Re: New Generation Fighter
I must say that to me the DSI bump doesn't really look especially pronounced. It's just that from this angle we can look somewhat into the intake, seeing a rather large part of that thing. Adjustbale DSI sounds wiered somehow. Anyway, unless the photographer has taken that pic in the very moment were the pilot was just testing the function and hit the "close" position, the inlet should be in the "fully open" (small bump) position there since the plane is at slow speed when the pic was taken.
The vertical stabilizers seem to be just moderatly canted, so I'd guess they don't really have a pitch control function, unlike in the YF-23. The canards and later TVC nozzles will probably do the job. That tail somehow always makes me think of the MiG 1.44, it just seems massive in a similar way. So far I also had a feeling the canopy is rather small and the pilot sits really close to the nose. But after seeing the latest pics, that was probably just an illusion.
Btw, where do you all think the gear does retract to, sideway into the wings? That's what the gear doors seem to suggest to me.
That late shot of the rear wing also seems to make sure it's a rather conventional delta wing?
The airplane also is indeed really big. But I think size has some advantages here actually.
It helps with the stealth aspects. It is easier to blend the different parts together when the whole thing is bigger. It also helps to find space to put stuff inside it. And, as already mentioned, for the circumstances of China, range is truly an important factor, another aspect that is aided by size. The whole things also seems to have decent aerodynamic capabilities in producing lift. A low load factor is generally advantageous for good climbing performance and turn rate. For going fast and far efficiently, you also want to go high. The Raptor I think also is able to get higher then many other planes, giving it some energy advantages for certain conditions.
