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posted by Fnord666 on Friday December 15 2017, @11:45AM   Printer-friendly
from the at-least-it's-in-the-air dept.

Has the People's Republic caught up?

The Chengdu J-20 marks the first entry of a multirole stealth fighter into China's armed forces. According to the Department of Defense (DOD), China views stealth technology as a core component in the transformation of its air force from "a predominantly territorial air force to one capable of conducting both offensive and defensive operations." Designed for enhanced stealth and maneuverability, the J-20 has the potential to provide China with a variety of previously unavailable air combat options and enhance its capability to project power.

As an advanced multirole stealth fighter, it is speculated that the J-20 can fulfill both air-to-air and air-to-ground combat roles for the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and the aviation branch of the People's Liberation Army Navy (referred to as either Naval Aviation or the PLAN-AF). According to PLAAF Senior Colonel Shen Jinke, the J-20 will enhance the overall combat capability of China's air force. A 2016 report by the DOD states that the J-20 represents a critical step in China's efforts to develop "advanced aircraft to improve its regional power projection capabilities and to strengthen its ability to strike regional airbases and facilities." In 2014, the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission described the J-20 as "more advanced than any other fighter currently deployed by Asia Pacific countries."


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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by RamiK on Friday December 15 2017, @09:11PM (1 child)

    by RamiK (1813) on Friday December 15 2017, @09:11PM (#610468)

    Did they design it themselves or did they steal the design plans from Lockheed?

    Looking at those Sovietesque canards and exposed jets, I'd say it's pretty obvious the Chengdu J-20 is a domestic Chinese design. I guess you could call it a fighter-mafia F-22 depending on the energy maneuverability charts... :)

    The planes look suspiciously similar if one look at the comparison images between say F22, T50 and the J20.

    Not to me: https://i1.wp.com/fightersweep.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/size-chart.jpg [wp.com]

    Perhaps there is just one way of doing it but that seems doubtful.

    Depending on the role, there are probably just one or two ways that work and a whole bunch of ways that might work but aren't worth it. Again, depends on your air-doctrine of choice. Personally I lean towards the extremes: Lots of drones and lots of dumb fighters. Everything in-between is trash. But hey, I don't have the math to prove it so it's just intuition.

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  • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday December 15 2017, @11:56PM

    by bob_super (1357) on Friday December 15 2017, @11:56PM (#610556)

    The real answer is cheap light drones designating targets for cheap heavy drones carrying lots and lots of fast stealthy missiles.
    Or peace ... Whichever.