Remember, the context of my original comment was on defensive maneuvers, of which both missile evasion and energy recovery are included. You’re never going to sustain supersonic speed, and you wouldn’t want to, while positioning to get a shot off, but the moment you’re on the wrong end of a lock or you’re at risk of being out maneuvered, regaining energy is your number one priority.
J-20 5th Generation Fighter VII
- Thread starter siegecrossbow
- Start date
Supercruise means sustained travel at supersonic speed, I don't see what that has to do with air combat energy management
Sustained travel yes, depending on definition, but also a part of it is being able to achieve supersonic speed and sustain it without afterburners.
Greater ease of efficiently achieving supersonic speeds without needing afterburners is indeed relevant for energy management.
Supercruise means being able to sustain supersonic flight without afterburners. That also means the combination of available thrust and drag characteristics makes acceleration into the supersonic regime a viable way to recover more energy and regain energy advantage.
Supercruise is used for a lot of things. For one not having the afterburners turned on reduces your heat signature. So it is important when you want to do penetration of enemy airspace without getting detected early. But in combat airplanes typically turn on reheat (afterburners). Unless they are low on fuel for some reason.
Sorry, but it seems as if I forgot to post this here too:
I must admit, I'm surprised that I missed this image, but perhaps this is the second J-20A prototype no. 2022 powered by WS-10C engines.
So far I knew only a hand-full of images showing the first one no. 2021, which made its first flight on 19. September 2017 and reports a second one flew eventually for the first time in January 2018.
(Images via Huitong's CMA-Blog)
I must admit, I'm surprised that I missed this image, but perhaps this is the second J-20A prototype no. 2022 powered by WS-10C engines.
So far I knew only a hand-full of images showing the first one no. 2021, which made its first flight on 19. September 2017 and reports a second one flew eventually for the first time in January 2018.
(Images via Huitong's CMA-Blog)
plawolf
Brigadier
Hold up, anyone else see the super thick black RAM layer on the panel just above the intake?
I don’t think I have seen that kind of RAM treatment on anything other than external doors that can and do open during flight, like the weapons bay doors and landing gear doors (interesting enough, not on the IRF probe doors).
