Chengdu next gen combat aircraft (?J-36) thread

[AndrewJ]

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding what you mean by "new tech", but you would isolate your new technology and test it on mature platforms rather than trying to integrate it on a foundation that you haven't tested thoroughly yet.

I would imagine we'd see these production enhancements on the J-20 and J-35 first.

The new tech I mentioned here are more about automation, intelligent testing & manufacturing, and streamline optimization. These approaches may be tested elsewhere to validate initial feasibility. But this is the first time they're used in large scale & in an integrated way on a giant new platform.

A new generation not only reflects why & what to manufacture, but also how to manufacture/test. These directly decide its test flights' frequency.

 

[Phead128]

Another artistic shot.

Modern meets ancient.

PLA might be fielding 6th gen fighter jets before they even fully retire all their 3rd gen aircraft.

This is surreal. Just a few years ago, I was still questioning why there were so many grandpa J-7s—was the PLAAF really a modern air force? And now, I feel like I’m staring straight into the future. The sight of J-7s and the futuristic J-36 coexisting at the same moment perfectly captures the “China Light Speed” transformation and China as a "hybrid country" with jarring extremes which is very very impressive and scary.

 

[Deino]

..
PLA might be fielding 6th gen fighter jets before they even fully retire all their 3rd gen aircraft.

Indeed, it is amazing, in fact even astonishing to see such a fast pace, but IMO this is not directly a hint or even proof we will see it in service soon, especially with the J-20A and J-35A about to enter service soon.

IMO it is more likely, that we will see an indeed longer development and testing phase (in comparison to the J-20) since there is no true need to hurry and instead all additional systems and capabilities need to be developed, tested and integrated. As already said so often here: It is no longer about the aircraft itself, it is the system that qualifies it as a "next generation type"!

 

[GyrfalconFC31]

New video from bilibili shows J-36's splinter camo.

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[MC530]

Well the currently flying aircraft should definitely be called "prototypes" because "initial production batch aircraft" is for after the development is finished, the design is finalized, and the aircraft is being produced for induction in the PLAAF, not for testing. The J-36 is clearly in its development phase not in its initial production phase.




I am not sure what you are trying to say here. There could indeed be more than 1 flying prototype but are you suggesting that there are multiple different flying prototypes simultaneously given the same serial number? This seems highly unlikely, what is the benefit of doing this? Not only is this needlessly confusing for the people working on the plane but it is unnecessary. Serial numbers are just a number, why would they do this?



I have no idea what you are trying to say here. I believe IOC means "Initial Operational Capability" which is achieved after development is completed and the aircraft is being produced for actual PLAAF service. Perhaps you mean something different with IOC? Also again "initial production batch aircraft" are the first aircraft that are produced after development is complete and they are intended for actual PLAAF service.

Maybe you are misunderstanding or being overly optimistic about the timeline. The J-36 is not ready right now and it's not even close. If you think the first production J-36 for PLAAF front line use will come in 2025 you are way off on the timeline. We are not even close to that point it will take years more of development.

Maybe you didn’t read what was discussed before. Most of this describes what happened during the development of J20.
Daubed the number, they did; yes, PLA and Chengdu did not explain the reason for the daub to anyone.
Initial production batch: The J20s sent to Dingxin Base and Yanliang Base are considered "initial production batches". Their numbers are completely inconsistent and are considered to be in service. However, the aerodynamic shape, DSI inlet shape, tail wing, etc. of these 10-20 J20s have undergone various changes. They are different from the official equipment version J20 we observed later.

So it is necessary, I would think "
The "prototype" does not completely determine the production model (IOC). It may be the "initial production batch" that determines the production model (IOC), and the "initial production batch" can also be considered a part of the "prototype" of the J20.

J36 currently only has one serial number: 36011. I would not consider him mature. Again, all test flight photos are blurry. And based on the number of flights announced in recent days, it’s hard to believe that this is an orphan.

 

[iBBz]

Indeed, it is amazing, in fact even astonishing to see such a fast pace, but IMO this is not directly a hint or even proof we will see it in service soon, especially with the J-20A and J-35A about to enter service soon.

IMO it is more likely, that we will see an indeed longer development and testing phase (in comparison to the J-20) since there is no true need to hurry and instead all additional systems and capabilities need to be developed, tested and integrated. As already said so often here: It is no longer about the aircraft itself, it is the system that qualifies it as a "next generation type"!

Of course there is a need to hurry. This aircraft can carry much larger armament than the J-20, so I would argue the PLA would want it to enter service fast as a VLO bomber initially, then worry about the rest of the system later. The PLA did rush the J-20 and kept on upgrading it, so they are already known for rushing and reiterating in tight timelines, so something tells me this aircraft will enter service in the next 3-5 years. China is being threatened with war by the US by 2028 or 30 and the US has already flown the B-21, and now you have the very unpredictable lunactic that is Trump, so the PLA may view acquiring a VLO bomber as a time sensitive matter.

 

[MC530]

Of course there is a need to hurry. This aircraft can carry much larger armament than the J-20, so I would argue the PLA would want it to enter service fast as a VLO bomber initially, then worry about the rest of the system later. The PLA did rush the J-20 and kept on upgrading it, so they are already known for rushing and reiterating in tight timelines, so something tells me this aircraft will enter service in the next 3-5 years. China is being threatened with war by the US by 2028 or 30 and the US has already flown the B-21, and now you have the very unpredictable lunactic that is Trump, so the PLA may view acquiring a VLO bomber as a time sensitive matter.

The flight performance of the J36 is no longer the capability it needs most, but a system, how to support CCA or other air force assets for effective combat. So it might be a little longer before we see them enter "initial production."
PLA is no longer hungry. Unless tomorrow Mr. Trump decides that China should be the 53rd state of the United States.

 

[AndrewJ]

The flight performance of the J36 is no longer the capability it needs most, but a system, how to support CCA or other air force assets for effective combat. So it might be a little longer before we see them enter "initial production."
PLA is no longer hungry. Unless tomorrow Mr. Trump decides that China should be the 53rd state of the United States.

Indeed. IMO China will use early-version J-36 as a kind of VLO bomber, bcz China is lack of a stealth air strike platform for long. J-20's payload is too small in stealth mode, meanwhile H-6X series aren't stealth. And it's too long to wait for H-20 (maybe already cancelled?).

Btw, who's the 52nd state?

 

[SteelBird]

Guys, I saw a video on Youtube posted by Liu Xiaofei that J-36 has three engines with full afterburner, so I come back to our forum to check if the photo is legitimated. I have rolled back more than 10 pages without luck. Can you guys confirm me if the photo is real?

Video here:

 

[mack8]

The picture in question is a screenshot from a CGI clip.