China Flanker Thread II

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stannislas

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A new batch of J-16? The radome is whiter than others':

View attachment 72022

The contrast is more obvious in the following image comparing one-third of the nearest radome to the next:

View attachment 72023

Not sure whether it indicates an improved AESA radar, like J-11BG:

View attachment 72025

Or is merely for a visual effect (from a distance, the J-16 looks just like a Su-30MK2 except for its vertical stabilizers):

View attachment 72024
so new radar radome has a pitot tube? uhhh I thought Chinese AESA don't have it any more...

also, was the color adjusted? was the flight suit too green? i thought it was more darker kind of green
 

GTI

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so new radar radome has a pitot tube? uhhh I thought Chinese AESA don't have it any more...

also, was the color adjusted? was the flight suit too green? i thought it was more darker kind of green
Not on the J-16 which we know has AESA. The J-11BG (which many think has AESA) has a pitot on the nose cone point, however this doesn’t preclude the use of AESA (see F-16V).
 

Blitzo

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so new radar radome has a pitot tube? uhhh I thought Chinese AESA don't have it any more...

also, was the color adjusted? was the flight suit too green? i thought it was more darker kind of green

J-11BG since it first emerged a year or more ago has long been confirmed to have a pitot/air data probe on its tip.

Other AESA/ESA equipped fighters like J-16, J-10B/C, J-20 etc do not have a probe on its radome tip.


The presence of an air data probe on the tip of the radome for J-11BG simply suggests to me that they did choose to redesign the configuration of the air data probe architecture as part of the upgrade for the aircraft, which may have necessitated a slightly more extensive bit of work compared to the avionics enhancements they did.

OTOH, if we look at other Flanker variants with AESAs like J-16, J-15D/16D, J-11D they actually have additional redesigned air data probes elsewhere on the sides of the nose which the J-11B/J-11A/Su-27.

That is to say -- the fact that new AESA equipped fighters lack air data probes on the tip of their radomes is likely just a reflection of them consciously choosing to relocate the air data probe elsewhere as part of the design/redesign choices for those given aircraft.
But the presence or lack of presence of an air data probe on the tip of the radome should not technically have any bearing on whether the radome itself hosts an AESA or not.



I made this a while ago to demonstrate, specifically relevant for the J-11BG part.

ok.jpg
 

Twix101

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J-11BG since it first emerged a year or more ago has long been confirmed to have a pitot/air data probe on its tip.

Other AESA/ESA equipped fighters like J-16, J-10B/C, J-20 etc do not have a probe on its radome tip.


The presence of an air data probe on the tip of the radome for J-11BG simply suggests to me that they did choose to redesign the configuration of the air data probe architecture as part of the upgrade for the aircraft, which may have necessitated a slightly more extensive bit of work compared to the avionics enhancements they did.

OTOH, if we look at other Flanker variants with AESAs like J-16, J-15D/16D, J-11D they actually have additional redesigned air data probes elsewhere on the sides of the nose which the J-11B/J-11A/Su-27.

That is to say -- the fact that new AESA equipped fighters lack air data probes on the tip of their radomes is likely just a reflection of them consciously choosing to relocate the air data probe elsewhere as part of the design/redesign choices for those given aircraft.
But the presence or lack of presence of an air data probe on the tip of the radome should not technically have any bearing on whether the radome itself hosts an AESA or not.



I made this a while ago to demonstrate, specifically relevant for the J-11BG part.

View attachment 72078

Relocation of air data probes implies going back to flight testing of the existing type so that flight computer behaves correctly during all flight regimes along with the different data input coming from a relocated probe.

They do such things on a new type because they do modifications that certainly implies modifications on flights regimes (mass distribution, airframe modifications, etc). Which is superfluous on a avionics update for an existing type.
 

Deino

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What's the difference between the J-11 and J-16?


J-11 is a fighter based on the original Su-27SK, whereas the J-16 is a striker structurally comparable to the Su-30MKK.
 

siegecrossbow

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I would say j16 is not a striker but a true multirole plane, though.

Even the Su-30MKK was a fighter first, striker second when China first imported them since in the early 2000s they were the only fighters in China capable of launching active radar guided AA missiles. Similarly, the J-16 will occupy the top heavy fighter niche until there are enough J-20s to supplant them in this role.
 

Kich

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So which Chinese flankers now incorporate AESA radars?
J-11BG, J-11D, J-16 and J-16D? J-15s and their variants?

And is the J-11D a full rate production, latest variant of the J-11 family or is it a research variant?
 
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