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

[iewgnem]

My feeling is that the j-36 is designed with the assumption that it expects to often not get the network/system supports that say a j20 or shenyang 6th gen might get, due to the nature of the mission or the range at which it will be conducted.

It is designed with the acknowledgement that it will be a lone wolf when it has to.

As such survivability will be quite high on the design requirements, and even though shenyangs is also considered sixth gen they are not at the same level.

Network is baseline capability even for 5.5th gen, no reason to expect J-36 to not to be accompanies by CCA.

One thing I haven't seen anyone talk about is, the fact that J-36 is so large means, in theory the platform can be used as basis for a decent VLO buddy tanker for other aircrafts including CCA.

 

[Gloire_bb]

Network is baseline capability even for 5.5th gen, no reason to expect J-36 to not to be accompanies by CCA.

One thing I haven't seen anyone talk about is, the fact that J-36 is so large means, in theory the platform can be used as basis for a decent VLO buddy tanker for other aircrafts including CCA.

With 3 engines and their ducts packed inside, plus no good spot to place a buddy pod?
Seems to be very wrong aircraft for the job.

 

[iewgnem]

With 3 engines and their ducts packed inside, plus no good spot to place a buddy pod?
Seems to be very wrong aircraft for the job.

Buddy pod can be inside the IWB

It's either this or H-20 or a dedicated platform for stealth tanker, but China need stealth tankers to extend air combat radius to mid-Pacific so its one or the other.

 

[SinoAmericanCW]

So it's another way to achieve a variable cycle engine?

But I expect this would be a future development.

Speaking of VCE/ACE, this article suggests that China will complete development of such an engine by 2026:

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[Biscuits]

Network is baseline capability even for 5.5th gen, no reason to expect J-36 to not to be accompanies by CCA.

One thing I haven't seen anyone talk about is, the fact that J-36 is so large means, in theory the platform can be used as basis for a decent VLO buddy tanker for other aircrafts including CCA.

You don't want CCA when you're trying to stay the most hidden, like when breaking contact line stealthily alone and/or flanking to reveal the enemy's main 5th gen force from the side.

Imho J-XS will more commonly go together with CCA simply because its a frontline air superiority fighter, not a flanking "cavalry" or assassin.

 

[taxiya]

Is there room for side arrays in this arrangement?

2022 Zhuhai model has side arrays. No reason to put side looking arrays in the radome which isn't a good place anyway.

 

[plawolf]

“Sum” of islands misses that hiding requires wide range for maneuver and a bunch of islands isolated from each other by water have much less contiguous area for maneuver. What makes finding targets in a wide area hard is that in a broad search space your probability of identifying the right starting points before the target moves is low. If the contiguous area is much smaller then repositioning opportunities and starting points in your search are more confined. The correct parameter here is positional uncertainty relative to search time of a space, not total sum of area.

This also isn’t 1940s Japan. And yes Australia would be a much more difficult nut to crack but if in a fight with the US the US is constrained to taking potshots from Australia China has basically all but won.

His ramblings loose all credibility with his constant references to Ukraine, as if that is a gold standard for anything.

 

[siegecrossbow]

2022 Zhuhai model has side arrays. No reason to put side looking arrays in the radome which isn't a good place anyway.
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My understanding that the Zhuhai model shows off the internal system rather than the actual plane. For instance it doesn’t seem to have three engines or the cheek EOTS windows. That said I do believe that they are going to have side radars. With that much power generated it’ll be a waste not to use it as a mini AWAC.

 

[Blitzo]

My understanding that the Zhuhai model shows off the internal system rather than the actual plane. For instance it doesn’t seem to have three engines or the cheek EOTS windows. That said I do believe that they are going to have side radars. With that much power generated it’ll be a waste not to use it as a mini AWAC.

Side arrays of a radar typically aren't included in the radome where the primary radar is located anyway. That said there aren't too many examples of aircraft with side arrays to begin with...

 

[Jason_]

After some thought, I am putting forward my ideas of what PLAAF CCAs might look like and what features they might include. Refer to Guancha's article for PLAAF thinkings on CCA. I will update previous infographics.