China Flanker Thread II

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tphuang

tphuang

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SinoSoldier said:
When will the J-11B/S receive AESA upgrades?
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Depending on the cost, PLAAF may never see the need to do so. They are going to be building many fighters using AESA radars in the future. It takes a while to get the production of T/R modules and AESA radar up to support that. The J-11B radar is already quite powerful, so I don't think it's on top of the todo list.
 
SinoSoldier

SinoSoldier

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Bltizo said:
If only we knew.

If we see J-11Bs getting grey radomes then that could be indicative, but until then, na-da.
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The PLAAF would probably, if they chose to do so at all, upgrade a small portion of existing J-11Bs, akin to the US "Golden Eagle" program. The prospect of J-11B upgrades pretty much depends on how successful (and financially reasonable) the J-11D program will be.
 
SinoSoldier

SinoSoldier

Colonel
tphuang said:
Depending on the cost, PLAAF may never see the need to do so. They are going to be building many fighters using AESA radars in the future. It takes a while to get the production of T/R modules and AESA radar up to support that. The J-11B radar is already quite powerful, so I don't think it's on top of the todo list.
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To be fair, AESA radars don't seem to be a technical or financial bottleneck for the Chinese. They've deployed them on J-16, J-15, J-11D, J-10C, as well as a host of other aerial AEW&C platforms. It's a cost-effective way to maintain technological decency without having to exceedingly rely on expensive 5th generation aircraft.
 
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