China’s air force has said it has developed techniques that allow older warplanes to shoot down more advanced stealth fighters by using advanced guided missiles.
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On Sunday, state broadcaster CCTV said that during an exercise, a 10-year-old J-10C fighter got the better of an unidentified stealth fighter with the help of airborne warning and control system (Awacs) planes.
Pakistan used similar tactics and technology during the recent conflict with India, when its J-10Cs downed at least one French-made Rafale warplane.
Footage from the Chinese exercise was broadcast on Sunday in the third episode of Forging Ahead, a five-part series marking the 98th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
The documentary said that success against stealth aircraft relied on the combined power of multiple systems, including electronic warfare platforms, rather than individual fighters, and may suggest ways for the PLA to counter the most advanced American warplanes.
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The programme said a KJ-500A Awacs plane had identified the target plane’s approximate position and distance, then set up an attack by 4.5 generation J-10C fighters, one of which fired a medium-to-long-range active radar-guided missile at the target.
