If they wanted medium bomber then they’d have gone with two engines.
Chengdu next gen combat aircraft (?J-36) thread
- Thread starter Blitzo
- Start date
If they wanted medium bomber then they’d have gone with two engines.
FriedRiceNSpice
Captain
The design of the J-36 clearly maximizes A2A performance, but it would naturally still excel at a strike role. It wouldn't be a very good generic medium bomber, but it would be able to conduct strike missions (rapid penetrating strikes into heavily defended airspace) your generic medium bomber would not be able to.
True, and is indeed the case with the cancelled FB-22. About 54 tons MTOW with only two F119 engines and a top speed of Mach 1.5+.
As a matter of fact, the J-36 should be in the same range of MTOW as the FB-22. So if the J-36 is indeed intended to be just a medium/tactical/fighter-bomber, then Chengdu AC won't even bother with adding a 3rd WS-10C/15/XX to it.
Oh, that's absolutely true.
But I'd say, all things equal, as @siegecrossbow mentioned, you don't need 3 engines for bomber in this class.
Remove that, relax airframe for lesser G rating and reconsider maneuver requirements(or outright drop supersonic), and you're flying much further, stealthier, yet with a much deeper bay(basically right to structural frame).
I think J-36s goal is to disrupt kill chains and force multipliers behind enemy lines in 2nd island chain and at the same time, enhance and amplify and provide robustness to its own kill chain along with the new massive UAV we saw few days ago. This is through kinetic and EW means. Hence we see huge huge emphasis on signal power and very long range BVR payload.
Signals too face the tyranny of distance, and this is one big advantage US hands to China as it decides that Taiwan is the hill worth fighting for.
It makes sense in system vs system warfare to hit/disable critical points that disrupt the opponent's system-enablers.
So J-36 would initially operate at strategic level IMO, once it is deemed that kill-chain superiority has been established, it can easily operate at tactical level with a big load of PL-15s.
I believe this is the focus and this strategy was further re-inforced by PAF running circles around IAF.
J-36 is not the spiritual successor to J-20, J-36 has no predecessor.
J-50 is the spiritual successor to both J-20 and J-35.
Now, I will not be surprised that we see a lot of anti-space-based ISR weaponry pop up over the coming years. US knows it will be a challenge to maintain robust kill chains in the air and is doing the big Space-based ISR push along with Golden Dome stuff.
J-36 can act as a kind of bomber but it would be IMO very very specific missions, tactical calls. China can and probably will develop platforms that are alot more efficient for those roles. J-36 is too important to be relegated for bomb runs.
Add UCAVs to all of the above to further amplify each of the capability.
Signals too face the tyranny of distance, and this is one big advantage US hands to China as it decides that Taiwan is the hill worth fighting for.
It makes sense in system vs system warfare to hit/disable critical points that disrupt the opponent's system-enablers.
So J-36 would initially operate at strategic level IMO, once it is deemed that kill-chain superiority has been established, it can easily operate at tactical level with a big load of PL-15s.
I believe this is the focus and this strategy was further re-inforced by PAF running circles around IAF.
J-36 is not the spiritual successor to J-20, J-36 has no predecessor.
J-50 is the spiritual successor to both J-20 and J-35.
Now, I will not be surprised that we see a lot of anti-space-based ISR weaponry pop up over the coming years. US knows it will be a challenge to maintain robust kill chains in the air and is doing the big Space-based ISR push along with Golden Dome stuff.
J-36 can act as a kind of bomber but it would be IMO very very specific missions, tactical calls. China can and probably will develop platforms that are alot more efficient for those roles. J-36 is too important to be relegated for bomb runs.
Add UCAVs to all of the above to further amplify each of the capability.
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It is overexposed. No one cares anymore. Just like no one cares about Shenzhou launches.
i think we'll need to see images that reveal more information than the current best available to get excited again.
Chengdu got constant heavy rain for two days straight (23rd-24th). Maybe that clip’s from the evening of the 25th—I can’t totally rule that out. But there is barely any other footage exists. It's hard to believe that such a "celebrity" flies over millions of Chengdu people… and we only get one video. And almost nobody’s posting photos either.