China's V/STOL studies, concepts & considerations

This news was posted on all major Chinese news websites hours ago:



The picture used is only an unofficial rendering which may or may not has anything to do with the end result. The article is simply saying the development contract has been signed on 20/03/2015. It was signed by AVIC's Chengdu division. So looks like the project will be based in Chengdu. For the moment the contract is about the lift fan. We should hear more in the coming days or weeks I would guess. And the article also mentions the jet will be used by the navy/marine, which I think is just a guess from the writer.

I'm posting this thread here. However, since this jet will mostly likely go to the navy (marine), please feel free to move it to the navy section.

Looks like slightly changed drawing of F-35B . Anyway it is still on long rope, they would need first to develop engine, fan and all the other things necessary for VSTOL .

If the news article is really true that AVIC already signed the contract with Chengdu, then is that meant that's the end for SAC's J-31? Or maybe Chengdu just design the lift fan for J-31, and it's going to be a joined project?

thunderchief said:

Looks like slightly changed drawing of F-35B . Anyway it is still on long rope, they would need first to develop engine, fan and all the other things necessary for VSTOL .

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Like Kickars already mentioned, that picture was just fan art and not offical rendering from AVIC or Chengdu.

JayBird said:

If the news article is really true that AVIC already signed the contract with Chengdu, then is that meant that's the end for SAC's J-31? Or maybe Chengdu just design the lift fan for J-31, and it's going to be a joined project?

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Well, I hope that China would not repeat US mistake with JSF and all design flaws and restrictions that stemmed from unified airframe for all 3 versions .

JayBird said:

If the news article is really true that AVIC already signed the contract with Chengdu, then is that meant that's the end for SAC's J-31? Or maybe Chengdu just design the lift fan for J-31, and it's going to be a joined project?

Click to expand...

I'm thinking the opposite. J-31 may well be still alive. China may not make the same mistake as US for using the same platform for all three different uses. J-20 will definitely go to PLAAF, maybe PLAN for land based divisions. J-31 would likely go to PLAAF and PLAN's 'full size' carriers. This VSTOL fighter should go to PLAN's future LHA/LHDs and maybe PLAAF too, like how British used Harriers for their navy and air force.

That picture is just from some random CG makers as claimed by the text under it.
Looks like a canard F-35 (The JSF prototype?) with way too small rudders.

The only thing the news is talking about is AVIC and "China Aerospace Engine Research Institute"? started to corporate on a STO/VL propulsion project.

Anyway, the only thing I can think of with the PLA+VTOL combination is this thing:

kickars said:

This news was posted on all major Chinese news websites hours ago:

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The picture used is only an unofficial rendering which may or may not has anything to do with the end result. The article is simply saying the development contract has been signed on 20/03/2015. It was signed by AVIC's Chengdu division. So looks like the project will be based in Chengdu. For the moment the contract is about the lift fan. We should hear more in the coming days or weeks I would guess. And the article also mentions the jet will be used by the navy/marine, which I think is just a guess from the writer.

I'm posting this thread here. However, since this jet will mostly likely go to the navy (marine), please feel free to move it to the navy section.

Click to expand...

If this news is about a concrete project for a lift fan equipped engine and not just some research project, can we guess at the engine this project would use as a "starting point" ?

I imagine an engine based on the WS-15 might have enough power to be used in a supersonic vstol jet fighter with a decent weapons load.

Anything with less power should only be able to power something comparable with the harrier, which I don't think is a reasonable target nowadays.

Is this a reasonable guess or would this project need a completely new engine ?


Actually I'm quite surprised about this announcement, I wouldn't have thought such a project would start until China had "caught up" in turbofan and turboshaft production and could produce all the engines it might need for "normal" jets and helicopters.

schenkus said:

I
Actually I'm quite surprised about this announcement, I wouldn't have thought such a project would start until China had "caught up" in turbofan and turboshaft production and could produce all the engines it might need for "normal" jets and helicopters.

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Well, you need to start from somewhere. Even if they manage to produce VSTOL version of WS-10 (relatively low trust with no afterburner) , it would be a good start and valuable know-how for something better .

It's just a hardly changed picture of F-35B so if there is a contract this picture is not connected to it. And, as Schenkus implies, you need engines as good as the US ones to be able to consider building something like this. And then, I hope, they won't do it.