J-20 5th Gen Fighter Thread VIII

[siegecrossbow]

Do keep in mind that the J-20S is closer to an X-plane in many regards since CAC was given full rein by the Chinese military to go nuts with the design and there is no deadline per se. I wouldn’t be surprised if the final version end up being very different from the one we are familiar with.

 

[ACuriousPLAFan]

Do keep in mind that the J-20S is closer to an X-plane in many regards since CAC was given full rein by the Chinese military to go nuts with the design and there is no deadline per se. I wouldn’t be surprised if the final version end up being very different from the one we are familiar with.

As China's military R&D capabilities are expected to start growing exponentially as China's STEM workforce and national war chest start to pay dividends, hopefully we will see more and more X-planes coming out in China in the years to follow...

 

[AndrewS]

Numbers are reported to be between 60-100 depending the source you are reading, but my point still is, where are they all?
The last confirmed J-20 unit was the 8th Brigade in October 2022 and similar for J-10C production, we heard lots of rumours, it would have been transferred to GAIC but so far nothing conclusive.

PLA OPSEC at its best again?!

It has been 14 months since October 2022.

Even at only 60 per year, that's enough for 3 additional brigades. Is such a gap between introduction and photos significantly abnormal?

If yes, it would be an additional level of OPSEC as compared to previously. And if this is true, then it supports Patchwork's previous comment of over 100 J-20 in 2023.

An alternative explanation might be the airframes missing something in the supply chain, so haven't yet been delivered

 

[Atomicfrog]

It has been 14 months since October 2022.

Even at only 60 per year, that's enough for 3 additional brigades. Is such a gap between introduction and photos significantly abnormal?

If yes, it would be an additional level of OPSEC as compared to previously. And if this is true, then it supports Patchwork's previous comment of over 100 J-20 in 2023.

An alternative explanation might be the airframes missing something in the supply chain, so haven't yet been delivered

Waiting for ws-15 to ramp up production ?

 

[_killuminati_]

My thought on this matter is, with both China and the US(soon maybe) having 300km+ missiles, stealth jets can get away with picking off supportive elements such as tankers and AWACS, forcing 4th gen planes to have limited support when engaged. Since 5th gen jets tend to have more powerful radars then their predecessors, would it not still be a turkey shoot unless both sides are using stealth jets in the fight?

What's the purpose of using radar on a stealth jet if it is backed by a much longer range AWACS, as well as ground radars (in a defensive role)? Wouldn't it be better to keep the radar off? Turning the radar on, if I'm not mistaken, is what reduces stealth significantly (I took this understanding from the concept of the F-117A having a very high degree of stealth because it did not carry any radar at all).

 

[FriedRiceNSpice]

What's the purpose of using radar on a stealth jet if it is backed by a much longer range AWACS, as well as ground radars (in a defensive role)? Wouldn't it be better to keep the radar off? Turning the radar on, if I'm not mistaken, is what reduces stealth significantly (I took this understanding from the concept of the F-117A having a very high degree of stealth because it did not carry any radar at all).

Are you suggesting not putting radars on fighters? Just because a fighter has a radar doesn't mean it must be turned on all the time... and when it is turned on, there's something known as LPI.

AWACS will be priority targets, and unlike fighters are not stealthy.

 

[iBBz]

Indeed !

View attachment 122768

I'm wondering if this is in service, the colours aren't indicative of a prototype. The serrations don't appear to have paint, but the v tail kinda looks like its got camo?

Do keep in mind that the J-20S is closer to an X-plane in many regards since CAC was given full rein by the Chinese military to go nuts with the design and there is no deadline per se. I wouldn’t be surprised if the final version end up being very different from the one we are familiar with.

Are you sure this info is accurate?

 

[Deino]

I'm wondering if this is in service, the colours aren't indicative of a prototype. The serrations don't appear to have paint, but the v tail kinda looks like its got camo?

This is clearly a prototype only - just look at the number 2032 - and all prototypes at some day got a regular paint

 

[siegecrossbow]

I'm wondering if this is in service, the colours aren't indicative of a prototype. The serrations don't appear to have paint, but the v tail kinda looks like its got camo?

Are you sure this info is accurate?

Straight from Yankeesama. Very positive.

 

[_killuminati_]

Are you suggesting not putting radars on fighters? Just because a fighter has a radar doesn't mean it must be turned on all the time... and when it is turned on, there's something known as LPI.

AWACS will be priority targets, and unlike fighters are not stealthy.

No. I'm asking the purpose of turning on a fighter's radar if it's range is already enveloped by an AWACS unit far behind it, in a defensive role. Let's say J-20's radar range is 350km, but a 100km behind it is a KJ-2000 with 470km radar range. In that situation, what is the benefit of turning on the J-20's radar? Is it able to do something that the AWACS cannot?