Red Dragon ‘Flankers’: China’s Prolific ‘Flanker’ Family
253 pages
Dr James Bosbotinis
Red Dragon ‘Flankers’ immediately appealed to this reviewer, as one closely follows Chinese military developments, and being familiar with Andreas Rupprecht’s publications, expected a well-researched and detailed treatment of the subject matter, and was not disappointed. Rupprecht has written several excellent books on Chinese airpower, and is also a correspondent for Janes, as well as a respected commentator on Chinese military aviation development: he is thus well-placed to provide an account of China’s acquisition of the Sukhoi Su-27 and variants, plus its indigenous efforts to further develop the aircraft. In this regard, the path China followed with, initially, the acquisition of Su-27s from Russia, then licensed production, and subsequently, indigenous developments, provides a valuable case study into wider Chinese military and industrial modernisation efforts. As the author highlights on page 31, with regard to a 2002 report on China’s CCTV showing for the first time, license-built J-11s, “Even more interesting was that the aircraft were shown in close-up for the first time, revealing the superior fit and finish of the Chinese-made ‘Flankers’ in contrast to the Russian ones. Some commentators noted that this was due to the purchase of state-of-the-air precision machinery for manufacturing and assembly.”
As the author explains, the purpose of this book is to “introduce the Chinese side of the ‘Flanker’ story, explaining something of the historical, political and operational background”, as well as setting out “why Chinese ‘Flankers’ are different and why they evolved as they did…”. Interestingly, Rupprecht notes in his Introduction a significant shift in People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) doctrine, highlighted by the evolving employment of its Flankers, “At first the PLAAF fully embraced the Soviet path…the current Chinese ‘Flankers’ – as far as we can tell – are operated in a way that’s much closer to the US Air Force than the Russia [sic] military”. Across five chapters, the book examines the single-seat and related two-seater variants of the Su-27, Su-35 and J-11, two-seat multi-role/strike and electronic warfare variants, namely the S-30MKK and J-16, and of most interest to NR members, the carrier-borne J-15, as well as weapons/stores, and PLAAF and People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Naval Aviation service. The latter provides a detailed order of battle. An appendix providing a recognition guide is also included.
The depth of research the author has undertaken is clear: Rupprecht’s account of the evolution of the various Flankervariants in Chinese service is highly detailed and ably covers the role of the aircraft in both PLAAF and PLAN Naval Aviation service, ashore and from the carriers Liaoning and Shandong. In this context, the chapter on ‘Carrier-borne Fighter and Related Variants’ provides a most useful overview of the J-15’s development, including the latest J-15B which will operate from China’s first catapult-equipped carrier, Fujian, and operational experience thus far.
Whilst not an academic book, Red Dragon ‘Flankers’ includes endnotes and a bibliography. Moreover, as is the standard with Harpia books, Red Dragon ‘Flankers’ features an excellent selection of photographs, plus a valuable recognition guide to the various Flanker variants discussed, and tables with an accompanying map relating to the order of battle. The book is well-written and highly engaging; there are some typos but those are principally due to English not being the author’s first language. Red Dragon ‘Flankers’ will be particularly useful to those with an interest in Chinese airpower, including the development of its aircraft carrier force, Sino-Russian military cooperation, and China’s wider military modernisation. It should also appeal to those with a more general interest in military aviation. Red Dragon ‘Flankers’ is highly recommended.
