PLA next/6th generation fighter thread

[Richard Santos]

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my first impression is wing span and wing area compared to the forward fuselage is quite large. In this it seems to resemble the F/B-22 concept Lockheed advanced a number of years ago. This suggest to me similar emphasis on range and fuel fraction over air combat maneuverability.

I might suggest this is more likely a long range high speed drone or a sub-scale test article for a long range stealth strike aircraft, than a G6 fighter.

 

[Deino]

my first impression is wing span and wing area compared to the forward fuselage is quite large. In this it seems to resemble the F/B-22 concept Lockheed advanced a number of years ago. This suggest to me similar emphasis on range and fuel fraction over air combat maneuverability.

I might suggest this is more likely a long range high speed drone or a sub-scale test article for a long range stealth strike aircraft, than a G6 fighter.

IMO I see something like this and it fits very nicely what we expect since it is very similar to all the other 6th generation tailles fighter designs

 

[latenlazy]

Tbh I wouldn’t make too big a deal out of this one. Even if it were a 6th gen mock-up whatever that design will ultimately be is bound to go through a lot more revisions before we see anything fly.

 

[Blitzo]

Tbh I wouldn’t make too big a deal out of this one. Even if it were a 6th gen mock-up whatever that design will ultimately be is bound to go through a lot more revisions before we see anything fly.

I mean, for all we know that specific airframe has already flown.
We know they have flight tested four 6th generation configurations, this could be one of them.

Flying subscale (though still the size of a proper light fighter) tech demonstrators relevant for 6th gen is pretty reasonable, and imo is of some fair significance as part of the overall 6th gen tracking efforts.

Obviously the real prototype of the final design is some years away yet, but these kind of demonstrators are important steps to get there, and if they did build and fly such a large demonstrator (and potentially four of them), then that has implications of its own.

 

[longmarch]

Didn't Yang Wei publish a paper saying long range and all direction VLO are the characteristics of 6th gen?

 

[no_name]

I wonder if 6th gen will have hypersonic cruise capabilities.

They gon' call it hypercruise, so maybe trademark it now.

 

[Blitzo]

I wonder if 6th gen will have hypersonic cruise capabilities.

They gon' call it hypercruise, so maybe trademark it now.

I strongly doubt hypersonic speed -- let alone hypersonic cruise! -- would be a characteristic or capability of 6th gen fighters.

 

[no_name]

I strongly doubt hypersonic speed -- let alone hypersonic cruise! -- would be a characteristic or capability of 6th gen fighters.

But maybe a scaled-up next-gen bomber would? They are doing it with WZ-8 already, and wasn't the space agency playing around with space plane concepts?

In fact hypersonic buddy or stand alone drones/UAVs could be launched with recoverable rocket to high speed and altitude then start hypersonic flight, and land like a normal plane after mission is complete.

 

[Deino]

Just another idea concerning that mysterious shape found at CAC: I found this somewhere on my harddrive allegedly showing some sort of a "Loyal Wingman" UAV. I know it is different and has tails and two engines but at least the wing geometry is similar ...

 

[Blitzo]

But maybe a scaled-up next-gen bomber would? They are doing it with WZ-8 already, and wasn't the space agency playing around with space plane concepts?

In fact hypersonic buddy or stand alone drones/UAVs could be launched with recoverable rocket to high speed and altitude then start hypersonic flight, and land like a normal plane after mission is complete.

The question you're really asking is whether there will be hypersonic air breathing manned aircraft in future, which I don't have an answer for.

I'm just saying that 6th generation fighters are very unlikely to be hypersonic capable.