PLA next/6th generation fighter thread
- Thread starter Blitzo
- Start date
Oh, since we're already gossiping, whatever.
In the past, there was exactly two usecases where fighter aircraft reached into 45 and even 55t class.
One is heavy supersonic interceptors(though mig-31 is flying right now and it's a 45t monster); it is not our case, let's drop it.
But there was another, short-lived - escort fighters (f-108, though one can say that flankers are not dissimilar).
H-6 can be escorted by flankers; H-20 can not, and VLO flying wing, while hard to find, is not going to be able to defend itself when caught.
In the past, there was exactly two usecases where fighter aircraft reached into 45 and even 55t class.
One is heavy supersonic interceptors(though mig-31 is flying right now and it's a 45t monster); it is not our case, let's drop it.
But there was another, short-lived - escort fighters (f-108, though one can say that flankers are not dissimilar).
H-6 can be escorted by flankers; H-20 can not, and VLO flying wing, while hard to find, is not going to be able to defend itself when caught.
I don't have anything to say.
If J-XD ends up being three engined, there are many plausible reasons for why it is the case. We don't have to work through all of the plausible cases for this hypothetical outcome.
My focus has been merely to flag to people that out of the various plausible cases, one of the big ones is that it is due to engine limitations rather than high individual platform/airframe capability or size.
Hopefully we can get back to reality and realistic assessments until we get a first sight on the J-XD and as such this: Someone on twitter told me yesterday, that "the airport seems already finished many preparation works for the gen6 fighter, and made a huge movable fencing wall around the new big hangar." Can anyone confirm this?
Not gonna do Jack once it gets into the air though. Half the city will be see it and if you take photos of the plane in the air, you can’t be indicted.
If it has 3 engines surely they will call it the J-30.
If the rumor is true, then I think the 3rd engine will be of a different type to allow higher and faster flight. I think Mach 3 super cruise and 80,000 feet would make it a 6th generation fighter.
If the rumor is true, then I think the 3rd engine will be of a different type to allow higher and faster flight. I think Mach 3 super cruise and 80,000 feet would make it a 6th generation fighter.
Maybe they will prevent the spotter-community from taking it on the ground and as such via telephoto lenses in higher resolution?
Can we stop with this nonsense?
IMO we are already much too far off in a what-if and speculative discussion which has long since lost any real connection to reality. It is about the purely speculative search for reasons and possible conclusions - often characterised more by wishful thinking than expertise - in order to justify an unconfirmed, vague sketch as a fact.
Let's see that "thing" first and then many of the points mentioned above will disappear on their own or only then can be discussed.
In Germany they say that "we are discussing the colour of eggs that have not yet been laid and their consequences".
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I will say that 3-engine would make more sense for H-20 than J-XD. This entire rumor really is very confusing.
Putting 3 large engine on a "fighter jet" is certainly a huge twist for how air warfare is going.
Maybe there is just no place for another traditional fighter jet in 6th gen, since they expect UCAV to be so good in 10 years. That essentially your 6th gen fighter jet is a super maneuverable AWACS
Putting 3 large engine on a "fighter jet" is certainly a huge twist for how air warfare is going.
Maybe there is just no place for another traditional fighter jet in 6th gen, since they expect UCAV to be so good in 10 years. That essentially your 6th gen fighter jet is a super maneuverable AWACS
US is considering using B-21 as NGAD, B-21 has MTOW of 80t and only 2x F-135 with overall T/W <0.5
So if requirement is just for a bomber-like aircraft two WS-15 is more than enough to get MTOW above 50t
If a design uses 3x WS-15 and there are no DEW, it can only mean PLA wants an >50t MTOW aircraft that also have 1:1 T/W, which leads to back to the question why so big.
B-21 would’ve been good for NGAD if it were high supersonic capable. The fact that it is subsonic really hurts the weapons envelope and interception capabilities.