J-10B Fighter Demonstrates Thrust-Vectoring Supermaneuverability at Airshow China

Photos from Chinese state-owned media capture the J-10B’s aerobatics performance during Airshow China 2018.

November 15, 2018

William Kucinski

For Chinese aerospace and defense firms, the biennial China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, China, is considered the only place to debut the latest and greatest hardware. During the last exhibition in 2016, China debuted the fifth-generation Chengdu Aircraft Industrial Group J-20 stealth fighter – China’s response to American fifth-generation fighters like the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lighting II – with a brief flyby during the opening ceremony.

(Image source: Xinhua News Agency)

This year, at the exhibition, commonly known as Airshow China, a Chengdu twinjet J-10B multirole fighter demonstrated the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation ’s WS-10G thrust-vectoring turbofan engine with an aerobatics demonstration that included the Pugachev’s Cobra maneuver. The new thrust-vectoring engine – China’s first – increases the J-10B’s agility and could give the fighter an edge when evading threats or engaging enemy aircraft.

To following images from the Xinhua News Agency , a Chinese state-owned media organization, capture the J-10B’s performance at Airshow China 2018.

Read more: SAE International’s full coverage on the J-10B and the new thrust-vectoring engine

William Kucinski is content editor at SAE International, Aerospace Products Group in Warrendale, Pa. Previously, he worked as a writer at the NASA Safety Center in Cleveland, Ohio and was responsible for writing the agency’s System Failure Case Studies. His interests include literally anything that has to do with space, past and present military aircraft, and propulsion technology.

Contact him regarding any article or collaboration ideas by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..