Shenyang fighter jets rejected because of technical problems

The People's Liberation Army Air Force has rejected a new batch of Jian-11B fighter jets manufactured by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation due to technical problems, the latest edition of the Canadian-based Kanwa Asian Defence Monthly reported.

Kanwa said the jets, completed last year, had vibrated abnormally during pre-delivery checks. It did not say when the checks took place. The air force was still negotiating with Shenyang, one of the mainland's key aircraft manufacturers, about the problem, it said.

Kanwa aviation technology analyst Yuri Baksov said he believed the vibration could have been caused by problems with the advanced fly-by-wire system or engine failure. The rejected jets, the second batch of Jian-11Bs, are fitted with Russian-made AL31F engines.