A new mysterious type of missile has been spotted on the second prototype of the J-20 — China's first stealth fighter — with a serial number of 2002, reports the state run People's Daily, citing a video clip released on Chinese military websites.
According to video clip, the missile is white in color and unlike the F-22 Raptor fighter of the United States Air Force, which holds its missile racks inside the internal weapons bays, the J-20 carries this mysterious missile outside of its fuselage.
J-20 's New Missile
Experts claim that after the J-20 fighter takes off, the missile will remain outside the fuselage even after the missile bays are closed. Song Xinzhi, a Chinese military analyst, said that two missiles were seen outside the missile bays during the flight. One is a regular medium-range air-to-air missile with wings, the other is a new missile without any wings.
When China displayed the prototype of its first ever stealth aircraft ,
the J 20 in 2010 it sent alarm bells ringing not just in the US but more
importantly in countries across East and South East Asia. China has
now joined the foremost ranks of fighter-building nations, setting off a
debate in the West and among China’s immediate neighbors over if and
when the J-20 might begin entering service in great numbers and how that
may shape the Asia Pacific balance of power. Suddenly countries ranging
from Japan to South Korea to Indonesia decided to jump into the stealth
bandwagon and co develop Low Observable fighters with foreign partners.
Since the mid nineties backers of F 22 and F 35 fighters which rely on
stealth have utilized simulators and conferences to uphold the idea
that stealth will be an overpowering advantage in air combat.
We can
probably take a deep dive and understand stealth fighter programs of
other Asian countries sometime in the future, however for the time being
I will focus on something that is more close to our heart - When will
India get it’s stealth fighter aircraft ? As we know, India has started
work in right earnest with it’s “strategic partner” Russia to develop a
Low Observable or stealth fighter aircraft. In this regard it’s worth
asking an important question. Is it worth having a stealth aircraft ?
CAC didn't get all the projects. SAC also got its own 4th gen. Navy's
4th gen will be a competition between the two. Eventhough SAC has more
experience with J-15, CAC will be looking to take their pie.
Both design institutes have their proposals (for navy's 4th gen), but
competition hasn't start yet. SAC's convention design has more advantage
in this area, since it requires little modification. CAC's design
require significan altercation. Navy has requirement for stealth and
supercruise, as well as supersonic manoevurability. One more thing,
navy's 4th gen will be a heavy fighter.
SAC J-19 Stealth Fighter Jet
Decent and objective article. J-20's paylod is quite good compared to
its size. It's roughly about the size of T-50 and F-22, smaller than
Su-27. Competition for avionics is basically done. If it enters service
in about 6 or 7 years, its avionics will be roughly on par with F-35
today. And the dimension of its radar will be the largest among all 4th
gen (including F-22, F-35 and T-50).
SAC's avionics will be slightly inferior to CAC's. CAC's avionics were
chosen from a competitive process. In terms of payload, SAC's design has
more flexibility.
Photographs released on the internet have provoked speculation that China is
making rapid progress towards producing a state-of-the-art fighter jet, to
compete with the United States, Europe and Russia.
The photographs appear to show the aircraft, variously known as the J20 taxiing along a runway.
Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, recently said China would be able to
produce a combat jet by 2020, but if the photographs are genuine, it would
suggest that it may be able to do so a decade or more sooner. The photographs come amid growing fears over China's rapidly-expanding
military capabilities. Naval experts have expressed concern over the Dong
Feng-21D ballistic missile, which is designed to target aircraft carriers in
mid-sea – thus denying the United States its traditional military dominance
of the Pacific.
Fifth generation fighter jets are so designated because of their ability to
evade radar even when carrying armaments, and computer systems which can
network with other elements in a battle theatre.
China agree to give J-20/FC-20 5th Generation Stealth Fighter to Pakistan" Ahmad Mukhtar Pakistani Defence Minister Said after returning from China.
The J-20 is a single-seat, twin-engine aircraft, bigger and heavier than
the Sukhoi T-50 and the F-22. Comparison with ground-service vehicles
points to an overall length of 75 ft. and a wingspan of 45 ft. or more,
which would suggest a takeoff weight in the 75,000-80,000-lb. class with
no external load. That in turn implies a generous internal fuel
capacity. The overall length is close to that of the 1960s General
Dynamics F-111, which carries 34,000 lb. of fuel.
