China Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG)
J-10C
Latest-production single-engine, canard-delta multirole fighter from Chengdu Aircraft, upgraded with an AESA radar, infrared search and track, and enhanced beyond-visual-range weapons over the earlier J-10A/B. Backbone of the PLA Air Force's fourth-generation fleet and exported to Pakistan.
In service since 2018 · 2 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
2,200
km/h
2,950
km range
18,000
m ceiling
6,000
kg payload
1
T/W
💲 ≈ $40,000,000, Estimated export unit cost, J-10CE
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
Chinese state channel
State export agencies (NORINCO/CATIC); limited availability to Western-aligned states.
Channel: State export agency
Fielded & proven
Limited · 2 operators
In service since 2018. Status: active · ~500 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$100M – $140M
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost, operating & support dominate over ~30 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price. How we estimate this →
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Compatible munitions & weapons
Publicly reported weapons the J-10C can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.
Powerplant
The J-10C's engine has its own full spec page.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
| Max speed Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance. | 2,200 km/h |
|---|---|
| Max speed (Mach) Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters. | 1.8 Mach |
| Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence. | 2,950 km |
| Combat radius Distance an aircraft can fly, complete its mission and return without refueling. Roughly a third of ferry range. | 1,100 km |
| Service ceiling Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon. | 18,000 m |
| Thrust-to-weight Engine thrust divided by loaded weight. Above 1.0 the aircraft can accelerate going straight up. On a standalone engine record, this is the engine's own thrust divided by its dry weight, the standard figure of merit for jet engines. | 1 |
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
| Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type. | 23 mm twin-barrel cannon |
|---|---|
| Hardpoints External stations for weapons and pods. More means bigger and more flexible loadouts. | 11 |
| Weapons payload Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie. | 6,000 kg |
Protection
Armor, countermeasures and survivability.
| Countermeasures Self-protection: chaff, flares, DIRCM, towed decoys, smoke dischargers, jammers. | internal EW self-protection suite, chaff, flares |
|---|
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
| Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable. | 16.9 m |
|---|---|
| Wingspan Wingtip-to-wingtip span. | 9.75 m |
| Height Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles. | 5.43 m |
| Empty weight Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew. | 9,750 kg |
| Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor. | 19,277 kg |
| Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity. | 1 |
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
| Engine Powerplant model and type. | Shenyang WS-10B afterburning turbofan (export J-10CE uses AL-31FN) |
|---|---|
| Engines Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost. | 1 |
| Thrust Total engine thrust (with afterburner where applicable). | 142 kN |
| Fuel capacity Internal fuel volume. | 4,500 L |
| Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet… | Turbofan |
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
| Radar Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art. | Type 1475 (KLJ-10) AESA |
|---|---|
| Sensors IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights. | infrared search and track |
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
| Unit cost Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper. | $40,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability. | 500 |
| Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem. | 2 |
Specifications compiled from public Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
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What is the top speed of the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) J-10C? +
The Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) J-10C has a maximum speed of 2,200 km/h.
What is the range of the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) J-10C? +
The Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) J-10C has a maximum range of 2,950 km.
What is the weapons payload of the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) J-10C? +
The Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) J-10C can carry up to 6,000 kg of weapons payload.
How much does the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) J-10C weigh? +
The Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) J-10C has a combat weight of 19,277 kg.
How many crew does the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) J-10C require? +
The Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) J-10C requires a crew of 1.
What is the main armament of the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) J-10C? +
The Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) J-10C's primary weapon is the 23 mm twin-barrel cannon.
What engine does the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) J-10C use? +
The Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) J-10C is powered by the Shenyang WS-10B afterburning turbofan (export J-10CE uses AL-31FN).
What is the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) J-10C used for? +
The Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) J-10C is a fighter aircraft typically used for air superiority, multirole combat.
How many countries operate the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) J-10C? +
The Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) J-10C is operated by 2 countries.
How much does the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) J-10C cost? +
The Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) J-10C has an approximate unit cost of 40,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration, treat this as directional.
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