Shenyang FC-31 / J-31 Fighter Demonstrator

plawolf

plawolf

Lieutenant General
Insignius said:
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the buzz video of all-around the bloggosphere uploaded on youtube... :)
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I don't think there can be any doubt left whatsoever in the minds of even the most hardcore sceptic that this plane is a new fifth gen when you look at the level of security in place around it.

From the talking, you can tell this was taken by someone who was forced to make room and wait as a section of the motorway was closed off.

I counted:

- 5 police cars
- 1 police bus
- 1 police 'propaganda' SUV (the one with the loudspeakers on top warning people not to take pictures/videos)
- 2 normal police SUVs
- 2-3 SWAT SUV
- 1 SWAT bus
- 3-4 unmarked SUVs (I suspect they might be air force special forces)
- 5 unmarked Audis (VIPs and/or more air force special forces would be my guys)
- 1 civilian bus (probably engineers/technicians/workers to check on the rig/plane etc)
- 1 civilian truck

Does Hu or Wen even enjoy this much security when they move around the country?

The count is incomplete/inaccurate as the girl taking the video covered up her phone at times, because 'they were pointing a gun at me!'. She was laughing and clearly not feeling scared when she said it, so it might have been an exaggeration and it could just have been SWAT team members riding with their windows open and automatic weapons pointing out, or maybe it could have actually been a guy aiming his weapon at her as he spotted her camera as a warning to stop filming.

Obviously he would not have opened fire, but would probably have flagged the offender for one of the follow-on vehicles to round up if they didn't heed the warning and looked to be obviously filming/taking photos.

Having seen this, I take back by previous suggestion that there was an element of deliberate showboating. Maybe SAC had something like that in mind with such a form-fitting camo net that leaves little to the imagination, but the security escorting this bird clearly didn't get the memo if that was the case.

In addition, the titling of the plane is clearly necessary for safe transport when you see just how long the wingspan is and how little give there is on either side of the motorway even with it tilted.

The security and scare tactics would also help to explain why there was so little video and photos of this bird despite it moving so far on very public roads.
 
Engineer

Engineer

Major
Deino said:
Hi guys ... back from school ! Any news, where the convoi is now ? Has it arrived and why no more photos within the last week ???




Honestly, but I think its much too early to say the PLAAF will or won't have it. So far we are not even sure what it is for sure, it did not even fly ...

Besides that, a navalised J-20 - at least IMO - is completely nonsense ....

Deino
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PLAAF will not have it for the same reason that they didn't choose MiG-29 -- short legged. If PLAAF want a cheaper alternative to J-20, they could always go for J-20 with downgrade avionics.
 
Deino

Deino

Lieutenant General
Staff member
Super Moderator
Registered Member
Engineer said:
PLAAF will not have it for the same reason that they didn't choose MiG-29 -- short legged. If PLAAF want a cheaper alternative to J-20, they could always go for J-20 with downgrade avionics.
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What a strange argument ! YES, they did not chose the MiG-29 and they ordered the longer legged Su-27, since they already had the J-10 with similar capabilities in the pipeline. As such this "thing" could be a nice successor to older similar short legged types and a supplement for the J-20. Actually I can't believe that the PLAAF will only field long-range fighters like the J-20 with two different sets of avionics.

Deino
 
T

Totoro

Major
VIP Professional
wingspan, when accounted for the tilt and compensated, seems to be around two lanes worth. two and half lanes wide, at best.
 
I

i.e.

Senior Member
why is people saying this is a naval fighter.

afaik the next round of naval fighter competition hasn't officially started yet. nor has the next round of low-end fighter competition.
this is an export fighter funded by AVIC.

---------- Post added at 01:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:25 PM ----------
MwRYum said:
What I'm saying is that people like you read too much into it, when it's just a simple transport op with an odd-sized cargo that needs extra care when you value in Chinese road conditions; and any odd-sized cargo definitely garner attention...tell me, even in other countries how often you see an airframe transport on a flatbed? Or armored vehicles ride on a carrier? Even a construction equipment such as an excavator riding on a flatbed gets some head turned too, what'd you expect when there's something this odd been witnessed on the road?

Naturally, when that picture was posted, along with clues such as its shape and location it was photographed, those who know their stuff immediately connected the dots and from there, it went viral.

Still, for SAC or "Shenkhoi" (now folks in China pondering a new nickname, "Shenheed Martin"), their 1st and foremost concern is to make sure the test rig arrive to the facility safe and sound - not risking a million-yuan rig and potential compromise to the project, just for some publicity stunt.
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yeah, didn't Northrup Grumman's top secret unmanned UCAV hitched a ride on the back of a flatbed going through the town with white wrappings around it and someone thtought it was a UFO?

what's the big deal.
 
AssassinsMace

AssassinsMace

Lieutenant General
If it is for export only I find it dubious since this would be out of reach for most of China's customers. The only way for China to penetrate the market capable of buying this is to actually have it face off and win with the fighters that sell. It has to go up against Western fighters. How's that going to happen? That's either selling to a country that has them if they could get that to happen in the first place or a real war situation. The big customers would be the Arabs oil states. But let's face it. When they buy there's a bit of brand name factor involved and China doesn't have that. I remember there was a Chinese guy in the US trying to sell bottled water from China. He was going for the exotic maybe medicinal angle. That's not what people think of when it comes to water from China. Of course I never heard about the water again.
 
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