Chengdu next gen combat aircraft (?J-36)
- Thread starter Blitzo
- Start date
Actually I don‘t know … he only gave me the hint and asked me to wait, but later came with the concern it might be an AI-created image.
The one with the 2D TVC looks like it's narrower than the other one, doesn't it? It is just the angle, or is this a thinner prototype? Either way it does lend some credence to it being real imo, since someone photoshopping would probably just clone the images and then erase the area around the tail to make it look like prototype 2.
While not necessarily related to having two configurations in the same photo, I've been having the thought recently that perhaps we will see two variants (not upgrades) of the J-36 be developed concurrently.
One optimised for strike, the other for air superiority.
A "JH-36" with trench exhausts and perhaps a rotary launcher in the main IWB to strike at 2IC. And a "J-36" with 2D-TVC netting improved maneuverability for BVR A2A engagements. With other smaller, less externally visible changes as well.
This would boil down to how cost-effective it is to create specialised variants (that leverage features that would require a refit, like different exhaust types) rather than just use the same platform with different expendables (e.g., munitions) for different missions.
Of course, the platform could just be so modular so they wouldn't even be divided into very "separate" variants altogether. But I'm not sold on modularity for top-end platforms just yet, especially not for significant changes like exhaust type or IWB internal mechanisms.
I think it's pretty unlikely, it's not like the J-XDS is a small aircraft or anything, it should be perfectly capable in strike role. Putting J-36 on carrier would also require J-36 to go through navalization and a lot more work for seemingly uncertain benefit when J-XDS is already planned for carrier. Juice doesn't seem worth the squeeze.