The J-4 (known in Chinese client as MiG-17 米格-17) represented the batches of MiG-17 brought from Soviet Union before they were locally produced as J-5 (歼-5). As part of the 156 Key Projects, Soviet Union confirmed to license MiG-17 to Factory 112 (SAC) in 1953; the complete technical drawings, 2 MiG-17, 15 CKD kits and parts for around 10 jets were then delivered to Mainland China in 1955. The first of these jets took off to the skies in 1956/7/19 as the first jet Mainland China has assembled and soon joined PLAAF with some victories over ROCAF during the heat of Taiwan Strait Crisis. While it soon became the very first prey of AIM-9B on 1958/9/24 with Wang Zizhong (王自重) becoming the very first victim of AAM in combat history, MiG-17 and J-5 still served PLAAF humbly for more than 4 decades before later jets like J-6/7/8 eventually replaced them alongside with the MiG-15bis still in PLAAF service. Some of these jets were also aided to North Korea, Viet Cong and Albania etc., with KPAAF being the only known user up to this date.

Introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision" alongside with the Chinese tech-tree, the "J-4" a Chinese version of the MiG-17 and performs identically to it. Although it looks very similar to MiG-15 series, the more powerful engine, extra pair of wing fence and higher swept angle for the wing gives away the identity of J-4; while the jet will be in trouble if enemy jets come with AAMs like AIM-9B or R-3S and players didn't aware of their existence, but having high situation awareness to the battlefield and utilizing the airframe at lower air speeds (the control column is not design for speeds above 900 km/h) in dogfights will make sure most enemy jets face their end rather soon with the devastating firepower onboard; alternatively taking J-4 as a makeshift attacker is viable but requires extensive trainings to get used to the characteristics of the ground-attacking armaments.