J-11: The Deadly Chinese Fighter Jet with Russian DNA

An overview of the J-11 fighter: Designated by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as Flanker-L, the J-11 was officially introduced to service with the PLA in the late 1990's. As part of the agreement, Moscow conditioned that the engines and avionics used in the J-11s would be Russian-derived. Ultimately Beijing canceled the contract after assembling one hundred J-11s, claiming that the Su-27 was no longer viable. Unsurprisingly given the PRC's track record, Beijing later revealed that it was continuing to produce J-11 fighters without Russia's involvement. The Chinese fighter has a top speed of over Mach 2.0 and enjoys a range of roughly 2,000 miles. In terms of appearance, the J-11 mirrors the Soviet Su-27 nearly identically. These homegrown Chinese engines have functioned so poorly that the J-11 fleet had to be grounded and refitted with Russia's AL-31Fs. Although Beijing strives to be the leader of the aeronautics industry, it clearly still does rely to some degree on foreign nations.