News Story: Japan's F-2 beats China's J-10 in aerial combat

Mitsubishi F-2 (Image: Wiki Commons)

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force's F-2 multirole fighter would have the edge over its Chinese counterpart, the Chengdu J-10, in an aerial encounter, defense and security blogger Kyle Mizokami says in a piece for National Interest published on Oct. 13.

The territorial dispute over the Diaoyutai islands (Diaoyu to China, Senkaku to Japan which controls them) in the East China Sea has increased the chance of close aerial encounters between fighters of the two sides, Mizokami wrote. He said Japanese patrol aircraft had already been intercepted several times by PLA fighters in the region after China declared its air defense identification zone over the East China Sea toward the end of 2013.

While Japan's American-built F-15J fighter will engage China's Russian-built Su-27 for aerial superiority, the Mitsubishi F-2 is more likely to go head to head with the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group's J-10 since both aircraft were developed as multirole fighters with aerial combat as well as ground support capabilities.

Read the full story at Want China Times