I think this article has mistake. It is the unofficial sources that are describing the AL-31FN engine which may or may not be true. and the second is that official source is saying that these engines are meant for Su-27 aka J-11 not J-10 and the rest of english media attributed this to J-10. AL-31FN may be a misprint instead of AL-31F

This one is a 2004 article.

MOSCOW. Jan 6 (Interfax-AVN) – The Moscow-based Salyut Engineering Production Enterprise will have completed deliveries of AL-31FN aircraft engines to China by late January, a source in the Russian defense industry told Interfax-Military News Agency on Tuesday. “Under the contract, Salyut is to deliver a batch of 54 AL- 31FN engines to be fitted on the SU-27 Flanker fighters to China over a period of two years. Chinese experts visited Moscow in December to accept the last batch of aircraft power plants. All engines are expected to be delivered to China by late January,” the source said. According to him, China does not intend to procure the AL- 31FN production license. “China has bought the license to overhaul AL-31F engines, mounted on SU-27SK Flanker and SU-30MKK Flanker aircraft, but overhaul of all AL-31FN engines is to be carried out in Russia,” the source said. According to unofficial sources, the AL-31FN aircraft engine, featuring a low unit layout, is designed to be mounted on Chinese single-engine aircraft. The contract envisions aircraft engine after-sales services and maintenance and is to be in force until 2005, with the possibility of extending the contract provided for. The AL-31FN boasts the same maximum afterburner thrust as the baseline AL-31F, which totals 12,500 kg. Its specific fuel consumption is 0.685 kg/kgf.h. The engine’s dry weight equals 1,547 kg, while its guaranteed service life is 500 hours, and the specified service life is 1,500 hours.

AVIC-2 is J-11 and AVIC-1 is J-10 is that correct.
this feature section of Flight. it is i think more carefully edited than news section.

Flight International (May 23, 2006):
Specialising in AL-31F production (along with UMPO), Moscow-based Salyut established its own design house and achieved considerable success improving the powerplant. In 2002 the company launched an AL-31 improvement programme aimed at increasing thrust from 12t to 13.5 and then to 14t-15t.

Salyut has bench- and flight-tested AL-31F derivatives with a larger fan providing 20% more airflow and new low- and high-pressure compressors. The Russian air force says it favours Salyut upgrade solutions to Saturn’s and has allocated funding for completion of compressor testing, but refused to accept the larger fan because it would entail serious structural changes to the Sukhoi Su-27.

Salyut-built AL-31s are now qualified for 1,500h time between overhauls (total life 3,000h) as opposed to 1,000h (total life 2,000h) for UMPO-built AL-31FP thrust-vectored engines powering the Indian air force’s Su-30MKIs.

Salyut is also offering the 29,000lb-thrust AL-31FM-1 for Russia’s future Su-35BM intermediate fighter, with an upgraded compressor, full-authority digital engine control and an option for a swivelling nozzle.

This engine is undergoing flight tests on a Su-27LL flying testbed, which are due to be completed by June 2006. Salyut hopes the modified engine will be selected by China to modernise its fleet of Su-27/Su-30s.

Under a deal with Klimov, Salyut used KliVT thrust vector technology to produce a version of the AL-31F for the China’s AVIC1 J-10 multirole fighter. Salyut has delivered 54 engines to AVIC2 and in 2005 Salyut concluded a $550 million deal on another batch of 180 AL-31Fs for AVIC2-built Su-27SKs (J-11 in China). The contract is divided between Salyut and UMPO. The former is to supply 100 engines in 2006, while UPMO is expected to deliver 80 engines in 2007-8.

A second contract worth $350 million is for 100 AL-31FNs for the J-10. The first 60 have already been delivered, while the second batch of 40 engines is to be supplied by September. China is expected to order a further 400-500 engines from Salyut.

In May 2005 Salyut signed a three-year agreement worth $100 million with China for delivery of spare parts for AL-31F engines

BTW, why do I have to take religiously any claim made by Russian company but in the same time dismiss as PR bull**** anything American companies are saying about their products?

Because russia are more open for others to verify there claim. and have already have exported the system which show extreme confident they have about there product and have even bought it for themselves despite meagre resources at that time. this is the most recent one

He pointed out that the potential customers are mostly interested in the Protivnik-GE and Nebo SVU radars. The latter can detect even STEALTH aircraft, and is invulnerable to anti-radiation missiles. It is unrivalled in the world in many terms.
A presentation of Russian radars is planned to take place within the framework of the arms show in Buenos Aires.
BUENOS AIRES. Sept 28 (Interfax-AVN)

Do you think the USAF tested the Raptor against 1950 metric radars???? I just pointed that metric radars are not the last news in da hood.

so how can they know what research is going in other countries. this part of there S-400 system and have won state prize with 40 innovations. and has already been exported.

The new radar makes it possible to control airspace over a radius of 300 km. Not even small objects can escape detection. Even a football flying over a stadium. It operates in all weather conditions, according to Nebo’s developers. It can even see through storm clouds. In many respects there is nothing like it in the world. And it can detect stealth-technology planes
The project has been called a triumph over common sense

Less than 15% of the stealth of the F 22 come from the RAM coating; the rest derives from other things like the shape or the material the Raptor is built. BTW metric radars are not something new; in fact they are among the oldest 😀 the Raptor was tested against and nothing hepened…

did i post the whole article?
this is not the 50 era metric radar.

How is Mig-31 going to fire S300/400 ??

u have to read where this capability is going and what has been achieved.

provided that there is detection from A2A radars and the other side doesnt have comparable Sensor sensor-weapons combo !! The KS172 still has to be guided onto a F-22 and must be able to track a target !!

The F-22’s supercruise is only part of the puzzle when it comes to defeating High threat enviroments – the other aspects are extremely Low RCS , High situational awareness and SO weaponry such as LOCAAS,SMACM and SDB !!

there concept of 5th generation is different. very long range missiles is important part of it. with ability to guide from every thing in battlespace. supercruise does not figure in yet.

[Aleksandr Zachepetskiy, chief designer of Nizhniy Novgorod Radiotechnology Research and Development Institute] These [Stealth] coatings are effective against 10-cm and adjacent wavebands. But what we’re talking about here is 1.5 metres, against which the coatings are not effective. Incidentally, I once met representatives of the US Department of Defence. I suggested a contest between our radar station and their Stealth. But they didn’t want to. Understandably so if it had wrecked their project.

the same low TWR is of Gripen and Rafale.
Gripen. 6.6 ton empty weight, 2.3 ton fuel, .6 ton weopons= 9.5 tons. with only 8 tons engine.

Rafale. 10 ton empty, 4.5 ton fuel, .6 tons weopons= 15 tons with 15 ton engine. but twin engine takes more fuel than single one.
J-10 design philosphy is more along the above lines

F-16 is smaller airframe. those canards also add weight. so even if its weight is comparable to F-16C (8.5tons) in relation to its size . it will still be heavier than F-16C just because it is big with bigger nose, wing area etc. so 9 ton weight can easily be crossed. so 9.7 ton is reasonable from the article.
Designer would have taken amount of fuel burned during takeoff phase.
F-16 3.2 tons internal capacity was sufficient for lighter F-16A but not for heavier F-16C. I would be surprized if J-10 starts with F-16A fuel capacity while weighing more than F-16C.

That is an attack aircraft not a dedicated AD fighter !!

so attack aircraft does not need supercruise but AD fighter needs it?

But with the external racks and fuel tanks out go your Stealth features !!

there must be some other way of self protection instead of stealth. u cannot put that every one should follow stealth.