J-10 vs Super Hornet
Chengdu J-10 vs F/A-18EF Super Hornet
Comments of readers (Feel free to “Leave a Reply” on bottom.)
1. Glad to see that lot more older American fighter is better than Chinese new one… Agree on BVR ratings but I think F-18 SH also deserve rating “excellent” like other aircraft: Rafale, Typhooon, Su-30MKI… It was one old but excellent fighter…
2. J-10 will outperform Super Hornet in BVR also, PL-12 missile is better than US AIM-120 and also J-10 radar is good as American APG-79… Also J-10 has better service ceiling so it can attack from top.
3. DO not underestimate Chinese airplanes, they use technology and materials as Russians and some western countries… Lot of parts for western fighters were produced in China…
J-10 vs F-18E Super Hornet Flight Cost Per Hour
Overall and BVR ratings
| CATEGORY | CHENGDU J-10 | F/A-18E/F SUPER HORNET |
| BVR Rating | 75% | 83% |
| Armament | 7.5/10 | 7.9/10 |
| Technology | 7.5/10 | 8.9/10 |
| Avionics | 8.0/10 | 9.0/10 |
| Maneuverability | 8.6/10 | 7.8/10 |
| Rate of Climb | max. 300 m/s – 60k ft/min | max. 228 m/s – 44k ft/min |
| Thrust/Weight | 1.08 | 1.03 |
| Service Ceiling | 18 km – 59k ft | 15 km – 50k ft |
| Speed | 2.00 Mach | 1.80 Mach |
| Fuel Economy | 0.76 km/l – 1.79 NM/gallon | 0.60 km/l – 1.21 NM/gallon |
| Unit Cost | 35.000.000 USD | 80.000.000 USD |
| Overall Rating | very good | very good |
BVR (Beyond Visual Range) Ratings
| CATEGORY | CHENGDU J-10 | F/A-18E/F SUPER HORNET |
| BVR AAM missile | PL-12 AAM | AIM-120 AMRAAM |
| AAM origin | China | USA |
| Year | in 2002 | in 1997 |
| Range (mile) | 62 | 45 |
| Range (km) | 100 | 75 |
| Speed (mph) | 2640 | 2640 |
| Speed (km/h) | 4248 | 4248 |
| Radar | T 1473 H | AN/APG-79 |
| Radar overall rating | very good | excellent |
| BVR Technology | 75% | 83% |
| BVR Def. Tech. | 75% | 80% |
| RCS – Radar Cross Section | 0.5-1.5 | 1.0-2.5 |
Dogfight (close to medium range) Ratings
| CATEGORY | CHENGDU J-10 | F/A-18E/F SUPER HORNET |
| Cannon | GSh-23 | M61A1 Vulcan |
| Caliber (mm) | 23 mm | 20 mm |
| Rate of Fire (rpm) | 3600 rpm | 6000 rpm |
| Muzzle Velocity | 715 m/s | 1050 m/s |
| Size Point 10%-30% | 30% | 20% |
| Maneuverability | 8,6 | 7,8 |
| Thrust/Weight Ratio | 1,08 | 1.03 |
| AAM (first) | PL-9 | AIM-7 Sparrow |
| Operational range | 0.2 – 25 km | 0.2 – 50 km |
| AAM (second) | PL-8 | AIM-9 Sidewinder |
| Operational range | 0.2 – 20 km | 0.5 – 30 km |
| Dogfight Rating | 58% | 57% |
Size Comparison
| CATEGORY | CHENGDU J-10 | F/A-18E/F SUPER HORNET |
| Length | 15.49 m (50.82 ft) | 18.4 m – 60.1 ft |
| Wingspan | 9.75 m (31.99 ft) | 13.65 m – 45 ft 0 in |
| Wing area | 39.1 m² (355 sq ft) | 46.5 m² – 500 sq ft |
| Height | 5.43 m – 17 ft 7 in | 4.88 m – 16.0 ft |
| Weight | 9,750 kg – 21k lb | 14,500 kg – 32,0k lb |
| Power | 1 x 130 kN – 29,0k lbf | 2 x 97 kN – 22k lbf |