J-20 stealth fighter may have entered production: Russian media
2015年1月7日
China's sixth J-20 prototype, the '2015,' conducts a test flight on Dec. 19. (Internet Photo)
This large delta-wing canard aircraft is an impressive leap forward for the Chinese (even though it undoubtedly incorporates stolen U.S. technology) but it doesn’t take a degree in aeronautical engineering to see that it’s long lanky fuselage and what are known to be inferior engines would make it un-maneuverable and easy prey for the U.S. F-22 and F-35 fighters. And it’s “stealth” is questionable given its shaping and use of canards. The aircraft’s RCS looks to be comparable to an F-16 or other small fighter.
This aircraft was designed as a missile-launcher against U.S. aircraft carriers. In any other role it would prove inferior to even Western 4th gen fighters and their far more advanced electronics and weapons systems. It may be in production but from the looks of it the aircraft would pose little threat to U.S., Japanese, and South Korean fighters of any (currently flown) generation.
Mass production of ready-to-fly J-20s, China's first fifth-generation stealth fighter, may have started after the sixth prototype aircraft was flown on Dec. 19, according to the Moscow-based Military Parade.
The J-20 is likely to begin regular training flights before the end of this year, according to the report, and may enter service with the PLA Air Force in 2017. Frontline PLA units will be flying the fighters by no later than 2020, according to Russian defense news site Foreign Military Analyst.
Compared to the US F-22 and Russian T-50 stealth fighters, many problems still need fixing before the development of the J-20 is complete, the report said. Nonetheless, the fighter still represents a milestone for 30 years of China's aviation industry, said the report. The pace of this development came much more rapidly than Russia's T-50 and if it is finally successful it could spell the end of foreign input — and flagrant reverse engineering — in China's military aviation industry.
发表于 2015-1-26 09:47
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