J-20

[Webmaster]

We've got a new fighter, so let's talk about it?

[shawn a]

Look for a redesign of those main gear doors because of flutter.
The statement by some chinese official that the plane would have the range "to reach Guam" was a bit... telling.
I wonder who will be first with a radio-controlled model?
How fast will it be? Does airframe heating from high speed deteriorate stealth coatings?
A new plane to talk about is exciting--can't wait for the next Groom Lake "article" to be revealed!

[SukhoiLover]

Takeoff was uninpressive to me, clearlly underpowered, i wonder if it is actually more of a strike fighter rather than air superiority one.

[Webmaster]

I found it quite amusing it was revealed (well, guards letting people pull out their mobile phone to make pictures) shortly before Gates' visit to China, and flown on the second day of his visit. I didn't hear about the Guam statement, but not surprising. Reason behind it all, US weapon deliveries to Taiwan gotta stop in their eyes. But politics aside.

I should look at it more closely, redesigns because of flutter are not uncommon, you could be right.

It doesn't look difficult to model, I don't think you have to wait long for someone to do a R/C model.

It has the AL-31Fs, with potentially getting the 117S/AL-41F. With the Flankers doing Mach 2.4 - 2.2, this is looking a tad heavier but sleeker, I'd guess you're looking at Mach 2.0.

It was first flight, right... I've never seen an impressive take-off for first flight. Also, did it use afterburners? If it didn't then, it's no wonder it didn't impress. I haven't seen the take-off yet.

Landing seemed really high speed though. But that may have been the video... framerates.

It reminds me most of the MiG-31 actually. Looks like an interceptor foremost.. Strike fighter, possibly, it should have a good bay. But mind you, that might as well be used for very long range missile, which are huge. The design doesn't say bomb truck to me.

[SukhoiLover]

I found it quite amusing it was revealed (well, guards letting people pull out their mobile phone to make pictures) shortly before Gates' visit to China, and flown on the second day of his visit. I didn't hear about the Guam statement, but not surprising. Reason behind it all, US weapon deliveries to Taiwan gotta stop in their eyes. But politics aside.

I should look at it more closely, redesigns because of flutter are not uncommon, you could be right.

It doesn't look difficult to model, I don't think you have to wait long for someone to do a R/C model.

It has the AL-31Fs, with potentially getting the 117S/AL-41F. With the Flankers doing Mach 2.4 - 2.2, this is looking a tad heavier but sleeker, I'd guess you're looking at Mach 2.0.

It was first flight, right... I've never seen an impressive take-off for first flight. Also, did it use afterburners? If it didn't then, it's no wonder it didn't impress. I haven't seen the take-off yet.

Landing seemed really high speed though. But that may have been the video... framerates.

It reminds me most of the MiG-31 actually. Looks like an interceptor foremost.. Strike fighter, possibly, it should have a good bay. But mind you, that might as well be used for very long range missile, which are huge. The design doesn't say bomb truck to me.

PAK-FA take-off was somewhat impressive to me, almost no imput on elevator and that thing just started to climb away like if it was nothing, tremendous lift, and no afterburner.

J-20 on the other hand, no afterburner, but after lifting the nose, with a lot of elevator input, it still stood on the runway for a while, it looked quite heavy for me.

But one thing is for sure, it should be flying with stop gap engines, the new ones might improve the situation, but dunno.

I would go with interceptor, or maybe strike fighter, we´ll see.

[Webmaster]

PAK-FA take-off was somewhat impressive to me, almost no imput on elevator and that thing just started to climb away like if it was nothing, tremendous lift, and no afterburner.

If I remember correctly, the first publicised/videod take-off was its second flight.

J-20 on the other hand, no afterburner, but after lifting the nose, with a lot of elevator input, it still stood on the runway for a while, it looked quite heavy for me.

Certainly looking heavy, and I believe it is much heavier than the PAK-FA. It's said to be closer to the F-111 in size, larger than the F-22/T-50.

But one thing is for sure, it should be flying with stop gap engines, the new ones might improve the situation, but dunno.

Certainly. Russian ones too. Wasn't the T-50 flying on normal AL-31F's too? Or did it already have ones from the initial 117S run? Actually new ones, if Chinese, might make it worse. But afterburners will certainly help. Chinese are not allowed to complain about anything anyway, so the noise wouldn't be a problem! Also, every new aircraft goes through some weight reduction cycles during development nowadays. Which brings me to another thing... maybe it doesn't has the planned alloys yet for certain panels. Maybe it's not even stealthy yet.   

[shawn a]

Good point about not being stealthy yet.
The -71 used special paint and those triangular indentations on its edges in addition to blended contours.
The -117 used faceting and a RAM coating.
The -22 seems to use shapeing, blended contours along with RAM materials and a coating, which leads me to suspect there are chinese in the Alaskan forest looking for pieces of Raptor.
Somehow, to me the J-20 looks a bit "clunky" like those Russian VIP limosines of the Kruschev era.

[shawn a]

Another thing,-- it will obviously be multi-role, since that has been the fate of almost every new aircraft lately, regardless of it's original intention and design. For example, B-1Bs doing CAS, and Raptors using SDBs. I imagine someone, somewhere has written a paper on using B-52s as interceptors!!!
A joke! A joke! (interceptors these days are called SAMs)

[Webmaster]

Well, anything with a multi-mode radar, some datalinking sensor, and both AA/AS weapons is called multi-role nowadays. But that doesn't mean it will be used in every role. Just think of Swiss/Finnish Hornets, Typhoons even, USMC Harrier II+s, and at least a third of the F-16s in the world. Even though all upgraded to what can be considered almost true multi-role capability, they're still used and trained on in only few roles.

For the J-20, I'd guess:
- Design: air superiority role
- Capability: swing-role
- PR/Marketing: multi-role
- Operational: air defense
- Actual role: propaganda

[lucciano85m]

MiG denies stealth technology transfer to China for J-20 fighter



Russia has never transferred any stealth technology to China to assist it with its J-20 Black Eagle fifth-generation stealth fighter prototype, Russian plane maker MiG said on Friday.

"We are not delivering any equipment to China, and never have," MiG spokeswoman Yelena Fyodorova said.

MiG's statement follows claims in the Russian and foreign press last week that China's J-20, unveiled over six months ago, is based on technology and components from the Russian Mikoyan Article 1.44, a stealth technology demonstrator aircraft, development of which was suspended.

Read more -->> http://www.xairforces.net/newsd.asp?newsid=482&newst=8

[shawn a]

Did china make the statement that they would build 300 J-20s in the next five years?
Evidently, the US Air Force's Vice Chief of Staff, Gen. Phillip Breedlove, intimated they did in testimony to the US Senate in July.
Thanks for canceling more F-22s, Bobby! (that last statement from me sarcastically, and from the chinese genuinely)