Shenyang / SAC - newly announced 5th generation fighter

Schwerter_

Junior Member
Registered Member
I'm curious about the Sun Cong interview because there was an interview in which he mentioned 2020 specifically, but that interview was from 2013. Not sure if this is just a re-hashed interview or a recent one.
shit seems like my memory meshed the two reports together...sorry for the misinformation =(
 

latenlazy

Brigadier
Interesting how detailed design and prototyping are grouped into one stage. Any idea how long the "S" stage might take to complete for this SAC project?


If this is indeed the case then them engineers at SAC are pretty bloody fast with the design work... that's like finishing the design in 15 months

That’s because “detailed design” and “prototyping” are essentially the stage where they do the physical integration of component systems and concept designs that are developed in earlier steps. This sort of project staging makes the most sense when your component and design development are mature enough that you’re essentially putting to work design concepts and component systems that have already gone through their own sets of validation and can be put together in a product design intended for production pretty confidently. At the S stage you’re trying to make sure everything works well together, not trying to develop the technologies themselves. I imagine this was very different for earlier projects when China’s technological base was much lower. In that condition you have to develop the component systems and design concepts with integration testing and prototyping in tandem, which ends up being a much messier process. This in turn reflects on your project timeline. This is one reason I’ve been saying we should begin to see compression of timelines as China’s technological base continues to improve and mature. We’re going to need to make adjustments of our projections built around historical data. We’re not looking at the same conditions we started with.
 

Inst

Captain
I hope it's a JH-XX, not a J-31 derivative. Given that the J-31 is essentially a Chinese version of the F-35, it's boring and we'd have more fun if they put up the JH-XX instead as a supersonic strike fighter.
 

SinoSoldier

Colonel
I hope it's a JH-XX, not a J-31 derivative. Given that the J-31 is essentially a Chinese version of the F-35, it's boring and we'd have more fun if they put up the JH-XX instead as a supersonic strike fighter.

Boy, I sure hope you don't become the defense minister of any country's air force. :D

Jokes aside, although I was initially skeptical that the recent project was of a FC-31-derived J-XY fighter, its timeline is becoming increasingly correspondent with what we've heard of the actual J-XY program, including the approximate date of selection, subcomponents contracting, etc.
 

SinoSoldier

Colonel
That’s because “detailed design” and “prototyping” are essentially the stage where they do the physical integration of component systems and concept designs that are developed in earlier steps. This sort of project staging makes the most sense when your component and design development are mature enough that you’re essentially putting to work design concepts and component systems that have already gone through their own sets of validation and can be put together in a product design intended for production pretty confidently. At the S stage you’re trying to make sure everything works well together, not trying to develop the technologies themselves. I imagine this was very different for earlier projects when China’s technological base was much lower. In that condition you have to develop the component systems and design concepts with integration testing and prototyping in tandem, which ends up being a much messier process. This in turn reflects on your project timeline. This is one reason I’ve been saying we should begin to see compression of timelines as China’s technological base continues to improve and mature. We’re going to need to make adjustments of our projections built around historical data. We’re not looking at the same conditions we started with.

Agreed that the availability of existing subsystems make the timeline a lot more compressed compared to that of legacy projects (such as J-10A, J-20, etc.). If this project is indeed the naval J-XY, then it would need to enter service (or at least operational in a training capacity) by ~2023, when the Type 003 enters service, which doesn't give it a lot of time for the "S" stage.
 

SinoSoldier

Colonel
Most of the design should be finished during initial design in C stage.

Seems like the "S" stage is essentially when everything comes together, all the components are fitted and measured to the exact millimeter, and prototype assembly can finally begin. It'll likely be shorter for the navalized FC-31 variant compared to other aircraft due to the availability of an existing design & subcomponents, no?
 

Blitzo

Lieutenant General
Staff member
Super Moderator
Registered Member
So I can move it again back to the Naval section?

@Bltizo and @siegecrossbow


I think this thread is meant to discuss the "new fighter/combat aircraft" from SAC from the announcement of a new project last week. But I don't know if that announcement is the same as the navalized FC-31 project (which we've known about for ages).

I suggest we keep all three threads separate for now:
- this thread (in air force forum)
- general FC-31 thread (in air force forum)
- J-XY thread (in naval forum)

The general FC-31 and J-XY threads could be merged later on, or the general FC-31 thread could be locked and J-XY thread remained open later if need be.


But as far as I can see we don't know yet if the "new project" from SAC is specifically about the navalized/carrier based FC-31.
 
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