Highlights of the joint Thai-China “Falcon Strike 2015” Exercise

I got a copy of the May 2016 issue of Air Forces Monthly which provided some information about the joint Thailand-China “Falcon Strike 2015” Exercise, and below are the highlights of that article:

* Before the exercise, a Thai Pilot flew a J-10 Vigorous Dragon in China while a Chinese Pilot flew a JAS-39 Gripen in Thailand.

* Thailand asked permission first from the Swedish Air Force and Saab before they fielded the Gripens against the Chinese aircraft, and both agreed but sent Observers and Advisers to the exercise.

* China deployed four Su-27 and two J-11 Flankers while Thailand fielded five Gripen aircraft. The Thais did not use their Saab 340 Erieye Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft during the exercise.

* The Thais seemed in awe of the Chinese Pilots which they described as better than any of the Western Pilots they had come up against until that time.

* The Su-27 and J-11 used analogue technology (the Chinese used the early versions of the aircraft) and were at a big disadvantage during Beyond Visual Range (BVR) engagements. Both sides took “losses” in the exercise, but in one unnamed scenario, the Gripen scored a 4:0 win against the Chinese.

Other source articles confirm that the Su-27 used by China in the Exercise was the Su-27SK, an early version Russian export model of the Flanker that was assembled in China. As for the J-11, it probably was the J-11A, an early version of China’s copy of the Su-27SK.

You can buy a copy of the issue thru your PC, Android or IOS thru links provided on the webpage below:
https://shop.keypublishing.com/issue/View/issue/AFM338/airforces-monthly-may-2016

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