Well, having dual seater J-35A will increase sales significantly. Every mid & high tier air force are going to introduce manned-unmanned teaming sooner or later.
J-35A fighter (PLAAF) + FC-31
- Thread starter ACuriousPLAFan
- Start date
that's what you get when you comment while half-sleeping. can't delete that section now.
well, atleast the need of an investor to fund this variant is still the same as long as china doesn't do it fo its need.
Apart from my incoherent previous reply and confusing it with other single engine fighters.
yes it well be better for MUM-T to have a twin-seater variant.
And buying the current variants and benefiting from china's scale will allow buyers to buy a good number of aircrafts for a value that someway accessible -- Say 50 or 75. Later they can buy a complementry twin-seater varaint like 24 units or something.
If the PLAN sees MUM-T for the J-35 as manageable from a single-seat cockpit with AI assistance (or via off-board operators on the carrier or another asset) they will not fund a twin-seat development.
Plus: "No" export customer will independently finance a fundamental variant of a 5th-generation fighter. The development cost of a twin-seat J-35 consisting but not only restricted to; integrating new cockpit geometry, expanded avionics, and re-validating stealth performance would run into billions $$$.
A two-seat J-35 is an operationally attractive idea, but unless the PLAN’s carrier doctrine evolves to demand it the single-seat J-35 will remain the only game in town.
BTW: PLAAF explicitly wanted an airborne battle manager and EW platform and got J-20S. Why sould they fund a J-35AS?
The key thing to understand is that single seat aircraft will all be capable of command/control of MUM-T at baseline.
What twin seater variants offer is enhanced command/control of MUM-T by having a second human being in the cockpit.
When everything else is held equal, the number of humans in the aircraft is the rate limiting step for greater command/control capability.
The net MUM-T command/control capability of an air force will depend on the number and balance of single seat aircraft and twin seat aircraft, and the variety and capability of drones/loyal wingman/CCAs/UADFs that they operate.
A twin seater J-35A would be better at command/control than a single seat J-35A, when all else is held equal, by virtue of having a second human being in the aircraft yes.
However given they already have the twin seater J-20S, and given they have J-36 (which is a twin seater organically) and J-XDS (which is likely to have enhanced command/control capabilities similar to J-36 except with one pilot rather than two)... and of course they have the single seater J-20, J-20A, J-35A, and various 4.5th generation aircraft which are all capable of varying degrees of command/control of MUM-T.
So, it is really debatable whether they need a twin seater variant of J-35A that has enhanced command/control than the standard J-35A.... as they could simply build more J-20S, or more J-20A, or more J-35A, or a combination of them, or await J-36 and/or J-XDS.
I'm imagining it'll be able to manage 1 advanced UCAV without overloading the pilot, and they can be a very good pair which work in a low profile mission. In a big air campaign they can receive more help from their AEW&C.
I agree, and I don't think that there will be a nation that can or have the will to finance the program, even Saudi Arabia.
And more importantly, this countries will not operate MUM-T in the same level of what China and USA wants. They'll operate a version of it, but not the same level. And a lot of countries will face problems because of their economy, industrial ambitions which will hit walls, organization problems...etc.
Also I think MUM-T have the ability to combine a lot of capabilities needed for a peer-to-peer conflict between super powers, but I think middle powers will see more advantages in Autonomous UCAV operating independently or cooperating with a distant AEW&C for their wars and needs. And they can have their both the manned and unmanned fighters working in the same campaign but without the complex networking and trading responsiveness and complexity with rigidity and simplicity.
However I must admit even if the serial number is surely legit, I'm still not sure if they are indeed assigned to this Air Brigade and if the 1st AD will become or even already is a mixed J-20/J-35A unit since we know only four aircraft since late 2024 and none more.
Therefore - and similar to those J-35 assigned "officially to the 10th NA Brigade" which are even more likely just renumbered pre-serial aircraft and one confirmed prototype - I ask myself if it is not more likely that they have assigned to these respective units more for show than being truly assigned to these units??