China ramps up production of fourth-generation J-16 heavy fighters to patrol around Taiwan

The People's Liberation Army of China has received an additional batch of fourth-generation J-16 fighter jets. They will be used to patrol territory near Taiwan.

Here's What We Know

The People's Liberation Army conducted training on the new aircraft last week. The fighters took to the skies in Jiangsu province in northern China. The new J-16s were probably a replacement for the outdated J-7 and/or J-8 aircraft.

The J-16 is an advanced fourth-generation fighter jet that resembles the Russian Su-27 in many ways. The plane is produced by the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation. More than 200 units have been produced in total.

The fighter is equipped with two Shenyang WS-10B engines, which provide 135 kN thrust. Maximum flight speed is Mach 2 (2469.6 km/h).

The aircraft has 12 points of suspension for missiles and bombs. In particular, the J-16 can carry PL-10, PL-15, PL-21 air-to-air missiles, YJ-83K anti-ship missiles, KD-88 air-to-ground missiles and LS-500J laser-guided guided bombs.

Source: Global Times