asif iqbal
Banned Idiot
If a second J31 is under construction it would suggest a massive change in action for PLAAF
Means it could not be just a demonstrator or export aircraft
Means it could not be just a demonstrator or export aircraft
Shenyang FC-31 / J-31 Fighter Demonstrator
- Thread starter RedSky
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It's one of the main undercarriage doors.
plawolf
Lieutenant General
I would not count those chickens just yet.
Both the X23 and X32 had more than 1 flying prototype.
Personally, I like the J31 and hope it enters service.
But with both the PLAAF and PLAN seeming to prefer the J20, I just cannot see how it will fit within either service's force structure.
That leaves export as the most likely way for this bird to get fielded.
Hopefully Pakistan will be able to pick this up, just like the JF17. And given how much of a success the JF17 is becoming for Pakistan, hopefully it will make it more likely for them to commit to this (although I have a sneaking suspicion that the PAF might have their eyes on the J20 as well, they must have gotten a good look or two while they were at the CAC facility working on future JF17 upgrades).
I can see maybe the Chinese government throwing SAC some money to help develop the J31 as a JF17 follow on, and also to keep SAC alive after the PLAAF and PLAN outgrows the Flanker.
Not the red door, the black one behind it on the bottom side of the plane.
You mean on the last photo? If what we see is a door on the bottom of the fuselage its forward edge looks very odd. But I really don't know.
Zahid
Junior Member
— PUBLISHED OCT 09, 2015 03:21PM
BEIJING: China's top aircraft manufacturer has revealed specifications of an advanced stealth fighter jet in a bid to lure foreign buyers, the official China Daily reported on Friday.
In a rare disclosure, the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (Avic) unveiled the capabilities of the J-31 aircraft at an aviation show, even though the jet is still being tested, the newspaper said.
Avic officials have made no secret of the fact that they are seeking foreign buyers for the aircraft, hoping to compete with Lockheed Martin's F-35.
Countries that cannot buy weaponry from the United States (US) have increasingly sought them from China, particularly because Chinese arms are often cheaper.
Avic said the fifth-generation fighter jet, which has a 1,200 kilometre combat range and a top speed of 2,205 kph, is designed to be in service for up to 30 years, the China Daily reported.
It has a maximum payload capacity of 8 metric tons, the newspaper said.
An Avic executive said last year the jet could "take down" foreign rivals in the sky.
The twin-engine J-31 took its maiden flight in 2012.
Read:
Defence analysts have often compared the jet to the US-made F-35, and US officials have speculated that China may have used cyber espionage to acquire classified knowledge about the aircraft's development.
Stealth aircraft are vital to China developing the ability to carry out both offensive and defensive operations, the Pentagon has said in a report about developments in China's military.
The J-31 is China's second domestically produced stealth fighter jet.
President Xi Jinping has pushed to toughen the 2.3 million-strong armed forces as the country takes a more assertive stance in the region, particularly in the South China and East China seas.
There is a huge difference between combat range and combat radius.
A difference of a half, typically. I'm sure most of us around here know it.
That said I am curious as to why they described it as "combat range". If the number was a little lower I would have interpreted "combat range" to mean the same as "combat radius" but 1200km as combat radius seems far too high for an aircraft of this size... but at the same time, describing one way range seems a little bit unnecessary if not outright useless for fighter aircraft. Typically that number would be called ferry range instead.
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