Just your opinion - then please admit that - or based on any facts, then even more prove it
Otherwise Iran is the least-often mentioned fan boy rumour ....
Shenyang FC-31 / J-31 Fighter Demonstrator
- Thread starter RedSky
- Start date
Just your opinion - then please admit that - or based on any facts, then even more prove it
Otherwise Iran is the least-often mentioned fan boy rumour ....
Hendrik_2000
Lieutenant General
FC-31 (finally) chosen by the Chinese Navy?
BY
Since its first prototype made the inaugural flight in October 2012, there are not any rumors about the official "tenure" for the Shenyang FC-31 fighter plane. However, six long years have already passed without the fate of this second Chinese stealth aircraft program being fully sealed.
On the domestic market, the Chinese army does not seem to be interested, at least until now, by this hunter of the middle class - a MTOW of 28 000 kg according to the latest official publication - self-financed manufacturer AVIC. Instead, it prefers to focus on the integration of several heavy jet fighter programs such as J-16 and J-20 as well as single-jet fighter aircraft such as the J-10C. And internationally, the VLO fighter designed by the 601 Shenyang Institute unfortunately does not find any interested until then, despite the many presentations in the defense fairs held in China and elsewhere in the world.
This would probably be explained by the fact that those who have both the ambition and the means to have such a last-generation vector, such as Japan, South Korea and India for example, generally look to Russian or Western historical suppliers for political and industrial reasons. And for China's long-standing customers, mostly third-world countries, the FC-31 is both expensive and complex to exploit over the long term, a "luxury" that these customers can not find. utility or the budget to afford it. So there are still some countries between the two waters, such as Turkey seeking a certain political and industrial autonomy, which could eventually serve as the Chinese aircraft as a brick or technology platform to develop theirs.
The model of the first prototype of FC-31
The model of the second FC-31 prototype
The characteristics of the FC-31 presented recently, the aircraft has increased considerably compared to the first presentation.
The first two prototypes of FC-31, will there be a third?
If the future of the FC-31, entirely dedicated to export, seemed dull on his native land until now, things could be changed soon. Indeed, the various independent sources have all converged since the end of 2017 to say that "things are moving," and the Chinese navy, which seeks to build both ground and airborne air forces of the future, would be the main engine of this turnaround.
But in detail, the versions of "made" differ according to the sources. When some, especially those close to the binomial Institute 601 Shenyang (designer of the FC-31) and the Factory 112 SAC (Aircraft Production Entity), claim that the Chinese navy would have officially chosen the FC-31 and would have authorized the launching of the development project under a name J-xx - which is not the case so far - others rather close to the other mega-aeronautics of China at the level of fighter jets, namely the The Chengdu 611 Institute and the 132 CAC Factory, already the designer and builder respectively of the J-10 and J-20 for example, indicates that the evaluation phase between the naval version of the J-20 and the FC-31 would have (had?) place.
Needless to say, it is difficult to see more clearly in these unofficial elements which converge on certain points but diverge on others. One thing is certain, on the other hand, is that both of them confirm the need of the Chinese navy to have VLO fighters, both for its ground-based air units to monitor the 32,000 of the country's coastlines only for its naval air forces, which continue to grow with the coming arrival of new aircraft carriers.
BY
Since its first prototype made the inaugural flight in October 2012, there are not any rumors about the official "tenure" for the Shenyang FC-31 fighter plane. However, six long years have already passed without the fate of this second Chinese stealth aircraft program being fully sealed.
On the domestic market, the Chinese army does not seem to be interested, at least until now, by this hunter of the middle class - a MTOW of 28 000 kg according to the latest official publication - self-financed manufacturer AVIC. Instead, it prefers to focus on the integration of several heavy jet fighter programs such as J-16 and J-20 as well as single-jet fighter aircraft such as the J-10C. And internationally, the VLO fighter designed by the 601 Shenyang Institute unfortunately does not find any interested until then, despite the many presentations in the defense fairs held in China and elsewhere in the world.
