inducted the Chinese J-10C fighter jets earlier this month. China delivered the jets in just eight months rather than the years that defense manufacturers usually take to deliver fighter jets such as the J-10C.
The J-10C fighter aircraft has been developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC). The J-10C fighter jet is a single-engine, tail-less, canard delta wing, multi-role, combat aircraft capable of all-weather operations. It is primarily designed for air-to-air combat, but it can also perform strike missions.
Pakistan has inducted the J-10C fighter jets from its all-weather ally in order to address the military imbalance in the region that resulted from the Indian acquisition of French-made Rafale fighter jets.
The Rafale jet is a twin-engine, canard delta wing, multi-role fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by Dassault Aviation, a French military aircraft manufacturer.
Defense experts have claimed that the J-10C is more powerful than the Rafale because it can carry more advanced fourth-generation missiles despite being lighter in weight due to the composite materials used in its manufacturing.
Let’s have a look at the detailed comparison of the two jets. Basic Description
Both J-10C and Rafale have identical attributes. The only difference is in the engine as the former is powered by a single-engine while the latter is fueled by a twin engine. *Attributes* *J-10C* *Rafale* Weight Medium-weight Medium-weight Engine Single-engine Twin-engine Generation 4.5thgeneration 4.5thgeneration Role Multi-role Multi-role General Characteristics
The J-10C is longer and taller than Rafale. Since it is made from composite materials, it is lighter in weight than the Rafale. The J-10C has a superior internal fuel capacity and is powered by a single engine which produces nearly as much thrust as the twin engines of Rafale. *Features* *J-10C* *Rafale* Crew 1 (single-seat) 1 (single-seat) or 2 (two-seat) Length 55 feet 2 inches 50 feet 1 inch Wingspan 32 feet 2 inches 35 feet 9 inches Height 18 feet 8 inches 17 feet 6 inches Wing area 400 sq. ft. 492 sq. ft. Empty weight 9,750 kg 10,300 kg Gross weight 14,000 kg 15,000 kg Max takeoff weight 19,277 kg 24,500 kg Fuel capacity (internal) 4,950 kg 4,700 kg (single-seat) or 4,400 kg (two-seat) Powerplant 1 x WS-10B afterburning turbofan engines, 89.17 kN thrust dry, 142 kN with afterburner 2 × Snecma M88-4e turbofans, 50.04 kN thrust each dry, 75 kN with afterburner Performance
The J-10C has by far a superior speed, combat range, and service ceiling in comparison to the Rafale. The rate of climb, wind loading, and thrust is almost identical. *Characteristics* *J-10C* *Rafale* Maximum speed Mach 2 Mach 1.8 Ferry range 2,950 km 3,700 km Combat range 2,600 km 1,850 km Service ceiling 56,000 feet 52,000 feet G limits +9/-3 +9/-3.6 Rate of climb 59,000 feet/minute 60,000 feet/minute Wind loading 381 kg/meter2 328 kg/meter2 Thrust/weight 1.10 0.98 Armament
Despite having fewer hardpoints, the J-10C is equipped with a better gun and more air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface missiles, anti-ship missiles, and bombs. *Weapons* *J-10C* *Rafale* Guns 1× 23 mm GSh-23 twin-barreled autocannon capable of firing 3,600 rounds per minute 1× 30 mm GIAT-30 autocannon capable of firing 2,500 rounds per minute Hardpoints 11 (6× under-wing, 2× under-intake and 3× under-fuselage) with a capacity of 5600 kg of external fuel and ordnance 14 for Air Force versions and 13 for Navy versions Air-to-air missiles PL-8
PL-10
PL-12
PL-15
PL-15E MBDA MICA EM
MBDA MICA IR
MBDA Meteor
Magic II Air-to-surface missiles KD-88
YJ-91 MBDA AM 39 Exocet Anti-ship missiles C-601
C-705KD
C-802AK
CM-400AKG
HD-1A AM39 Exocet Bombs LT-2 (laser-guided)
LS-6 (glide)
GB3 (glide)
GB2A (glide)
GB3A (glide)
FT-1 (satellite-guided)
250 kg and 500 kg unguided bombs Laser-guided bombs from 225 Kg to 900 kg Avionics
In this department as well, the J-10C fares better than the Rafale jet. *J-10C* *Rafale* Type 1473H pulse-doppler fire control radar Thales RBE2-AA AESA radar AESA fire control radar Thales SPECTRA Electronic Warfare system. K/JDC01A targeting pod Thales/SAGEM-OSF Optronique Secteur Frontal infra-red search and track (IRST) system Type Hongguang-I infra-red search and track pod CM-802AKG targeting pod for KD-88 and YJ-91 KG600 electronic countermeasure pod Blue Sky navigation/attack pod Variants
The J-10 has fewer variants as compared to the Rafale. *J-10C* *Rafale* J-10A Rafale A J-10AH Rafale D J-10S Rafale B variant F3-R J-10SH Rafale C variant F3-R J-10B Rafale M variant F3-R J-10B TVC Demonstrator Rafale N J-10C Rafale R J-10CE Rafale DM Rafale EM Rafale DH Rafale EH Rafale DQ Rafale EQ Operators
The J-10 is operated by just two countries; China and Pakistan. On the other hand, Rafale is operated by 8 countries.
*J-10C* *Rafale* China Croatia Pakistan Egypt France Greece India Indonesia Qatar UAE link