Link to the concept drawings.
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| Landing gear doors shows reinforcements may also be of stealth design, very impressive. |
Both experts and amateurs who have studied the blurred photos of an unfamiliar fighter jet on a runway in China (http://china-defense.blogspot.com/2010/12/chinese-stealth-in-plain-sight-curious.html) have concluded that Beijing has started testing its fifth-generation stealth fighter.
The J-20 prototype is expected to rival the U.S. F-22 and the Russian T-50 fighters. But is China ready to start mass-producing the aircraft? How good is the prototype?
Experts call it a combination of the Russian and U.S. fifth-generation fighters
Engine
It is not clear what kind of engine the plane will have. Some say it will use the prospective Chinese-made WS-15 engine with a maximum thrust exceeding 18,000 kg, but the engine is still in the pipeline.
There are photos of engine test
Some photos of the WS-15 core engine during tests - the intended powerplant for the J-20 Black Eagle/Hawk
Some photos of the WS-15 core engine during tests - the intended powerplant for the J-20 Black Eagle/Hawk
The AL-31F engine is also mounted on China's J-10 fighter planes. WS-10 is being tested on J-11 models.
J-20
The Shenyang Liming WS-10 (or WS10, meaning Woshan 10), codename Taihang, is an indigenously produced turbofan engine of the People's Republic of China. WS-10A is already being used to power J-11B. In the next year or two, China plans to use this engine to power the Chengdu J-10 aircraft that currently feature Russian Saturn AL-31FN turbofan engines.
The Saturn AL-31 is a family of military turbofan engines. It was developed by Lyulka, now NPO Saturn, of Russia (former Soviet Union), originally for the Sukhoi Su-27 'Flanker' air superiority fighter. It produces a total thrust of 123 kN (27,600 lb) with afterburning in the AL-31F, 137 kN (30,800 lb) in the AL-31FM (AL-35F) and 142 kN (32,000 lb) in the AL-37FU variants. Currently it powers all Flanker derivatives and the Chengdu J-10 multirole jet fighter which has been developed in China.
Materials
A fifth-generation stealth fighter must be able to evade radar, and so it must be made from modern composite materials. there are photos that show china mass producing modern composites in the shape of fuselage and wing panels, photos were thought to be for FGFA, but now it looks like they are more than likely for the J-10
J-10 / J-20
The interior structure looks similar to F-22, F-35 and T-50, possible stealth interior and internal coatings, you can see this in the photos, landing gear door shows very modern construction.
Electronics
rumored J-20 simulator
Electronic equipment, primarily radar, is unknown at this point.
The best aircraft radar systems are currently made for F-22 and F-35 fighters, and China will most likely not copy this design. It is not clear how much it will differ in terms of specifications from next-generation American or Russian radar systems.
Weapons
The guided weapons used in the Chinese Air Force were mostly copied from U.S., Israeli and Russian prototypes made in the 1960s through 1980s. China will have to spend a great deal of time and effort to develop its own weapons, even if it borrows elements of prototypes bought from other countries. But foreign producers are becoming increasingly wary of sharing their next-generation technology with China.
Conclusions
Since the 1970s, China has consistently strived 15 to 20 years to now be a major player in the fighter jet world in aircraft manufacturing. This was true of their third- and fourth-generation aircraft, and this appears to be the case with its fifth-generation fighter plane.
The J-20 fighter has surfaced nearly 20 year after the U.S. YF-22 (the prototype of the mass-produced F-22A), 17 years after the Russian MiG-1.44 (MiG-MFI, or Multifunctional Frontline Fighter), and 14 after Russia's S.37 (Su-47).
photos shown with different contrast to show other details
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| J-XX Taxi Test |
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| Original Color |
Other J-20 Articles
http://themostfeared.blogspot.com/search/label/J-20