This would probably be explained by the fact that those who have both the ambition and the means to have such a last-generation vector, such as Japan, South Korea and India for example, generally look to Russian or Western historical suppliers for political and industrial reasons. And for China's long-standing customers, mostly third-world countries, the FC-31 is both expensive and complex to exploit over the long term, a "luxury" that these customers can not find. utility or the budget to afford it. So there are still some countries between the two waters, such as Turkey seeking a certain political and industrial autonomy, which could eventually serve as the Chinese aircraft as a brick or technology platform to develop theirs.
The model of the first prototype of FC-31
The model of the second FC-31 prototype
The characteristics of the FC-31 presented recently, the aircraft has increased considerably compared to the first presentation.
The first two prototypes of FC-31, will there be a third?
If the future of the FC-31, entirely dedicated to export, seemed dull on his native land until now, things could be changed soon. Indeed, the various independent sources have all converged since the end of 2017 to say that "things are moving," and the Chinese navy, which seeks to build both ground and airborne air forces of the future, would be the main engine of this turnaround.
But in detail, the versions of "made" differ according to the sources. When some, especially those close to the binomial Institute 601 Shenyang (designer of the FC-31) and the Factory 112 SAC (Aircraft Production Entity), claim that the Chinese navy would have officially chosen the FC-31 and would have authorized the launching of the development project under a name J-xx - which is not the case so far - others rather close to the other mega-aeronautics of China at the level of fighter jets, namely the The Chengdu 611 Institute and the 132 CAC Factory, already the designer and builder respectively of the J-10 and J-20 for example, indicates that the evaluation phase between the naval version of the J-20 and the FC-31 would have (had?) place.
Needless to say, it is difficult to see more clearly in these unofficial elements which converge on certain points but diverge on others. One thing is certain, on the other hand, is that both of them confirm the need of the Chinese navy to have VLO fighters, both for its ground-based air units to monitor the 32,000 of the country's coastlines only for its naval air forces, which continue to grow with the coming arrival of new aircraft carriers.
Hendrik_2000
Lieutenant General
(cont)
The design and assembly of the FC-31, extracted from the publications of the manufacturer Shenyang.
Note that another source, this time directly owned by a Chinese engine manufacturer, has given an interesting side of the story. According to her, recent rumors about the tenure of the FC-31 actually come from the two entities of Shenyang, and this following a visit from a very senior Chinese naval official who announced his "support" for the program after have attended a demonstration flight in late 2017 of two FC-31s. A visibly verbal support that the 601 Institute and the 112 Factory both interpreted as a positive signal for the project's launch.
However, the choice of the launching of any project within the Chinese navy must imperatively pass through the stage of the preliminary study conducted by the Chinese Navy Equipment Institute, a structure whose role is close to that of the DGA in France, which writes a detailed report to be validated by a committee of experts of the CMC and the army corps concerned before a project can be launched.
And this is precisely what the same source engine Chinese, that the personnel coming from the Institute of equipments of the Chinese navy would have rather indicated a competition of Shenyang and Chengdu, thus between the FC-31 and the J-20, where details have not been revealed.
Could the FC-31 finally serve under the flags of the Chinese army, like what can be seen recently in a TV report where a model of FC-31 in livery PLA Navy is seen behind an officer of the Chinese Navy interviewed? Or will the Chengdu J-20 end up monopolizing the Chinese VLO combat device market for the next three decades thanks in part to ? We could hope to have a (first) answer in the months to come ...
To be continued.
The design and assembly of the FC-31, extracted from the publications of the manufacturer Shenyang.
Note that another source, this time directly owned by a Chinese engine manufacturer, has given an interesting side of the story. According to her, recent rumors about the tenure of the FC-31 actually come from the two entities of Shenyang, and this following a visit from a very senior Chinese naval official who announced his "support" for the program after have attended a demonstration flight in late 2017 of two FC-31s. A visibly verbal support that the 601 Institute and the 112 Factory both interpreted as a positive signal for the project's launch.
However, the choice of the launching of any project within the Chinese navy must imperatively pass through the stage of the preliminary study conducted by the Chinese Navy Equipment Institute, a structure whose role is close to that of the DGA in France, which writes a detailed report to be validated by a committee of experts of the CMC and the army corps concerned before a project can be launched.
And this is precisely what the same source engine Chinese, that the personnel coming from the Institute of equipments of the Chinese navy would have rather indicated a competition of Shenyang and Chengdu, thus between the FC-31 and the J-20, where details have not been revealed.
