J-20 5th Gen Fighter Thread V
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SinoSoldier
Colonel
It seems to me that not only does the transparency of 2017 canopy have a slightly different shape, but the entire canopy is also slightly shorter on the front and back axis,with the rear of the canopy moved may be 10cm further forward than on 2016. It appears to me the change to dimension and location of cockpit is more substantial than just the shape of the transparency. The location of the rear bulkhead of the cockpit probably has also been moved forward.
I think in general we can say that the J-20 project has really proceeded very quickly. We are in late 2015 and it seems like at least some J-20s will be delivered to FTTC for evaluation by this point next year, which is quite astonishing. Back in 2009, one of the interviews with deputy head of PLAAF (I think???) said that J-20 is likely to be ready in 8 to 10 years. So we are basically at the very early part of that estimation. From what i can see, there hasn't been any real delays, which is quite impressive of a project like this.
Skywatcher
Captain
Looks like it might be China's equivalent to the F/A-18E/F in terms of good aviation program management.
They must have used a lot of mature subsystems and nothing fancy
cn_habs
Junior Member
Limited production can realistically start in 2017 IMHO.
I don't think j-20 program's pace is particularly fast when one considers the development environment appears to have been exceptionally benign for a post cold war fighter program:
1). There is no evidence that the operational requirements or the budgetary environment of the j-20 program underwent any major changes between the first prototype and now to slow things down, as was very much the case with the f-22.
2). There is no evidence the j-22 was required to simulataneously fill multiple muturally contradictory requirements right from the beginning, as was very much the case with f-35.
3). Chinese fighter development probably enjoys higher national priority, and less emphasis on compromises catering to cost sharing with perspective foreign participants, than is common in the post Cold War weapons development environment.
Given these exceptionally benign development environmental factors, I think the rate of progress of j-20 is perhaps par for the course. The original ATF/f-22 was perhaps the most recent large fighter program that, at least before the end of the Cold War, had been expected to enjoy similarly benign development environment. The original f-22 program schedule, from prototype through around 16 development aircraft to initial operational status of production squadron, was only 7 years, significantly faster than what the j-20 program had demonstrated.
It was only the end of the Cold War, a drastic review and revision both of the mission of USAF in general and the role of f-22 in particular, as well as a large budget cut that cut number of development airframes in half, that stretched the schedule to 12 years.
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That is true, but in a time period when it seems all major combat aircraft projects around the world suffer from monumental delays due to a variety of reasons, the seemingly brisk development of J-20 is still somewhat unique.
Still, we shouldn't count our chickens before the eggs hatch, because the important thing will be to see when J-20 actually enters service. Not to mention whether it enters service with WS-15 or not, and if it doesn't, then when WS-15 will be ready...
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