J-35A fighter (PLAAF) + FC-31 thread

[lcloo]

How much is the cost of EODAS compare to the total cost of a J35A? I don't think cutting cost is the reason.

What we see here might not be what PLAAF is getting for their first operational unit. Batch 00 is the catch word.

 

[iBBz]

Not sure why they went with this stabilizer fairing design. Feels like an afterthought. Why not get rid of the fairing and make it something like the Flanker design, or push the cover back a little and go the Su-57 route where the fairing comes out of the top of the pivot?

 

[lcloo]

Not sure why they went with this stabilizer fairing design. Feels like an afterthought. Why not get rid of the fairing and make it something like the Flanker design, or push the cover back a little and go the Su-57 route where the fairing comes out of the top of the pivot?

View attachment 138682

The first consideration of design is stealth. Also stealth doesn't have to follow SU-57's path.

 

[Schwerter_]

Not sure why they went with this stabilizer fairing design. Feels like an afterthought. Why not get rid of the fairing and make it something like the Flanker design, or push the cover back a little and go the Su-57 route where the fairing comes out of the top of the pivot?

View attachment 138682

Honestly it might have been (an afterthought), The naval variant (which came out first) had a different horizontal tail design and the air force variant probably took the tail boom geometry from the naval variant and modified it to have this new horizontal tail design. Not sure why they deemed this change was advantageous but that’s my best guess rn

 

[by78]

All high-resolution images.

 

[by78]

 

[by78]

 

[plawolf]

Speaking of which, if the naval variant can supercruise using a given engine model (ws13, ws19, ws21, doesn't matter), it would follow that the Airforce variant most likely also can, after all they're aerodynamically pretty similar with the airforce variant being (hopefully) a bit lighter and a bit less draggy with smaller wings.

If the naval version can supercruise while the air force version cannot, then the main reasons could only be weight and/or engine output.

Weight wise, examples could be more use of composites; demanding an air cooled AESA have the same volume and performance as a liquid cooled one, etc.

Engine output increases with the same engine can be achieved by accepting lower engine life and probably also more maintenance requirements.

But it sounds like the key difference is in the navy being happy to pay more for weight saving as opposed to just being prepared to push the engines harder. So I think it’s likely the naval version using an air cooled AESA for weight savings at higher purchases price at a minimum.

 

[AndrewS]

China is now the only country in history to simultaneously volume produce two 5th gen stealth fighter at the same time, with a 4.5th gen J-16 on the side.

I would expect Shenyang production of the 4.5gen J-16 to drop off dramatically as they shift to the J-35.

Also, the J-10CE is also a 4.5gen fighter, with production being shifted from Chengdu to Guizhou because of the J-20 production ramp

And of the two 5th gen, even the low in the high-low pair is more advanced than America's high

That is debatable. But in any case, it's system versus system nowadays

 

[plawolf]

Some pictures posted on AVIC's official Weibo account:
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These two pictures shows the most likely location of the gun with the dark grey gun port cover near the right wing root, behind the air vent.