AssassinsMace
Lieutenant General
Someone caught the shadow.
Shenyang FC-31 / J-31 Fighter Demonstrator
- Thread starter RedSky
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Quickie
Colonel
It could also be that whether it will end up looking like a publicity stunt is not really their main concern. Their first priority is to wrap the the model in a way that offer the least air resistance. This cannot be taken lightly since something of this size and shape can react wildly to strong wind condition when it is transported in the way seen in the pictures.
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I do think there are parallel projects of the sort, i.e both SAC and CAC have medium and heavy fighter project, but as they compete only one of each type will make to the prototype stage. I think right now China can afford to have multiple competing project advance to the detailed design phase, but prototyping is expensive. Just like the strategic bomber project, only one will make to the prototype phase even though two designs were completed, don't ask me whether they chose the VLO/subsonic or the LO/supersonic design, I don't know.
And you you have sources to dispute me?
Just follow the logic, my statement was in regards to building material testing -> which is much simpler than aeronautic testing.
Feel free to call up any of these labs to ask for a testing procedure time for lets say simple, performance mockup test of a curtain wall system.
If you find one which can setup, calibrate, complete and data process it within 4 months, and less than 100-200K USD/test, let me know.
Or provide us some sources which show that you can disassemble a fly by wire aircraft prototype and reassemble it and have it function in a "reasonable" time at a non lab location.
That thing looks too big to be going more than 30 Km/h.
Quickie
Colonel
A sudden gust of wind could possibly reach 30 km/h or more, won't be enough to lift them but could be enough to topple the transporter. What I was saying is this could happen if the model is wrap in a way to hide its shape but ends up being like a giant sail.
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escobar
Brigadier
XAC is competing with which institute for this project?
vesicles
Colonel
The character 种 alone could be either a noun or a verb and COULD mean "to plant". However, in Chinese language, 种 is almost NEVER used to describe "to deposit sperm", in formal use or slang. Also, when 种 and 子 are combined into 种子, it is exclusively a noun, not a verb. It means ONLY "seeds".
plawolf
Lieutenant General
A few quick observations.
Firstly, having had a look at the pictures, and especially the higher resolution ones, I could not see any sign of fastening to tie the airframe down.
This is significant in that with a real fighter, even with the engines and tail(s) removed and having no fuel in the tanks and if it was made of a large percentage of lightweight composites, the empty airframe will still weigh several tons. As such, there would be no need to tie it down, because only extremely strong winds would have any chance of lifting such a heavy object, and it's easy enough to make sure the plane is in cover if anything that powerful is anywhere near it.
If this was a mock-up, then and only then would it be necessary to tie it down, as mock ups are usual made of fiberglass and not much else, so are a fraction of the weight of the real thing, but have the same aerodynamic lift maximizing shape, and as such are liable to get blown away or just 'fly off' themselves under the right circumstances.
I think that is another incremental point to add to the already compelling case that this is not a mock-up but a real plane.
With regards to the question of why it was transported in such an obvious manner, well I think it would be naive to think that this was not deliberate.
Just look at how from fitting that camo cover is to the point where you can make out the chinning of the intakes from shadows cast by streetlights. It's the same with young people wearing skinny jeans or tight shirts. They don't do it because such articles of clothing are particularly comfortable or practical, they do it because they have worked hard (or just genetically lucky I guess) to get the figure that they have and want others to see.
Contrast that to the cover used on the F35 picture already posted before and consider how much more effort it would have taken to make sure so much detail can be made out compared to a much more simply covering like the F35 and you can clearly see that there was considerable and deliberate effort made to make this transportation eye-catching.
I am also not 100% convinced that it was necessary to tilt the plane either, considering they are closing off entire sections of highways to allow this thing to pass. When it comes to tunnels, I cannot see why they would not just close off the entire tunnel until the plane has passed, so allowing it to travel down the middle with probably a minimum of 4 lanes should be plenty of room for the plane to be carried level like the F22 picture. (although if anyone can point to a tunnel on route that is narrow enough to require it to be tilted, I would happily reconsider).
Finally, also consider the side the plane is tilted to. In China, people drive on the right, so tilting the plane like that presents motorists traveling the opposite direction a far better view of the profile of the jet than if it was carried flat. Without the extra details revealed by this better view, how easy would it have been for any one of use to just chalk this off as an L15 if all we saw was a side-on shot?
I don't think anyone could possible doubt that the designers and bosses at SAC would be all too painfully aware of how much publicity and buzz the J20 test flights are generating in China and internationally. Even if we leave the very obvious human desire to have a similar limelight on themselves and their own 5th gen offering, it would make a lot of business sense to try and generate and garner public interest in their new jet. Especially if the rumors that this will be made available for export is true.
Firstly, having had a look at the pictures, and especially the higher resolution ones, I could not see any sign of fastening to tie the airframe down.
This is significant in that with a real fighter, even with the engines and tail(s) removed and having no fuel in the tanks and if it was made of a large percentage of lightweight composites, the empty airframe will still weigh several tons. As such, there would be no need to tie it down, because only extremely strong winds would have any chance of lifting such a heavy object, and it's easy enough to make sure the plane is in cover if anything that powerful is anywhere near it.
If this was a mock-up, then and only then would it be necessary to tie it down, as mock ups are usual made of fiberglass and not much else, so are a fraction of the weight of the real thing, but have the same aerodynamic lift maximizing shape, and as such are liable to get blown away or just 'fly off' themselves under the right circumstances.
I think that is another incremental point to add to the already compelling case that this is not a mock-up but a real plane.
With regards to the question of why it was transported in such an obvious manner, well I think it would be naive to think that this was not deliberate.
Just look at how from fitting that camo cover is to the point where you can make out the chinning of the intakes from shadows cast by streetlights. It's the same with young people wearing skinny jeans or tight shirts. They don't do it because such articles of clothing are particularly comfortable or practical, they do it because they have worked hard (or just genetically lucky I guess) to get the figure that they have and want others to see.
Contrast that to the cover used on the F35 picture already posted before and consider how much more effort it would have taken to make sure so much detail can be made out compared to a much more simply covering like the F35 and you can clearly see that there was considerable and deliberate effort made to make this transportation eye-catching.
I am also not 100% convinced that it was necessary to tilt the plane either, considering they are closing off entire sections of highways to allow this thing to pass. When it comes to tunnels, I cannot see why they would not just close off the entire tunnel until the plane has passed, so allowing it to travel down the middle with probably a minimum of 4 lanes should be plenty of room for the plane to be carried level like the F22 picture. (although if anyone can point to a tunnel on route that is narrow enough to require it to be tilted, I would happily reconsider).
Finally, also consider the side the plane is tilted to. In China, people drive on the right, so tilting the plane like that presents motorists traveling the opposite direction a far better view of the profile of the jet than if it was carried flat. Without the extra details revealed by this better view, how easy would it have been for any one of use to just chalk this off as an L15 if all we saw was a side-on shot?
I don't think anyone could possible doubt that the designers and bosses at SAC would be all too painfully aware of how much publicity and buzz the J20 test flights are generating in China and internationally. Even if we leave the very obvious human desire to have a similar limelight on themselves and their own 5th gen offering, it would make a lot of business sense to try and generate and garner public interest in their new jet. Especially if the rumors that this will be made available for export is true.
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