the content, they resorted to more words describing the arduous birth of the J-10. However, they couldn’t reveal the truth, leading it to be labeled as “Reported Literature,” with the CCP’s military newspaper also unwilling to publish it in a timely manner.
The People’s Daily article described how in the late 1970s… developed countries like the US and France had already begun researching advanced fighter aircraft aerodynamic layouts and techniques, subsequently producing F-16s, Mirage-2000s, and other highly maneuverable combat aircraft… leading to the decision to create a new, high-performance fighter jet… and by the early 21st century, being able to equip our country with advanced domestically developed weapons.
According to the information revealed in the article, the CCP’s military discovered at the end of the 1970s that the main fighter jets were way behind, prompting senior leadership to decide on independently developing a new fighter jet. While this should have been rapidly pushed forward, the equipment’s development was delayed for over 20 years. This decision seems illogical, indicating that the CCP’s leadership knew the technological gap was significant, making it challenging to fulfill the mission. From the late 1970s to 2000, the J-10 had not been in service, and the CCP’s air force could absolutely not afford to wait.
By the late 1970s, the CCP’s air force’s main fighter jet was the J-7, a domestically produced version of the Soviet Mig-21 fighter jet. Building on the J-7, the CCP developed the J-8, hoping to acquire avionics equipment from the US Grumman company, but this did not materialize. In 1980, the J-8 entered service, but all indicators were not met, and production was not extensive.
The US and Western countries continued to impose arms embargoes on the CCP, especially after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, making it even more hopeless for the CCP to obtain Western fighter jets either through independent development or improvement. Consequently, the CCP turned to the Soviet/Russian Su-27 fighter jet, with deliveries starting in 1992, totaling 36 Su-27SK and 42 Su-27UBK aircraft.
In 1996, the CCP and Russia concluded a license production agreement for the assembly of 200 Su-27UBK fighters by the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, named J-11, with a total price of about $1.2 billion. The CCP’s military expenditure announced that year was approximately $9.6 billion, with a single fighter jet order amounting to $1.2 billion, a substantial investment.
As the J-10 project continued to face difficulties, the CCP had no option but to nationalize the Su-27 into the J-11 as the only alternative. According to the People’s Daily article, the J-10 fighter jet made its maiden flight in 1998, and design finalization was achieved in 2004.
In 2000, Shenyang Aircraft Corporation assembled 5 J-11 aircraft, followed by 20 in 2003, and at least 105 by 2006, with some components beginning localization. The J-11 had entered service before the J-10, with the project sequence surprisingly reversed. The CCP’s leadership foresight proved relatively accurate, as the “independently developed” J-10 was only completed in the 21st century – a challenging journey with little praise-worthy aspects.
The article also described the technical challenges and hard work faced by the designers and engineers in developing the J-10 fighter aircraft. In the early 1990s, computers were still rare, and the limited number of terminals at the Chengdu Institute could not meet the concurrent needs of hundreds of individuals, leading to challenges in quickly inputting the drawings into the computer; hence, the workforce had to work tirelessly.
In March 1996, after seven years of dedication, the test aircraft finally passed the certification at the completion of the project. This process included significant tests such as the aircraft’s first static test for performance limits and durability, as well as completing the aircraft’s first transonic flutter test, claiming that it was a “first in the country” and “filled a void.”
These descriptions reveal the challenges faced during the development of the J-10. The technical personnel had no similar experiences, relying entirely on trial and error, with uncertainties surrounding whether they had met the standards.
In 1998, test pilot Lei Qiang took the J-10 prototype for its first flight and successfully landed it, expressing his determination to land on the runway if the engine was still running, even if it meant crashing. This frank statement from the test pilot indicated the uncertainties surrounding the reliability of the test prototype, while only the Russian engine might have been somewhat reliable. Facing substantial risks, the test pilot had no choice but to proceed. Interestingly, Saab 37 aircraft had already been validated, but the J-10 project was still struggling during the replication process.
In April 2004, the J-10 fighter jet was finally finalized. From its maiden flight in 1998 to the finalization in 2004, the J-10 project took an additional six years, without much detail provided on the happenings during those years.
By 2006, the J-10 fighter jets began to be delivered for use. The Siberian Aeronautical Research Institute (SibNIA) in Russia revealed its involvement in the J-10 project in 2006, albeit only for observation and guidance. Despite over two decades of development, the CCP seemed to remain uncertain, seeking outside expert guidance.
Russian engineers evaluated the J-10 as “more or less” being an iteration of the Israeli Lavi fighter jet, incorporating technologies from various sources. The CCP denied that the J-10 was derived from the Lavi fighter jet, yet the external appearance indeed bore a resemblance to the Lavi prototype retained by Israel.
The CCP’s technical personnel were well aware of how the J-10 came into being and knew its actual capabilities. Initially concealed, the CCP media aimed to publicize the J-10, only to find it to be an impossible task, forcing the article to navigate ambiguously, while inadvertently exposing the truth.
The J-10’s imitation story was laid bare in this expose. If the party media is not afraid of further exposure, they could attempt to write about how the J-16, J-20, J-35 came into existence, likely yielding more intriguing tales.
This translation was done initially for informational and educational purposes without infringing any rights of the original article. Please let me know if you need any further information.