J-XY/J-35 carrier-borne fighter thread

Derpy

Junior Member
Registered Member
Why is the J-31 variant taking so long compared with the J-20 plane?
Well if they would keep the same pace as the F35C program and asuming FC-31 is the equivilant of the X-35. we should see them enter service by 2031. My bet is they are gonna be ready before that.. :)

China have tightend up opsec in the last years and have grown to the point that they are now trying to hide or downplay there strength/progress, this mean we wont see or hear much about new projects untill much later in there development progress.
 

Breadbox

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If you want to see the original screencap of the announcement by AVIC, it's in this thread.
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It speaks of a new fighter making its first flight in 2021, the consensus is that it's a naval fighter based on the FC-31, well if that's the case, wouldn't it mean that the second flight is a full 9 years after the first? Anyway, nine years later and we are only at the 'first' flight stage, ridiculous.
 

Xizor

Captain
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If you want to see the original screencap of the announcement by AVIC, it's in this thread.
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It speaks of a new fighter making its first flight in 2021, the consensus is that it's a naval fighter based on the FC-31, well if that's the case, wouldn't it mean that the second flight is a full 9 years after the first? Anyway, nine years later and we are only at the 'first' flight stage, ridiculous.
Maybe ever considered that J35 has to be operated in an EMALS launch system ? Maybe they were waiting for the EMALS system to be ready? If EMALS never took off, they'd have to start again with the J35 , that'd operate by a ski-jump , which would mean lower take-off weight and speed.
 

vesicles

Colonel
If you want to see the original screencap of the announcement by AVIC, it's in this thread.
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It speaks of a new fighter making its first flight in 2021, the consensus is that it's a naval fighter based on the FC-31, well if that's the case, wouldn't it mean that the second flight is a full 9 years after the first? Anyway, nine years later and we are only at the 'first' flight stage, ridiculous.

But it says it's an Air Force-version...
 

Blitzo

Lieutenant General
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If you want to see the original screencap of the announcement by AVIC, it's in this thread.
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It speaks of a new fighter making its first flight in 2021, the consensus is that it's a naval fighter based on the FC-31, well if that's the case, wouldn't it mean that the second flight is a full 9 years after the first? Anyway, nine years later and we are only at the 'first' flight stage, ridiculous.

Why is it ridiculous?

The carrier variant of FC-31 is obviously going to be a new fighter, and by the sounds of it the PLAN only committed to a design for its carrier based 5th gen fighter a few years ago. It's not like the FC-31 was designed from the outset to be a carrier based fighter and the PLA never committed to it themselves until the PLAN did either.

What is more important is how long the development of the J-XY/J-35 takes. I have a feeling the years of flight testing the two FC-31 v1 and v2 prototypes will have some benefit.
 

Errys

New Member
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China’s J-20 carrier-based jet fighter influenced by US – not Soviet – thinking, designer says
  • As the race to find the best platform for a modified fighter hots up, designer wins critics’ support by selling the American angle
  • PLA Navy ‘should choose a reliable platform that has a long combat range and potential for development … and the best choice is the J-20,’ expert says
Minnie Chan
Published: 10:00pm, 2 Aug, 2020

The chief designer of the J-20 said the plane was a better match for US fighters.

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The chief designer of the J-20 said the plane was a better match for US fighters. Photo: Xinhua

As tensions between Beijing and Washington continue to rise, China’s military aircraft designers are racing to develop a next-generation fighter jet for use on the nation’s aircraft carriers capable of competing with their American rivals.

The two contenders are Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute (CADI), which is working on a modified version of its J-20, and Shenyang Aircraft Design Institute, which is adapting its FC-31.

While both aircraft have been in development for many years, CADI’s chief designer, Yang Wei, said recently the J-20 was a better match for US fighters.

The aircraft was inspired by American theories on air combat and jet development, he said in a recent article published in the Chinese journal Acta Aeronautica et Astronautica Sinica.

Military observers said that by openly stating he had learned from American ideas, Yang was trying to promote the modified J-20 as a superior option to the adapted FC-31, which is based on much older, Soviet, designs.

The designer also said in the article that the US military had been able to develop a carrier-based jet fighter and put it into mass production in less than six years.

“If the [Chinese] leadership decides to use the FC-31 as the platform for the new carrier-based fighter, it would be at least 10 years before it was ready for full deployment, by which time the Americans would be even further ahead,” said a person with links to the military, who asked not to be named.

Yang said in the article, which was widely shared on military news websites, it was essential that the next-generation fighter had a long combat range, enhanced stealth capabilities and a bigger weapon load.


Beijing-based military expert Zhou Chenming said Yang wanted to prove the J-20 was not only a fifth-generation fighter, but could be a platform for “advanced induction reaction devices and other new technologies” capable of targeting the shortcomings of its American rival, the F-22 Raptor.

Fifth-generation fighters feature stealth technology, supersonic cruising speeds, super manoeuvrability and highly integrated avionics.

Zhou said that in the past, China’s aircraft designers had been heavily influenced by Russian thinking and because of that focused almost exclusively on the fighting capabilities of their jets. But Yang, he said, stressed the need to consider other factors as well.

“Because of the Russian influence, Chinese designers ignored things like avionics systems and weapons,” Zhou said. “Russia’s MiG-29, for instance, had no chance of competing with its American counterpart, the all-weather multirole F-16.”

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China’s FC-31 is up to 12 tonnes lighter than the J-20. Photo: Weibo

One possible disadvantage of the J-20 as a carrier-based fighter is that it is much heavier than the FC-31. China’s newest aircraft carriers will be fitted with an electromagnetic catapult launch system, which although reducing take-off times comes with a weight restriction.

With a maximum weight of 25 tonnes, the FC-31 is up to 12 tonnes lighter than the J-20 and about three metres (10 feet) shorter.


The FC-31 was developed to match the United States’ F-35, which was built by Lockheed Martin and the platform for the carrier-based F-35B and F-35C.

Despite that comparison, Macau-based military expert Antony Wong Tong said the FC-31 was no match for the F-35 in terms of manoeuvrability or firepower.

“Based on China’s current technology and production capacity, the PLA Navy should choose a reliable platform that has a long combat range and potential for development. And the best choice for that is the J-20,” he said.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: J-20 carrier-based fighter ‘influenced by US ideas’
 
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