After delivering flight performances at the World Defence Show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, seven J-10 fighter jets of the August 1st Aerobatics Team of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force flew directly back to China, accompanied and supported by the YU-20 aerial tanker, landing at an airport in western China on Saturday.
While China has the J-20 Mighty Dragon fighter with stealth characteristics, it will be the J-10 that China depends on as the focal point of its air force.
The J-10 bears many similarities to the Israeli Air Force’s Lavi jet. Designed to perform very similarly to the F-16, Israel’s homegrown jet would serve as a mainstay of the service for many years. When the Lavi’s production line was nixed, Israel began exporting the fighter, including to China.
The J-10 made its maiden flight in 1998 and entered service with the PLAAF in 2004. It is configured with a delta wing and canard design that sets the aircraft apart from Russia's MiG-29 or the United States Air Force's F-16, while it is more reminiscent of the French Mirage series of combat fighters.
Taiwan's defence ministry reported the Chinese People's Liberation Army sent 33 warplanes and six navy vessels towards the self-ruled nation. In the past year, China has been sending navy ships and drones as well as flights in reaction to Taiwan's political activities. The ministry said the aircraft, including J-10 and J-16 fighters, crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait.
The August 1st Air Demonstration Team, China's best-known aerobatic team, has been equipped with J-10C fighter jets and will fly their new planes at a coming exhibition in Malaysia, according to the spokesman for the People's Liberation Army Air Force.
Salami slicing and grey-zone tactics are China's regular modus operandi, but its actions are becoming ever more robust and blatant as China narrows Taiwan's room for manoeuvre and psychologically bludgeons it.
China conducted its first significant military drills around the island this year on Sunday, sending 28 aircraft across the Taiwan Strait's middle line, CNN reported citing the Defence Ministry of Taiwan.