JF-17/FC-1 Fighter Aircraft thread

[hardware]

So PAF sponsored video apparently shows a diamond shaped nose for what seems to be a new variant.

View attachment 7816

diamond nose design to reduce RCS.
around 2005, PAF after received news that India plan to purchased AESA equip MIG-29K ,began requesting AESA from China, after Thales under pressure from the US rejected PAF offer.and around 2011 report that PAF plan to install AESA on next batch of FC-1 ,new nose indicate the plan may already started.

 

[asif iqbal]

This is the first time PAC (Pakistan aeronautical complex) has shown a official video of the facility

Building of the JF-17 Thunder

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[Deino]

So PAF sponsored video apparently shows a diamond shaped nose for what seems to be a new variant.

Actually I'm very sceptical about a possible RCS-reduces stealthy JF-17 ... especially since exactly a diamond.shaped nose-design was changed to the current design with the production version and even more since such a comprehensive redesign makes no sense at all for a fighter that still carries all its stores externaly. As such to replace the radaor with an AESA does not need a diamond-section.

IMO this is only a crude representation of a FC-1/JF-17 with simply a line on that position ! Otherwise would that CG also mean they replaced the two-piece canopy by a single-piece canopy ??? ... but why only these changes and not then a full-stealhyfied version with new tail and a so on ???

Deino

 

[SinoSoldier]

Actually I'm very sceptical about a possible RCS-reduces stealthy JF-17 ... especially since exactly a diamond.shaped nose-design was changed to the current design with the production version and even more since such a comprehensive redesign makes no sense at all for a fighter that still carries all its stores externaly. As such to replace the radaor with an AESA does not need a diamond-section.

IMO this is only a crude representation of a FC-1/JF-17 with simply a line on that position ! Otherwise would that CG also mean they replaced the two-piece canopy by a single-piece canopy ??? ... but why only these changes and not then a full-stealhyfied version with new tail and a so on ???

Deino

As far as I know the only plausible theory is that the diamond nose somehow makes the nose "AESA-friendly". The JF-17's nose is already very small and perhaps the different shaping will provide the radar with efficient use of space. I do not believe that the diamond nose was meant to reduce RCS to a significant amount. That's why you also see no changes in either the vertical stabilizer or the shaping of the other parts of the fuselage.

 

[SinoSoldier]

diamond nose design to reduce RCS.
around 2005, PAF after received news that India plan to purchased AESA equip MIG-29K ,began requesting AESA from China, after Thales under pressure from the US rejected PAF offer.and around 2011 report that PAF plan to install AESA on next batch of FC-1 ,new nose indicate the plan may already started.

Two years ago "big shrimps" claimed to have seen a modified nose under testing at CAC.

 

[Deino]

Agreed ... is a possible explanation !

 

[SteelBird]

Two years ago "big shrimps" claimed to have seen a modified nose under testing at CAC.

What I hope the most is that they'd change the engine and radar for this bird. JF-17 needs a little more power and the range of its current radar seem a little short.

 

[SinoSoldier]

What I hope the most is that they'd change the engine and radar for this bird. JF-17 needs a little more power and the range of its current radar seem a little short.

And that's what the upgrade scheme will likely be. A little AESA, some EW tweaks, some RAM, and some composites will do wonders for a fighter that is both designed to be versatile and cheap. A PAF official commented that an AESA is currently not planned for PAF variants since the KLJ07 provided positive results, but that doesn't make much sense since there's no way a KLJ07 equipped JF-17 would have any hope of going up against a Su-30MKI or even an AESA equipped MiG-29.

 

[Lion]

And that's what the upgrade scheme will likely be. A little AESA, some EW tweaks, some RAM, and some composites will do wonders for a fighter that is both designed to be versatile and cheap. A PAF official commented that an AESA is currently not planned for PAF variants since the KLJ07 provided positive results, but that doesn't make much sense since there's no way a KLJ07 equipped JF-17 would have any hope of going up against a Su-30MKI or even an AESA equipped MiG-29.

That's where the AWACS comes into the job.. In modern warfare, there is not more bravado action of going up the skies alone against a modern airforce. A whole package of unit enter the battlefield.

Also remember Cope 2008, Colonel Terrence did give an assessment that small aircraft like Mig-21 Bison still retain some advantage over big aircraft like Su-30MKI and F-15E due to the low RCS which makes detecting them much later compare to the earlier.

I will not be so early to assess that JF-17 lacks any hope against MKI and AESA Mig-29. PLus we do know JF-17 is quite an agile fighter and going into WVR shall not be too much of an unfair fight.

 

[SteelBird]

That's where the AWACS comes into the job.. In modern warfare, there is not more bravado action of going up the skies alone against a modern airforce. A whole package of unit enter the battlefield.

Even you go into battle field in a whole package, every single jet still needs its radar. The better radar, the more chance to win. Otherwise, u just go into battle with bare hand and wait for the AWACS to do everything for u. Jeezz