On 21 December, the Ministry of National Defence of the People’s Republic of China released images showing a J-10 fighter jet attached to an aviation brigade of the air force under the PLA Southern Theater Command during night flight training exercise.

The exercise is aimed to enhance the pilots’ all-time combat capability.

The J-10 is a  first Chinese-developed combat aircraft that approaches Western fighters in terms of performance and capabilities. In the West, the J-10 aircraft is known as the Vigorous Dragon.

The first native fourth-generation J-10 aircraft was unveiled by the air force in April 2010. Four J-10 fighter jets were showcased by the 24th fighter division of AFPLA.