Yilong responds.
Too bad that the guy across the pond is pretty good at those two things huh.
Chengdu next gen combat aircraft (?J-36) thread
- Thread starter Blitzo
- Start date
Yilong responds.
Too bad that the guy across the pond is pretty good at those two things huh.
Most predictable response ever given.
Elon Musk puts P.T. Barnum to shame. I fully expect all his businesses to go bankrupt and himself disgraced and possible in jail before the end of the decade.
We need a new name for Elon and his hangers-on wrt air warfare.
I'd suggest the "unmanned mafia", which doubles as both a description of their views and an insult to their manhood.
But Chinese and American requirements are different. This doesn't mean the US couldn't produce something like this prototype, it is probably more that it doesn't fit or make sense in the US's arsenal.
The US doesn't have PL-17 equivalents and US relies on carriers meaning the range requirements don't matter as much. The US seems OK with the stealth profile of the F-22 and F-35. Therefore, for the US to actually want to adopt something, it needs to do a lot more that what AVIC/SAIC prototypes even do. I fear the issue is that the US spends too much time figuring that out that China leap frogs them (if that hasn't happened already).
Is the FCAS program even expected to yield a platform without vertical stabilizers? If not, it is likely the Europeans are lagging behind the Chinese, except perhaps in propulsion technology.
Considering the timelines of the J-10, J-20 and FC-31/J-35 programs, a realistic timeline for the J-36/CH-AD to reach LRIP is probably 5-10 years. Leaning on the lower end of this range given the pace at which the J-20 program moved forward between 2011 and 2017.
Probably wouldn't bet on seeing this triple engine beast in Beijing come October 2029 though . . .
More juicy cope:
Cute Orca basically slammed the original post (which is using an old photograph to create rumors/disinformation).
Musk is already launching satellites for the DoD through SpaceX's Starshield division.
Hypersonic missiles might be a bit more offensive than what Musk is accustomed to, but for tens of billions of dollars, he will probably be happy to assist.
If anything, an orbital bombardment platform armed with conventional munitions would be more aligned with SpaceX's existing core competencies.
Musk can even frame it as an asymmetric remedy against the emergent long-range, precision strike capabilities of a certain unnamed peer and an easier to name near peer . . . Might even be cheaper than the NGAD program!