April 25,2008:
Russia has threatened China with litigation if Chinese copies of Russian
Su-27 fighters are exported. China calls this Su-27 clone the J-11. Originally,
China had a license to build the Su-27. Only a hundred aircraft were build
under this license, when the deal was dropped four years ago. But China
continued Su-27 production, calling it
the J11. Actually, this aircraft is a Chinese upgrade of the original Su-27.
Russia also has its own Su-27 upgrades, but the J11 uses almost all Chinese
parts. Many of these Chinese components are illegal copies of Russian
technology. Russia isn't happy about either, and is mustering its lawyers for a
showdown.