J-35A fighter (PLAAF) + FC-31

[Squadson]

For starters, the smaller wings of the J35A can't be good on the number of hardpoints. It's likely that calculations show more than 4 hardpoints on J35A damages the airflow too much to fly efficiently.

Is there any possibility that the J-35A will have wingtip hardpoints?

 

[lcloo]

Is there any possibility that the J-35A will have wingtip hardpoints?

Not likely, as wing tip hard point plus a missile will give away the aircraft's stealth before the aircraft enters WVR combat zone.

 

[Squadson]

Not likely, as wing tip hard point plus a missile will give away the aircraft's stealth before the aircraft enters WVR combat zone.

Doesn’t it already lose its stealth characteristics once it enters enemy airspace carrying glide bombs on its underwing hardpoints? Don’t you think it’s somewhat strange, given that we have often seen a 6×6 hardpoint configuration presented as the primary loadout for stealth fighters?

 

[Blitzo]

Doesn’t it already lose its stealth characteristics once it enters enemy airspace carrying glide bombs on its underwing hardpoints? Don’t you think it’s somewhat strange, given that we have often seen a 6×6 hardpoint configuration presented as the primary loadout for stealth fighters?

We have seen nothing about what J-35A's specific external load/pylon configuration is -- additionally there is nothing that makes a "6x6 hard point configuration" (whatever that means) as the "primary loadout" for stealth fighters in general.

In other words, based on what we have seen for J-35A there does not appear to have provisions for external wingtip equivalent pylons (which I presume you mean outboard underwing pylons rather than actual wingtip pylons like on some 4th generation aircraft).

If you mean actual proper wingtip pylons, then no that is likely not viable for the same reason other 5th generation aircraft do not have actual pylons on their wings... Because the structural provisions needed to accommodate a pylon in that location are likely not conducive to signature reduction even if the aircraft was not equipped with a pylon to begin with.

 

[siegecrossbow]

Not likely, as wing tip hard point plus a missile will give away the aircraft's stealth before the aircraft enters WVR combat zone.

Technically F-35 does it.

 

[A.Man]

Deino, we just got a stealth fighter:

 

[Gloire_bb]

Technically F-35 does it.

Not only technically, Polish Gerbera hubris highlighted this capability as quite an important one.
F-35s used sidewinders many times over Red Sea and ME, too.

 

[lcloo]

F-35 can be fitted with LAU-151/A external rail launchers to increase its missile payloads, especially useful to shoot the hundreds of incoming Iranian cruise missiles and drones attacking Israel. External launchers became necessary to increase missile payloads due to the huge number of drones.

However, note that F-35 does not have a pylon on its wing tip, the external missile launchers and the pylons were under the wing. Though F-35C has a hardpoint under the wing very close to the wing tip, but that is not a true wing tip pylon.

 

[Deino]

Deino, we just got a stealth fighter:View attachment 168378

Where ist this from? And what‘s the connection to the J-35???

 

[mshrief303]

Brazil doesn't have a need for such an aircraft though. They don't need stealth fighters. Most Latin American militaries aren't of high "quality", and Brazil already has the the best military in Latin America qualitatively speaking by far. Even some J-10CEs would comfortably be a more advanced and powerful aircraft than anything any other Latin American AF possesses.

That's should be in the export thread, but Brazil main threat is the US, and that's the same for all latin america.

Also, Brazil - like others - have suffered a lot from US sanctions in technology, so breaking that barrier by buying 5th gen fighter is of interest to them. And as an example, Brazil request for nuclear propulsion for their navy is very old and continuous till this day.