- Yes
- No
Background and History
Spoiler
J-11B’s origins:
The J-11B’s origins trace back to its predecessor, which had become obsolete if compared to the PLAAF needs, the J-11A. In fact, China originally sought upgrades from Russia but due to the latter’s unwillingness to transfer key technologies no deals were ever made. The main requests were to upgrade the outdated avionics and in particular the radar system, but Russia seemed to dislike this idea, turning down every offer. That led China to start working on their first true Chinese flanker, which was intended to distinguish itself from the J-11A with a true multirole capability. The project started in 2002 and in the next two years we saw J-11B prototypes fly and test several systems. The most known prototype, 522 red, was the first aircraft to ever fly with the newly developed WS-10 Chinese engines. The development of said engines was an enormous step forward for China to reduce its reliance on Russia and to further boost the capabilities of their airforce, although the program initially suffered its fair share of issues. 2004 is the year that has most often been stated as the year in which the J-11B flew for the first time. The production of the first J-11B batch started in late 2007 following the government’s acknowledgement of the program. The first batch showed quality issues with the engines and had to be taken out of service to analyze the issues and to be fitted with the older Russian engines, but from block 02 onwards the issues were fixed and the WS-10A was once again the powerplant of the J-11B.
J-11B block 09:
The J-11B block 09 is a slight upgrade compared to the pre 09 batches which integrates the use of a new PESA radar and the newest Chinese IR missile, the PL-10. As I’ve stated in the J-11BG suggestion, the J-11B features the Type 1493 radar that severely hinders the performance of PL-15s, hence the upgrade to the AESA radar given to the BG and the lack of PL-15s on the B version. The block 09 instead uses a PESA radar, being a middle ground between the B and BG. It must be considered that this isn’t a major overhaul, it still retains most of the other avionics and engines as the other J-11Bs, but the addition of the PL-10 boosts the dogfight capabilities to a massive amount.
In game:
The role this aircraft could have for the Chinese tech tree is the addition of the newest generation of IR missiles without massively boosting the BVR performance. Since the enormous jump in capabilities from the PL-12 to the PL-15 we might have to wait a decent while before the latter gets added, meaning a stop-gap like this aircraft could further improve on the capabilities whilst remaining in the realm of the PL-12. To avoid giving this aircraft a feeling of unnecessary grind (it would indeed be a J-11B with new missiles and a better radar, nothing to smear considering the capabilities of the PL-10 but still strikingly similar to the J-11B) it could be folded with the J-11B, hence providing an upgrade at a reduced RP cost.
Technical data
Specification
Crew: 1
Length: 21.9 m
Wingspan: 14.7 m
Height: 5.92 m
Empty Weight: 16,380 kg
Gross Weight: 23,430 kg
Max Takeoff Weight: 30,450 kg
Powerplant: 2 x WS-10D Turbojet Engines
Max Speed: Mach 1.13 (Sea Level)
Rate of Climb: 300 m/s
Range: 3,530 km
Service Ceiling: 19,000 m
Armament
1 x 30mm Type 30-IV Autocannon
10 hardpoints:
- 2 tandem under the fuselage centerline
- 2 under the air ducts
- 4 under the wings
- 2 on the wingtips
6/8 x PL-12
4 x PL-10
low-drag general-purpose bombs:
- 4 x Type 250-3/4 Bombs
- 4 x Type 500-3/4 Bombs
unguided rockets
Avionics
PESA radar
MAWS
2nd Gen RWR
HMD
2nd Gen IRST
Laser Rangefinder
CCIP
Flares/Chaff
Photos
Sources
Spoiler
Red Dragon Flankers: China’s Prolific ‘flanker’ Family
China’s Navy Ships and Aircraft of the People’s Republic of China, 1955 - 2021
Royal Aeronautical Society - Red Dragon Flankers article
PLA 4th-Generation Fighters — Sukhoi / Shenyang – China Defence Today
