J-20... The New Generation Fighter

windracer said:

Man the new J20 must be very huge...look at those people under her wing, looked so tiny...It's much larger than the J10 too.

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dexy-sexy said:

If it would be a programmed feature for landing than it wouldn't prevent it, and it would be easy for fbw to control pitch moment trough regulation of elevator deflection.

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Quickie said:

It's still possible to maintain control of pitch by additionally using the canard or maybe thrust vectoring. How feasible would this be is the question.

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bladerunner said:

@Assasins Mace

Thats right thats what members in this forum do when discussing some "hush hush" military hardware. It can be fun , so lighten up.

BtW Many forum members/ and international commentators are simply speculating because of the out of character handling of the publicity involving the progress of the J-20 by the officials. What they want to make of it, is purely up to them.

You could also look at it in another way. They are simply covering their a......, by not announcing it.
I believe that most members who had a interest in this plane genuinely believed in a impending test flight, infact I don't recall any dissenting opinion let alone yours, as they say its always easier to be smarter after the fact.

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AssassinsMace said:

You mean the same people that people who like you discount as fanboys or the people who said that China would never develop a 5th gen fighter? Either way you discredit yourself using them. Anyone can come up with a conclusion first and then just only pick and choose what speculation that leads to that conclusion. The ones who should lighten up are the pride police getting their undies in a bunch at seeing all the euphoria over the J-20. I love reading about one poster over at another forum who said the euphoria was a sign of Chinese aggression. Or another wanted the US to not pay back China on US treasuries. For what? Did China start a war? No, just because China built a 5th gen fighter that everyone peeing in their skirts says is an inferior outdated design. If it's inferior and won't work, what's all the anger for? If all this euphoria is going to definitely turn to disappointment, it's only embarrassing for those in euphoria. Yet there seems to be anger from those that are skeptical. What's it all about is again the thought police are on patrol because no one can be happy without their permission. Who's the one that needs to lighten up?

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The rumored prototype of China's "J-20 stealth fighter jet" has created a stir over the nation's defensive advancements, but analysts suggest that any such program would simply reflect the country's industrial military progress.

Pictures of the alleged fourth-generation jet fighter, equivalent to a fifth-generation craft under Western classifications, have been circulating on the Internet since mid-December.

The US-based Aviation Week magazine reported Monday that the prototype was undergoing high-speed tests late last week at the Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute's airfield in Sichuan Province.

Citing a picture taken by unknown sources, the report said that the J-20 resembles the shape of the US Air Force's F-22 Raptor and "would facilitate loading larger weapons" than the US jet due to a higher ground clearance.

However, the report said engine development was still a problem, adding that it is still too early to tell whether the J-20 is a true prototype or intended to simply demonstrate technology.

The Moscow-based RIA Novosti News Agency reported earlier that the J-20 could use the indigenous Shenyang WS-10 engine, which is inferior to Russian-made engines.

Chinese authorities have not commented on the latest speculations, but He Weirong, deputy commander of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), told China Central Television a year ago that the country was "making progress in developing a fourth-generation fighter jet."

Shortly after his statement, the PLAAF clarified that the aircraft He referred to was actually an upgrade of the third-generation J-10 that possesses some fourth-generation features such as stealth and super-cruise ca-pabilities.

"If the development of the J-20 is true, it will be another reflection of China's fast industrial advancement, which has already been highlighted by high-speed railways and space exploration," Song Xiaojun, a Beijing-based military expert, told the Global Times. "Besides the global, military impact, the rumored J-20 also bears political significance because it represents China's growing power."

He disagreed with some media reports that China is becoming aggressive militarily.

"The country's increasing military strength matches its economic growth," Song added.

"Fifth generation" is a term used by US officials to described the most advanced fighter jets that incorporate technologies such as all aspects of stealth, even when armed, as well as possess a low probability of radar intercept and highly integrated computer systems.

Under this classification, the US is the only country in the world that has combat-ready, fifth-generation aircraft, namely the F-22 and the F-35 Lightning II models.

Russia's fifth-generation fighter jet, the T-50, made its debut in January 2010 but has not been equipped by the air force.

In December, Moscow and New Delhi reached a raft of defense and nuclear deals potentially worth billions of dollars, including joint design and development of fifth-generation fighter aircraft based on the T-50.

It took 15 years for the US military to develop the F-22, which costs around $150 million per unit. However, its production was terminated after President Barack Obama signed the country's 2010 de-fense bill that included huge spending cuts.

In promoting the defense bill, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in 2009 that China "is projected to have no fifth-generation aircraft by 2020" and only a "handful" by 2025, Reuters reported.

Li Daguang, a military expert at the PLA National Defense University, told the Global Times that Gates' prediction was overly optimistic.

"The recent rumor about the J-20 is pure speculation," he said. "The F-22 is an offensive weapon that fits Washington's global strategy. China's defense development is self-defensive in nature and does not require a fighter jet of that caliber.

"Furthermore, if China does want a fourth-generation fighter jet, it needs to build a large number of them in order to affect the regional military balance. The US has capped its number of F-22s at 187. How many should China build?"

Li also noted that China's aviation technology is still far away from competing with Western countries, especially the US.

"Some Western media are more optimistic than Gates, and than the Chinese people," he said. "They've hyped the issue because they want to."

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Krabat1976 said:

Hui Tong admit that the second J20 prototype uses not only a chinese engine, but an improved version of FWS10.

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AssassinsMace said:

When they stop thinking the media is the oracle of the truth...

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Comment: World-class military not exclusive luxury

The rumored Chinese stealth jet, or "aircraft-carrier killer," has been making headlines in the US. China-US relations, that seemed to warm around the New Year, now face a new wall.

There are numerous walls between the two powers. Some would try to help the two sides negotiate a path between the walls, while others attempt to bring the two to a dead end.

It is both natural and unnatural for the US to be concerned about China developing new weapons. Most powers wish that their superiority will last forever. China is growing up fast, and the US military edge over China is unavoidably shrinking.

Whether the reported new weapons are true or not, in the long run, China will own first-class weapons that are capable of competing with the US war machine. But owning these weapons does not necessarily mean China will attack the US.

The outcry among US media reflects the permeating surprise over China's military progress. This gap of expectation and reality is dangerous for Sino-US relations, and is worth the attention of both Beijing and Washington.

Some are even trying to estimate at what pace China's development, especially military progress, would be seen as tolerable for American society. Should China surpass this theoretical threshold, the danger could then be more easily ascertained.

Apparently, the US is not ready to treat China as a major power. They cannot accept the fact that China will sooner or later possess a first-class military. They are too used to the old power structure, in which China and other developing countries have long been treated unfairly.

Some American decision-makers swear by the role of aircraft carriers in the western Pacific, as if a few of these vessels could prevent the slumbering giant from waking.

China now faces a dilemma. Raising its voices in certain international affairs, it risks being labeled as tough or overly assertive. But China can no longer forego its own basic rights.

It will be a painful procedure. There will be many discussions about China's growing military power, that may even spiral into protest and criticism.

China does not need to be surprised by these events.

Similar to our adaptation to increasing frictions with Western countries, the older powers will also acclimatize to China's rise.

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KYli said:

Courtesy of hhg of CDF

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Roger604 said:

That is HUGE news. And a confirmation of speculation here on this thread. FWS10A is ready. We see it first not on the J-10 but on the J-20.

J-20 was never going to use 117S. That was silly reporting by Janes. Maya confirmed it will use FWS10A before WS-15 is ready.

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