From the F16 Viper to the JF-17 Thunder, do light fighters still have a role to play?

If Defense news today gives pride of place to heavy or medium combat aircraft, such as the F35, the Rafale or the Su-35, lighter fighters continue to make up a significant portion of the world's fighter fleets.

Economical to purchase as well as to use, these aircraft allow countries without great means to equip themselves with air capabilities and the largest nations to expand their fleets to be able to respond to all requests and scenarios. operational.

In this article, we will present some of the light fighters in current or future equipment in the air forces, to know their main characteristics, assets and differentiating points, but also to determine what roles these aircraft play in the military operational range. , today and for years to come.

China: Chengdu J-10C

Entered into service in 2003, the Chengdu J-10 was, in many respects, the first modern fighter of Chinese manufacture, and gave the start of the rise of the country's aeronautical industry.

16,9 m long with a wingspan of 9,8 meters, the J-10 has an estimated empty mass of around 9 tonnes, and a maximum take-off mass almost six tonnes higher. The Chinese “Dragon Vigorous” have until now been powered by a Klimov AL-31FN engine, a licensed version of the Russian AL-31F turbojet.

But several snaps released this year show that the new devices will soon take over the locally produced WS-10B engine, more powerful and more modern according to the Chinese authorities.

The most advanced version, the J-10C, entered service in 2004, and benefits from numerous improvements, in particular an AESA active antenna radar as well as an IRST frontal infrared detector, avionics as well as a modernized self-protection system.

Additionally, the device can implementPL-10 short-range air-to-air missile and especially the new long-range air-to-air missile PL-15, given to have a range of 250 km. The J-10C can also implement numerous air-to-ground armaments, ranging from the YJ-9 anti-tank missile to the LT-2 laser-guided bomb, through anti-radiation and anti-ship missiles, as well as different pods.

Long presented as resulting from an unofficial Israeli technology transfer given its resemblance to the Lavi program, the J-10 is in fact derived from the J-9 program, of which it takes the delta canard configuration, much earlier than the Lavi.

Produced to date in more than 450 units, including nearly 150 in the C version, the J-10 is the most equipped modern aircraft in the Chinese air forces. On the other hand, for the moment he does not have never been exported, despite a given public unit price of around $30 million.

The fact remains that with this aircraft, Beijing has equipped itself with an effective challenger against the American F-16 and French Mirage 2000, identified as its main potential opponents in Taiwan or India. Given the pace of mass production in the Chinese aeronautical industry, it is likely thata new light fighter is already under development, and should see the light of day around 2030.

South Korea / Indonesia: KAI FA-50 Golden Eagle

The first combat aircraft produced by the South Korean aviation industry, the FA-50 Golden Eagle is a light supersonic fighter derived from a training and attack model, the T-50, the design of which began at the start of the 90s jointly with Indonesia.

By this particular ancestry, the “golden dragon” is the smallest and lightest of the devices in this panel, with a length of only 13 meters and a wingspan of 9,4 meters, for an empty mass of 6,4 tonnes. and a maximum takeoff weight of 12,3 tonnes.

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