Nothing wrong with posting old photos. We have a habit of taking note just to keep the record straight though, so that people aren't misled when they see the photos being shared.
PLA Navy news, pics and videos
- Thread starter Jeff Head
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SinoSoldier
Colonel
Here's the original link:
Maybe someone can provide a more accurate translation?
by78
General
I wasn't offended at all. I unknowingly post old photos frequently, and fellow keen-eyed members always point them out. Accuracy is highly valued here, otherwise there'd be no difference between SDF and a number of fanboi forums.
草根 is presenting a speculative design of the proposal for fun in that post. He's saying the design he came up with shortens the plane and approaches the Super Hornet in length. There aren't any actual details about the design 611 submitted.
I think J-20.
If China wants to use its carriers in a high-intensity war in a world where everyone has affordable A2AD, then the long-range and larger payload of the J-20 is a big advantage.
Presumably the J-20 would also allow Chinese carriers to stay beyond the range of the F-35C.
The disadvantage is that because the F-31 doesn't exist, it's not able to provide a competitor to the F-35 in export sales, nor compete with the J-20 for Chinese Air Force sales.
From an industrial perspective, Shenyang Aircraft Corporation would still be fine because updated Flankers would still be produced as the "Lo" part of the Hi-Lo mix
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There's nothing preventing SAC from submitting a J-31 with longer legs. After all, both CAC and SAC will be basing their designs on program requirements. I imagine though the bigger problem for SAC will be that a competitive engine for a mid sized twin engine fighter won't be as ready as for a heavy fighter.
The disadvantage of a bigger navalised J-31 is that it will take more time, money and risk than just going with the bigger J-20 anyway.
Plus you can't get away from the fact that a mid-sized airframe has less fuel and payload.
So where does the J-31 go from here? I think there is a market for a updated J-10/F-16 or JF-17 aircraft for a number of air forces in the world.
Also remember that technological change is moving military technology from a small number of expensive high-performance platforms to much larger numbers (swarms) of affordable intelligent platforms. At least for short-range applications
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A midsized airframe also has engines that aren't as thirsty. Payload is of course another matter, but even in their current forms the J-20 only has two SRAAMs ahead of the J-31 in internal payload, and how important payload will be entirely depends on what roles the PLAN intends their stealth fighter to play. They may want a design that's more focused on A2A and use UCAVs for strike capabilities. That said, even if that's not the case a smaller plane also means being able to fit more of them on a carrier. The aggregate payload of an entire fleet may end up being higher using a smaller fighter than a larger one.
SinoSoldier
Colonel
An earlier post by OP (Weibo) claimed that the PLANAF requires a "medium-sized heavyweight" fighter, which OP defines as something comparable to the F-35 (i.e. 30+ tons MTOW while sporting similar dimensions). This means that the FC-31 design would have to be upscaled while the J-20 would have to be downscaled. Downscaling the J-20 could very well negate the range & payload advantage it had over the FC-31, as well as force it to adopt twin medium-thrust (or 1 x large thrust) engines.
Considering that SAC has far more extensive experience developing naval aircraft and the associated hardware, such as landing gears and catapult-compliant equipment, a competition between an enlarged FC-31 and miniaturized J-20 would almost certainly tip to SAC's favor. Other things being equal, of course, such as the production capacity of the two companies and the price.
In the face of widespread A2AD, we can see the US Navy regretting that they didn't go with a longer ranged fighter for the F-35C.
So why should China make the same mistake by going for a F-35C sized aircraft?