Cast members promote the upcoming film "Jian Shi Chu Ji" ("J-10's Sortie") in air force uniform at a press conference in Beijing on June 1, 2009. Picture 5: China's homemade J-10 fighter. [sina.com.cn]

One year after its world-stunning public debut, China's homemade J-10 fighter jet will make head onto a new battlefield - the silver screen.

"Jian Shi Chu Ji" (literally "J-10's Sortie"), a star-studded film depicting the lives of J-10 pilots, began filming on Monday in Beijing. It is scheduled for release this November, exactly one year after the J-10 aircraft wowed international audiences at the 2008 Zhuhai Air Show.

Actress Huang Yi, who says joining the air force was a childhood dream, will play a captain-ranking maintainer of J-10 jets. The male leads are Wang Ban and Li Guangjie, who both will play J-10 pilots.

Although the film touches on a love triangle, it will be more like a "military action blockbuster" than a love picture, according to director Ning Haiqiang.

The director is scouting out a strong visual-effects team to ensure his film fully demonstrates the J-10's high-performance aerial capabilities.

The J-10 fighter is a multi-role, all-weather combat aircraft designed for both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. It attracted worldwide attention and received rave reviews after its performance in November, 2008 when it was unveiled for the first time to the public at the Zhuhai Air Show.

(CRI June 2, 2009)