China's fighter plane makes forced landing

Diplomats said that the incident underscored the problems the PLA has had developing an engine for the fighter. "They will be very disappointed by this,” one said.The J-10, which China has taken about 20 years to make, was on a training exercise with deputy regiment air force commander Li Feng at the controls. He tried to exercise a tricky manoeuvre at an altitude of 4,500 metres when the engine failed, state media reported. Realising the the jet could lose power at any time, he requested permission to return.Related LinksStiill seven kilometers from the airfield, the engine stopped and the jet began to lose altitude at a rate of 25 metres per second. The pilot succeeded in gliding the fighter onto the runway without power. The rear parachute also failed, but he succeeded in bringing the fighter to a halt after taxiing for some 1,400 metres down the runway.

The entire landing took 104 seconds, state television said. The success of the pilot may have influenced their decision to broadcast the landing.One aviation expert said that the skill of the pilot should not be underestimated. He said: “A fighter jet glides like a soggy brick.”It was the first reported incident involving the J-10 since it was unveiled with great fanfare before an international audience at the Zhuhai air show in southern China last November. It received several impressive reviews of its performance at the time. Vladimir Karnozov, a Mosco-based aerospace journalist, wrote a blog calling the J-10 the real deal. He said: “The pilot did none of the show tricks like post-stall or tail slide or pitch-back, but turns were very tight, initial rate of turn very high. It was clear there is a lot of potential in this airplane to achieve the same maneuvers more quickly. “However, diplomats said question marks still hung over the plane, which has taken some 20 years to develop. Most involve its engine.All the J-10 fighters built so far are believed to be powered by a single Russian-built turbofan engine, the AL-31F. Diplomats said that there had been problems adapting the plane and the engine to fit, adding that the use of a Russian engine could affect Chinese plans to sell the jet overseas.

China already has an order for 40 of the fighters from Pakistan.They said that China was keen to install its own engine in the aircraft but so far this had not been possible. Chinese media said last year that the PLA had finally developed an indigenous turbojet engine called the WS-10A, or "Taihang", as it is known commercially, and had started installing it in the J-10.Chinese-made engines are currently used in the twin-engine J-8, which is based on the design of the Russian Sukhoi-15 fighter, but these are still being adapted to the far more rigorous demands of a single-engine jet.

The Chinese engine is believed to take twice as long as the Russian one to reach the same level of performance: the lag of up to one minute could mean the difference between life or death for a pilot needing to restart his engine or eject. The aviation expert said: “These single-engine fighters are often known as widow-makers.”Experts said that China was apparently still trying to adapt its domestic engines to power the J-10. Its programme faces additional urgency since the PLA may be keen to use fully homemade fighters once it builds its own aircraft carrier. Several senior officers have indicated China’s construction of such a group is now only a matter of time.

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