First Public Flight For China's Stealth Fighter

[garyc]

http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/First-Public-Flight-For-Chinas-Stealth-Fighter223086-1.html

Chinese officials flew their J-31 twin-engine stealth fighter in public for the first time at this week's Zhuhai airshow, and said they plan to market the airplane globally as a lower-cost alternative to the Lockheed Martin F-35. "It is our dream to break the monopoly that foreign countries have on new-generation jet fighters," said Li Yuhai, the deputy general manager at AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China), at an airshow news conference. "The J-31 will also be a flagship product for us in the international arms market." The J-31, which first flew in October 2012, flew during the Tuesday airshow, but was not put on display on the flight line. A mock-up of the jet is on exhibit.

The biannual China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai is being held this week for the 10th time. It has become the biggest commercial and defense aviation event in Asia, with more than 700 companies exhibiting.

 

[Arthur]

Looks very Lockheed.

 

[agentrfr]

Looks awesome. I hope it is in the next battlefield expansion / game.

 

[Grant]

and said they plan to market the airplane globally as a lower-cost alternative . . .

uh oh

after 4 or 5 flights a wing or the landing gear is likely to fall off

 

[Arthur]

How long before Zoomer gets some?

 

[Fulcrum29]

When the Chinese announced this development, the Western nations mocked this until it was picked up on NATO surveillance imagery. IIRC, this development entails two more models in other roles. It is based on the Sukhoi (PAK FA) T-50 which is the Russian version still in development, though 5 prototypes are in existence.

 

[f2wohf]

I love their track record in planes:

Copy, copy, copy, copy, unlicensed copy, based on, purchased from, cancelled.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chinese_aircraft

 

[Fulcrum29]

I love their track record in planes:

Copy, copy, copy, copy, unlicensed copy, based on, purchased from, cancelled.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chinese_aircraft

It is more a case where the Russians provided them with the tools, but excluded the maintenance plans.

The Chinese economy in the world today allows them to do remarkable things.

The J31 however copies American 5th gen tech or so it is believed.

 

[Grant]

When the Chinese announced this development, the Western nations mocked this until it was picked up on NATO surveillance imagery.

so much for it's stealth capabilities


i would however be curious to see how it would perform head to head against the original under extended stress tests

 

[The_Assimilator]

No coincidence that this fighter looks almost identical to the F-35 on the outside.

 

[Fulcrum29]

so much for it's stealth capabilities


i would however be curious to see how it would perform head to head against the original under extended stress tests

If you know where to look, stealth is proven to be inoperable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenyang_J-31

A photo of a model labeled F-60 was posted on the Internet in September 2011.[10] In June 2012, photos and camera video clips started to emerge on internet about a heavily overwrapped possible F-60 prototype being road-transferred on a highway, earning the nickname "the zongzi plane" (粽子机) among Chinese netizens, though some suspect it of merely being a L-15 trainer aircraft.[11] Pictures of a possibly fully assembled aircraft parking on an airfield emerged on September 15–16, 2012.[12][13] The F-60 is reported to be the export version, where the J-31 would be the domestic Chinese version of the same fighter.[14] Chinese aviation expert Xu Yongling has called the J-31 an export-oriented low-end fifth-generation warplane.[15]

This part in the wiki link is interesting:

Vladimir Barkovsky of Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG (formerly known as the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau) has stated that, despite some design flaws, the J-31 "looks like a good machine." Although it contains features already in use on the U.S. fifth generation fighter designs, it is "not a copy but a well done indigenous design." Barkovsky has confirmed that the engines on the prototype aircraft are RD-93s.[12][45]

Source #45:

http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-n...s-reveal-j-31-engine-and-describe-sales-china

It will probably take some years until we see open-source documents on battle testing etc.

 

[dualmeister]

Isn't this the one that isn't so stealthy because it gives off too much smoke

Edit, yes.

Notably, the engines that currently equip the aircraft are a bit smoky. The Chinese jet may evade radars and one day equal the F-22 and F-35 but for the moment they can be spotted from far away because of the plumes of black smoke its engines create.

 

[Lupus]

Isn't this the one that isn't so stealthy because it gives off too much smoke

Edit, yes.

That was probably the F35, seeing it's still in development hell and people are questioning the reason for it.

 

[dualmeister]

J-31

[video=youtube_share;6Z3YzCppn2k]http://youtu.be/6Z3YzCppn2k[/video]

 

[ponder]

No coincidence that this fighter looks almost identical to the F-35 on the outside.

Well my understanding is these stealth designs are mostly done by computer modelling to achieve a small radar cross section. Would not be surprised if all designs kinda look similar.

 

[w1z4rd]

China probably got the data for this in one of their many hacks. They probably have full blueprints to the F-35.

he US government is continuing its efforts to put pressure on Chinese cyber-espionage activities. According to The Wall Street Journal, the US Justice Department filed charges against a Chinese national living in Canada named Su Bin. The business owner is charged with working with two anonymous hackers to illegally obtain information on military aircraft produced by US defense contractors.

The three conspirators allegedly worked from 2009 to 2013 on obtaining the information, and they were apparently successful in stealing some sensitive documents related to the Lockheed Martin-built F-22 and F-35 fighter jets,

 

[Space_Chief]

Looks very Lockheed.

China has been copying Russian fighters. So it's possible.
http://english.pravda.ru/russia/economics/22-04-2008/104975-russia_china-0/

 

[Space_Chief]

so much for it's stealth capabilities


i would however be curious to see how it would perform head to head against the original under extended stress tests

There is no 100% stealth. Radar tech is evolving with stealth tech.

 

[Fulcrum29]

Isn't this the one that isn't so stealthy because it gives off too much smoke

Edit, yes.

It is because the J-31 prototype utilises the engines, Klimov RD-33, used by the MiG-29 as seen in this video:

[video=youtube_share;Za4Z4FXykdE]http://youtu.be/Za4Z4FXykdE[/video]

Black smoke trails.

The Chinese will be developing their own twin-engine variant based on the RD-33. It is rumoured that the J-31 will be utilising the Guizhou WS-13 engine which is utilised in the JF-17, the engine will need to be designed into a twin-engine variant. The WS-13 is based on the RD-33.

 

[Fulcrum29]

That was probably the F35, seeing it's still in development hell and people are questioning the reason for it.

It is already in production.