Could the FC-31 finally serve under the flags of the Chinese army, like what can be seen recently in a TV report where a model of FC-31 in livery PLA Navy is seen behind an officer of the Chinese Navy interviewed? Or will the Chengdu J-20 end up monopolizing the Chinese VLO combat device market for the next three decades thanks in part to ? We could hope to have a (first) answer in the months to come ...
To be continued.
Last edited:
Dizasta1
Senior Member
In my view, J-31s would serve China well, whichever way they are employed. Be they in PLAAF or PLAN. Either case there is one important aspect, crucial to not only J-31, but also other new combat aircraft of China. And that is the heart of any aircraft, the engine. China has made enormous progress on the aircraft design and avionics front. It now needs a reliable, high performance, long endurance engine which is fuel efficient and doesn't compromise on power.
And I believe that China is on the verge of achieving this goal. Once they have mastered engine technology, to the point that they're completely independent. Then, mark my words, there is no stopping China.
The magnitude at which China has grown, is both astonishing and yet, there is an element of fear. Fear that all of this doesn't fall apart. So I hope that China progresses into the future, stronger, united, with impenetrable alliances in the great Asian continent.
I look forward to seeing J-31s in PLAAF and PLAN colors.
And I believe that China is on the verge of achieving this goal. Once they have mastered engine technology, to the point that they're completely independent. Then, mark my words, there is no stopping China.
The magnitude at which China has grown, is both astonishing and yet, there is an element of fear. Fear that all of this doesn't fall apart. So I hope that China progresses into the future, stronger, united, with impenetrable alliances in the great Asian continent.
I look forward to seeing J-31s in PLAAF and PLAN colors.
AssassinsMace
Lieutenant General
It's hard to believe what people are saying about the FC-31 because it swings in opposite directions many times over. The Chinese navy picked the navalised J-20 one day. Then they picked the FC-31 the next. All I know is back when there was a question if SAC would build another J-31 prototype, many said they couldn't afford it and especially because the government didn't support it. Then another prototype shows up. So does that mean the government did support it? But people are saying this project isn't supported by the government. If SAC couldn't afford it because it wasn't supported by the government how did another prototype show up? So what do people know?
Hi any memeber can answer my outlet of points
1 how difficult is to get top notch engine from Russia for j31 up until China start manufacturing its one
2 is this the only reason for PlANAF or airforce not inducting this jet coz of engine problem
3 is there any technical reason not to start inducting or exporting j31 without the engine manufacturing
4 I hope russsia won’t be denying any kind of engine for China
Any senior memeber can answer my Qs
Thank you
1 how difficult is to get top notch engine from Russia for j31 up until China start manufacturing its one
2 is this the only reason for PlANAF or airforce not inducting this jet coz of engine problem
3 is there any technical reason not to start inducting or exporting j31 without the engine manufacturing
4 I hope russsia won’t be denying any kind of engine for China
Any senior memeber can answer my Qs
Thank you
Russia does not manufacture a single "top notch engine" in this class. If China could access something like F414 or EJ200, that's another story. The end goal is to use everything Chinese including engines and at the moment, the RD-33 variants may be better than WS-13 (what China currently has in this class) and this engine is available for China because Russians know China has WS-13 variants already and WS-19 project.
They haven't inducted the J-31 because it is still in prototype phase. Haven't done any weapons testing or fitting out as far as we know. The engines (even the Chinese ones) are much further ahead than the rest of the plane.
Question 3 doesn't make sense to me. Are you referring to WS-19? As in the final engine expected for this fighter? Because two different engine types are available for this fighter today. It's the rest of the fighter that is not ready yet.
Russia hasn't in the past, and their only unavailable military turbofan is the IZD.30 which wouldn't fit in the J-31 anyway nor were they designed to. Russia hasn't even denied RD-93 sales to Pakistan for JF-17s. Why would they deny RD-33x to China for J-31?
BTW I'm not a "senior member" but your questions are simple enough to answer so I had a go.
IMO, as the J-20 was brought to operation with a sub-optimal engine, and is therefore yet not a mature system, the intention might be to bring this platform and its optimal (domestic) engine to maturity simultaneously. Ideal for domestic and foreign evaluation.
it’s lighter than the mig-29/35 that uses the same engines!