Shenyang FC-31 / J-31 Fighter Demonstrator
- Thread starter RedSky
- Start date
PiSigma
"the engineer"
I always thought the J31 was a little small for what China might need for carrier operations.
But if need to change the current j31 to a carrier capable plane it'll take at least 3 or 4 more years of development. I'm assuming it's for catapult carriers only.
As a carrier air superiority fighter it is in a similiar weight class as the rest of the fighters use by other nations that operates aircraft carriers. We can expect the J15 to be further develop and play the role of a fighter bomber just like the F18's of which only the US and China would have as a combination.
SinoSoldier
Colonel
The current belief is that SAC is in the process of enlarging the FC-31. If funding has really been secured, development of a 3rd prototype would be far quicker than for the 2nd prototype. 3-4 years is a bit of an exaggeration IMO.
TerraN_EmpirE
Tyrant King
If they are than on the new version we can expect folding wings, possibly larger wings for more lift and range, Obviously a beefier tailhook and landing gear.
What is the reason for not using the j-20 as basis for a carrier fighter?
Blackstone
Brigadier
What's your point?
TerraN_EmpirE
Tyrant King
Before fighting keep in mind we have yet to hear confirmation.
Lethe
Captain
Wouldn't J-31 be referred to as a fourth generation fighter in Chinese nomenclature?
Talk about fighting yesterday's war ... or do you really imagine that the US Navy's next fighter will not significantly exceed the F-14 Tomcat in range and payload capability? In fact, we can reasonably expect "more range" to be at the top of the US Navy's (and USAF's for that matter) requirements list for the next generation of aircraft to come online by mid-2030s, and for those aircraft to at least match and probably exceed J-15 in size/weight.
Talk about fighting yesterday's war ... or do you really imagine that the US Navy's next fighter will not significantly exceed the F-14 Tomcat in range and payload capability? In fact, we can reasonably expect "more range" to be at the top of the US Navy's (and USAF's for that matter) requirements list for the next generation of aircraft to come online by mid-2030s, and for those aircraft to at least match and probably exceed J-15 in size/weight.
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