The Chinese F-10 fighter, which bears a strong resemblance to the USAF F-16 and especially the abandoned Israeli “Lavi” fighter of the 1980s, is apparently a better machine than the Pentagon first suspected. In its annual report to Congress on China’s military power, released last week, the Defense Department said the F-10 is “similar in weight and performance to the Eurofighter Typhoon or Dassault Rafale.” Those fighters have long been considered the No. 2 and No. 3 fighters in the world after the Air Force’s own F-22, but earlier Pentagon annual reports on China pegged the F-10 as equivalent to the F-16A. The Pentagon said the Defense Intelligence Agency anticipates that China will build “1,200 aircraft over the life of the program,” and that the F-10A and “Super-10” are now in development, featuring “improved weapons, engines and radars.”
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.