plawolf
Lieutenant General
What a lot of naysers seem to forget is that this isn’t a specially built one-off test plane, but a minimally modified J10B prototype.
The significance of this is that should the PLAAF desire it, they can easily roll out TVC across the J10B/C fleet, maybe with the J10As also if there are enough airframe hours to make it worthwhile.
Such retrofits could be fairly cheap and quick, with most of the changes software based, while the only significant structural change seems to be the small notch taken off the tail base to give the TVC nozzle full freedom of movement.
That is well within the realms of a MLU.
The key questions will be whether the costs of TVC are justified by the benefits.
Fancy airshow routines are one thing, operational utility could be very different.
I have a feeling a major part of the rationale for the Chinese Su35 purchase is to help answer that question.
The J10B TVC prototype will be spending years more flight testing to push the envelope of what could be done; and to further refine the implementation of TVC.
That means it is years away from being able to be so the kinds of adversarial field testing needed to answer the question of how much tactical advantage TVC can give a plane.
The Su35 can start to help answer those questions almost immediately.
The significance of this is that should the PLAAF desire it, they can easily roll out TVC across the J10B/C fleet, maybe with the J10As also if there are enough airframe hours to make it worthwhile.
Such retrofits could be fairly cheap and quick, with most of the changes software based, while the only significant structural change seems to be the small notch taken off the tail base to give the TVC nozzle full freedom of movement.
That is well within the realms of a MLU.
The key questions will be whether the costs of TVC are justified by the benefits.
Fancy airshow routines are one thing, operational utility could be very different.
I have a feeling a major part of the rationale for the Chinese Su35 purchase is to help answer that question.
The J10B TVC prototype will be spending years more flight testing to push the envelope of what could be done; and to further refine the implementation of TVC.
That means it is years away from being able to be so the kinds of adversarial field testing needed to answer the question of how much tactical advantage TVC can give a plane.
The Su35 can start to help answer those questions almost immediately.
