A J-10 fighter jet takes off. Photo: Courtesy of Aviation Industry Corporation of China/Zhu Peng

In the history of Chinese aviation, the Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), codenamed 611 Institute, is undoubtedly a prestigious name. It is here that China's iconic fighter jets such as the J-10 and J-20, which safeguard the nation's skies, were born. Following the remarkable performance of the J-10CE in foreign military air combat, renewed public interest has been sparked in the development of the Chengdu Institute and the stories behind its cutting-edge fighter aircraft. Recently, the Global Times conducted exclusive interviews with researchers at the institute who have participated in the development of advanced fighter jets.

Among Chinese military aviation enthusiasts, there has long been talk of a mysterious aircraft known as the J-9. This previously unseen fighter jet once carried great expectations and is believed to have paved the way for the birth of the J-10. During the interviews, the Global Times learned that not only did the J-9 genuinely exist, but it also marked the starting point of the Chengdu Institute's journey of self-reliant innovation.

In May 1970, a mysterious train carrying more than 300 people quietly departed from Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, and headed south toward Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province. The passengers on this secretive train formed the J-9 Team, dispatched to advance the development of the J-9 aircraft. After arriving in Chengdu, the team settled at the former site of an Air Force flight school, which later became the Chengdu Institute.

Although the J-9 project ultimately never took to the skies due to various practical constraints of the time, its development nonetheless left a valuable legacy for both the Chengdu Institute and China's aviation industry.

The first key feature of the legacy of the J-9 is the canard configuration - a layout that has become a hallmark of Chinese fighter design, a researcher at the institute told the Global Times.

As performance requirements for the J-9 evolved, researchers at the Chengdu Institute engaged in repeated discussions over the aircraft's technical layout. In response to the demands at the time, they proposed a novel idea: adding a small forewing ahead of the tailless main wing to improve the aircraft's lift characteristics. This marked the inception of the canard configuration.

"This layout had no precedent either in China or among technologically advanced nations like the US and the Soviet Union," Xie Pin, a veteran researcher at the Chengdu Institute, recalled with a smile. "At the time, the only vaguely similar design internationally was Sweden's Saab 37, but its canards were fixed. Ours was an original innovation."

Xie further explained that although the J-9 program was eventually terminated, the canard configuration was carried forward into later aircraft models such as the J-10 and J-20, where it was further developed and its advantages fully realized.

The second legacy brought by the J-9 aircraft was the interception weapon system. Researchers at the institute explained that, at the time, aviation technology leaders like the US and the Soviet Union had already begun transitioning to beyond-visual-range air combat. However, in China, the J-8, which was developed around the same era as the J-9, was still designed with a gun as its primary weapon, while missiles were treated only as secondary armaments. In contrast, the Chengdu Institute team developed a dedicated interception weapon system for the J-9 during its development, making it the aircraft's main operational weapon system.

"As a latecomer, this was a crucial step in our later exploration of beyond-visual-range air combat," Xie said. He also noted that these significant research achievements led Song Wencong, the chief designer of the J-10, to say that without the J-9 as a foundation, there would have been no J-7 Ⅲ or J-10.

In the first half of this year, China's made-for-export J-10CE achieved a remarkable combat record in an air combat by foreign military, shooting down multiple enemy aircraft without suffering a single loss. This outstanding performance has once again made the J-10's development history a hot topic among military enthusiasts. In fact, the development of the J-10 is a legendary tale, vividly embodying the spirit of self-reliance and perseverance in China's aviation industry.

Xie said that during the development of the J-9, the Chengdu Institute successfully developed the interception weapon system. However, at the time, it was unclear how this system should be employed in actual combat. "So, I submitted a proposal to the institute," he said, "recommending the establishment of a specialized tactical performance and future development research group dedicated to studying air combat tactics and the evolution of future aircraft."

The core mission of such teams was pre-research and development. Today, most military enthusiasts are familiar with China's aircraft development principle of "upgrading one generation, developing another, and conducting advanced research on the next." But even back then, the Chengdu Institute had already institutionalized this approach in its practices of research and development.

Xie recalled that after the J-9 project was terminated, Song instructed the tactical performance and future development research group to brainstorm new concepts with an open mind, encouraging all innovative ideas. Song mandated the team to produce several new fighter design proposals annually for potential selection. These early conceptual studies ultimately laid crucial groundwork for the subsequent development of both the J-10 and J-20 projects.