Sources with the Air Force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) said Friday that it has been equipped with China-made new-generation fighter aircraft, the Jian-10, or Fighter-10.

An Air Force officer told Xinhua the force's "overall battle effectiveness has been noticeably enhanced" after being equipped with the aircraft and through intensive drills and training.

He disclosed that Jian-10 was capable of launching "precision attacks while hedgehopping and making long-distance assaults at altitude above 10,000 meters". Air fleet drills have also been successfully carried out, he said.

The Information Office of the State Council also said on Friday in a white paper on national defence: "The Air Force is working to build an 'informationized' air fighting force with both offensive and defensive capabilities.

"It is reducing the number of combat aircraft, giving priority to the development of new fighters as well as air and missile defense weapons," it said.

The military sources have never revealed the specifications of Jian-10, but foreign observers have said it is comparable to mainstream fighter aircraft in the West.

Source: Xinhua