Shenyang FC-31 / J-31 Fighter Demonstrator

taxiya

Brigadier
Registered Member
There is a good chance of that happening if the FC-31 enters service with the PLA.

The reason that J-20, Z-20, Y-20, and H-20 all have 20 within the designation is supposedly that China was twenty years behind the state of the art tech when those projects were conceived. Additional variants within the same generation will carry similar designations.
It is just all these programs started in the early 2000s, so the new numerical series. Seriously people would have to be psychologically sick to put product number (like eastern egg in SW) in the supposed manner, either in a way to humiliate themselves or to insult opponents (such as supposed J-35).
 

by78

General
Image taken on an unknown date. Is it me or the engine nozzles look different from each other?
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49262230843_3bb4edbea6_k.jpg
 

ougoah

Brigadier
Registered Member
Nozzles do look different. Not only the petals which can be an effect of lighting and camera but the section in front of the nozzles seem to have different length panels.

upload_2019-12-23_18-48-42.png

F-22 and F-35 feature matt surfaces on their stealthy petals. This left nozzle seem to have mild serrations from the photo. Might not be there at all but the surface looks very reflective and glossy compared to the nozzle on the right.
 

ougoah

Brigadier
Registered Member
SAC will certainly use WS-13 or WS-19 for the finalised J-35. But if the J-20 prototypes had totally unique nozzles mounted on old AL-31s, there's a good chance if these nozzles are different, they're still attached to old WS-13s or RD-33s.
 

Deino

Lieutenant General
Staff member
Super Moderator
Registered Member
Nozzles do look different. Not only the petals which can be an effect of lighting and camera but the section in front of the nozzles seem to have different length panels.

View attachment 56126

F-22 and F-35 feature matt surfaces on their stealthy petals. This left nozzle seem to have mild serrations from the photo. Might not be there at all but the surface looks very reflective and glossy compared to the nozzle on the right.


But this is not new... already since mid-2017 the two engines look slightly different.

This image is from 2. December 2017.

FC-31V2 - 20171202 - 1.jpg
 
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