{"id":38720,"date":"2018-01-10T15:46:09","date_gmt":"2018-01-10T15:46:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/01\/10\/images-reveal-chinas-j-16-jets-stepping-up-introduction-into-service\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:06:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:06:40","slug":"images-reveal-chinas-j-16-jets-stepping-up-introduction-into-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2018\/01\/10\/images-reveal-chinas-j-16-jets-stepping-up-introduction-into-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Images reveal China\u2019s J-16 jets stepping up introduction into service"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

MELBOURNE, Australia \u2014 China\u2019s new Shenyang J-16 multirole fighter jet has been entering service in increasing numbers with little fanfare, with the lion\u2019s share of attention focused on the stealthy Chengdu J-20 fighter\u2019s development and introduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Images released by the Chinese military of a recent parade and exercise at Cangzhou in China\u2019s northeastern Hebei province in early January show that at least two other People\u2019s Liberation Army Air Force, or PLAAF, air brigades have converted or are in the process of converting to the J-16, bringing the total to three such units known to have the type into service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This includes the 172nd and 176th brigades of the PLAAF\u2019s Flight Test and Training Center, which is \u201cassigned the task of developing flight techniques, combat tactics and training program for new aircraft and equipment,\u201d according to Andreas Rupprecht, who has authored a number of books on Chinese military aviation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The serial number on the aircraft at the recent exercise indicates that the third unit operating the J-16 is the 98th Brigade based at Chongqing in China\u2019s southwest. There have also been reports from China that the 7th Brigade at Wuhu, Anhui province, is operating the J-16, although Defense News has been unable to confirm this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
On display during a PLAAF parade are Shenyang J-16s, foreground, and J-11Bs, background. (China’s Ministry of National Defense)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A small number of J-16s entered service with the Flight Test and Training Center\u2019s 176th Brigade in 2015 for the PLAAF equivalent of operational testing and evaluation; however multiple sources have said the wider introduction of the type into PLAAF service was reportedly delayed due to the need to refine the design of its active electronically scanned array radar developed by China\u2019s No. 607 Institute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Shenyang J-16 is an indigenously developed Chinese offshoot of the Russian Su-30 Flanker-C multirole fighter, which is also operated by the PLAAF and China\u2019s People\u2019s Liberation Army Navy. Unlike the Shenyang J-11B\/BS, which is a dedicated air combat aircraft based on the earlier Sukhoi Su-27, the J-16 is configured for both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions with its multimode AESA radar.<\/p>\n\n\n\t