China's new top gun

Posted By Travis Daub Monday, January 22, 2007 - 1:22 PM Share

Powered by Chinese engines and firing Chinese precision−guided missiles, the locally built Jian−10 has "allowed China to become the fourth country in the world" to have developed such a capability, "narrowing the gap with advanced nations," boasted Geng Ruguang, deputy general manager of the plane's manufacturer, Avic−I.

The latest fruit of a military modernization drive that has produced an indigenous Chinese nuclear attack submarine, early warning aircraft, frigates and destroyers, cruise missiles, and computerized command and control systems, the Jian−10 is "a decisive step by China toward becoming an aviation power," the official Xinhua news agency declared.

- The Christian Science Monitor

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