J-10 fighter jets attached to an aviation brigade of the air force under the Chinese PLA Southern Theater Command take off in succession during a day-and-night flight training exercise. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Shang Jieyan)

Under the support of the combat system, a J-10C fighter jet “shot down” a J-20 stealth fighter jet in a confrontational exercise, an official media report revealed on Friday. An expert highlighted the importance of systematic support, noting that early warning aircraft may have played a key role in providing targeting information.

The combat training result was first briefly mentioned in a report from China Bugle, an official media account of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) news media center on Thursday as part of a documentary film to be aired on Friday.

When the J-10 met the J-20 head-to-head, the J-10 “shot down” the stealth warplane, China Bugle reported.

The details of the confrontational exercise were released as scheduled on Friday, with the military channel of China Central Television (CCTV) reporting that the pilot of the J-10C revealed details of how he “shot down” the stealth aircraft.

During the confrontational exercise featuring multiple types of aircraft of the PLA Air Force, J-10C pilot Xiao Nan discovered that his aircraft could no longer detect the opposing target after he launched a missile. He requested a friendly unit to scan for the target, suspecting it might be a stealth aircraft, or his radar was jammed by the opponent, according to the CCTV report.

The missile eventually found its target, marking that the J-10C successfully “shot down” the opposing stealth aircraft.

This is the first time his unit had achieved combat results against a higher-generation warplane during an exercise, Xiao was quoted as saying in the report. He noted that without the support of the system, there would be no chance to defeat a stealth aircraft, but with the system support, the J-10C is still at its prime.

The CCTV report gave details of another confrontational exercise, which featured the J-10C fighter jet, the KJ-500 early warning aircraft, the J-16D electronic warfare aircraft and the J-20 stealth fighter jet. The mission was to seize control of the area and destroy a fixed defensive position.

Wang Ya'nan, chief editor of Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times on Friday that while the J-10C is a world-class aircraft, it would be outmatched by the J-20 in a one-on-one combat, because the J-20 is a generation ahead of the J-10C. The key to the J-10C’s victory over the J-20 in the exercise was the support of the system.

Wang said that according to the report, early warning aircraft may have provided information support to the J-10C, enabling it to lock onto the J-20.

This shows that the J-10C remains a mainstay in safeguarding China’s sovereignty and security. With numerous J-10Cs in service complementing the J-20s, Wang noted that in terms of both quality and quantity, the J-10C continues to be a top-tier asset for the PLA Air Force.