Shenyang FC-31 / J-31 Fighter Demonstrator

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asif iqbal

asif iqbal

Lieutenant General
Let's hope to see second J31 role out in 2016

More J20 units in 2016

2017 could see first operational J20

Few years later J31

Add to that J10B/C you can see where we are going with this

Ultra Modern fleet

I would par the J10C with the Rafale and Typhoon

The J20 and J31 are really a league above

In such a short time span PLAAF has gone very far and I am glad I have kept a eye on the developments
 
S

Skywatcher

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Looks like SAC is in talks with the PLAAF. They project an IOC of 2022, presumably in Chinese service.

Domestic engines are likely to be something in the WS-13 family, IMO.

China Touts Stealth Fighter Jet, But So Far No Takers
Lara Seligman 12:18 p.m. EST November 8, 2015

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — China showcased its first stealth fighter jet here on the opening day of the Dubai Air Show, but so far the fifth-generation aircraft has no customers in sight.

The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) is "in negotiations" with the Chinese Air Force to buy the multi-role FC-31, AVIC project manager Lin Peng told reporters on Sunday. Peng declined to say when a deal would be finalized.

Top company officials briefed the media on the stealth characteristics and attack capabilities of the FC-31, but did not take questions from the audience.

This is the first time the Chinese company has showcased the FC-3, also known as the J-31 internationally, although a prototype aircraft flew during the Zhuhai Air Show in China last year. Chinese fighters are designated with a "J" for fighter and "FC" for export.
FC-31 would be the first aircraft of its kind available to global customers who face US export restrictions or cannot afford Lockheed Martin's F-35 joint strike fighter. The Chinese company is trying to pitch the FC-31 as a competitor to the JSF, but at this point it is unclear how successful this will be. The customer lineup appears to be Iran and Pakistan.

The FC-31, which closely resembles the F-35, is a medium-sized, low-observable aircraft designed for "the demands of future battlefield environments," Peng told reporters during the briefing.

Officials touted the aircraft's "outstanding situational awareness" achieved with advanced radar, high maneuvering capabilities, and multi-spectrum low-observability. The plane is equipped with twin engines made in China, officials said — not the Russian RD-93 engines previously on the aircraft.

The FC-31 will carry the Small Diameter Bomb, as well as a variety of guided and unguided weapons, officials said.

The test aircraft has been flying for more than two years, Peng told reporters after the briefing. AVIC is planning first flight of the production aircraft in 2019, with initial operational capability scheduled for 2022. The FC-31 will be fully operational in 2024.

US officials and analysts widely believe the FC-31 design was stolen from the F-35 after reports of a major cyber breach of Lockheed's programs by Chinese hackers in April 2009.

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Deino

Deino

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US officials and analysts widely believe the FC-31 design was stolen from the F-35 after reports of a major cyber breach of Lockheed's programs by Chinese hackers in April 2009.
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Do they really think that copying is in fact designing and building an aircraft simply via a few terabytes of information - especially based on a single-engined design - and that is sooo easy !??

Either I'm too naïve or a few recent US reports on Chinese items are getting worse and worse ...
 
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Franklin

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Are you guys sure that the J-31 project is still active ? Because it has been very quiet in the past year. Ever since it has shown it self at the Zhuhai Air Show last year november we haven't barely heard anything about it. SAC is very busy with the Flanker family at the moment like the J-15, J-16, J-11D and now possibly a MLU program for the J-11B. So this project could be very low down the priorities list.

Now in the past I have been very critical of the J-31 but now that the US and her allies seems to go all the way with the F-35 it seems to me it could be good for China to have something like this on their back hand.
 
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S

Skywatcher

Captain
Deino said:
Do they really think that copying is in fact designing and building an aircraft simply via a few terabytes of information - especially based on a single-engined design - and that is sooo easy !??

Either I'm too naïve or a few recent US reports on Chinese items are getting worse and worse ...
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It's probably a combination of the stupid meme about "copycat China" and that if people see two aircraft that look somewhat similar, they think "knockoff". (Given the F-35 = J-31, I wonder why those geniuses don't also allege that the MiG-25 ripped off the F-15. But I probably shouldn't give them any ideas).
 
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