Stars of skies at world's top airshows

Big rivals

A380:
Passenger capacity:
525 people in normal three-class layout;853 passengers in an all-economy-class layout.

Wingspan: 79.8 m

Height: 24.45 m

Range at design load: 15,400 km

Boeing 787
Passenger capacity:
It seats 210 to 290 people, depending on variant.

Wingspan:
60.0 m

Height:
16.9 m

Range fully loaded:
14,800–15,700 km

Sharp fighters  

      Rafale fighter

Introduced in 2000, the Rafale is being produced for both the French Air Force and for carrier-based operations in the French Navy. It has also been marketed for export to several countries, including selection by the Indian Air Force. The Rafale has been used in combat over Afghanistan and Libya.

    Su-27 jets fly at airshow


The Su-27 was intended as a direct competitor for the large US fighters, with 3,530-kilometre range, heavy armament, sophisticated avionics and high manoeuvrability. Complementing the smaller MiG-29, the Su-27's closest US counterpart is the F-15 Eagle.

The F-15 is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in dogfights. The Eagle first flew in July 1972, and entered service in 1976. The F-15 is expected to be in service with the US Air Force past 2025.

The MiG-29 is designed in the Soviet Union for an air superiority role. Developed in the 1970s, it entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1983, and remains in use by the Russian Air Force as well as in many other nations.

Sky balletdancers

China's performers 

As a third-generation fighter in the world, the single-seated J-10 reserves many independent intellectual property rights for its Chinese developers and manufacturers especially for its high-agility aerodynamic layout with its delta wings and a pair of canards.  

The Comac C919 is a planned family of 168-190 seat narrow-body airliners to be built by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac).

JF-17 Thunder in Pakistan, is a Pakistan-China joint production designed as a replacement for several existing types of fighter jets including RSK Mic-21, Dassault Mirage 5, Northrop F-5 as well as the homemade Nanchang A-5 and Chengdu F-7.