The J-20 has a canard delta layout (like Chengdu’s J-10) with two
canted, all-moving vertical stabilizers (like the T-50) and smaller
canted ventral fins. The stealth body shaping is similar to that of the
F-22. The flat body sides are aligned with the canted tails, the
wing-body junction is clean, and there is a sharp chine line around the
forward fuselage. The cant angles are greater than they are on the
Lockheed Martin F-35, and the frameless canopy is similar to that of the
F-22.
The claims of a successful second test flight for the advanced
fighter follow China's warning in late March that it faced an
increasingly volatile Asian region where the United States has expanded
its strategic footprint.
Some analysts have said that the first few photos of the J-20
suggest that China may be making faster-than-expected progress in
developing a rival to Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor, the world's only
operational stealth fighter designed to evade detection by radar.
The latest pictures may heighten concern about China's military
build-up, including possible deployment in 2011 of its first aircraft
carrier and a new anti-ship ballistic missile that is seen as a threat
to U.S. aircraft carriers.
Chinese military and political sources say Beijing could launch
its first aircraft carrier in 2011, a year earlier than U.S. military
analysts had expected.
The Fascinating Emergence of China's J-20 next-generation combat
aircraft demonstrator in late 2010 has refocused attention on the pace
of military aerospace development in the People's Republic. The
carefully stage-managed revelation of the large and unconventional 'new
Chengdu machine 2001', or J-20, as many are calling it, seems to confirm
that China has grand industrial ambitions and attention-getting
operational requirements.
Whether the '2001 programme' will fulfil any of those aims remains to
be seen. At this early stage there is still more than a hint of amateur
dramatics surrounding the aircraft and the speed with which this secret
project has been exposed to the outside world. All early assessments of
its capabilities should be restrained, but the 2001 programme is
nevertheless the fourth or fifth new combat aircraft development project
in China - as many as those from the rest of the world combined.
Even before the arrival of the J-20, China was heavily engaged with
the Chengdu J-10 multirole fighter and what could be a significantly
enhanced successor in the shape of the J-10B. At Shenyang the J-11B has
emerged as an 'indigenised' Su-27 with combat capabilities that far
exceed China's original Sukhoi Su-27SK and baseline J-11 aircraft.
The PLAAF (PLA Air Force) conducted the test flight of its new
generation stealth fighter J-20 on January 11, 2011, just days before US
Defence Secretary Robert Gates landed in Beijing on a mission to repair
the bilateral defence ties. The timing of the test flight was curious.
Was this itself a message for the US as also the rest of the world? Or
is this another demonstration of the lack of coordination at the highest
levels of the Chinese government.
J-20 will rival for the latest U.S. stealth fighter - the F-22 Raptor.
Russia is also in the process of developing one - the Sukhoi T-50 that
made its flight test in January 2010 - although it is going to be
another decade before it gets inducted into service. The fact that China
has been able to develop the J-20 prototype demonstrates the ability of
the PLA to make steady progress in an area where it is otherwise
considered weak.
Having said that, it remains to be seen as to how good the new aircraft
is. Comparing it with the F-22 or the Russian T-50 is going to be mere
speculation. Whether it actually makes it into the fifth generation
category or not is also an issue. It will depend on the kind of avionics
& communication gear, sensor performance and low radar
reflectivity, speed, how advanced it is in terms of the composite
material used and a variety of other parameters. But it should be borne
in mind that China has been encountering serious problems as far as
developing jet engines are concerned. They have not been able to produce
a good engine indigenously even for their fourth generation aircrafts.
China confirmed the first test flight of its highly
controversial stealth fighter, ending speculation that the secretive
aircraft had taken to the air.
Chinese President Hu Jintao told U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates
about the flight of the prototype J-20 shortly before Gates left Beijing
after a three-day visit to China intended to improve military
communications between the two countries.
Gates, who is also visiting Japan and South Korea while in the region,
said the discussion with Hu about the J-20 flight that took place this
week was short.
"I asked President Hu about it directly and he said that the test had
absolutely nothing to do with my visit and had been a pre-planned test.
And that's where we left it."
The 15-minute flight took place in Chengdu, in southwest China.
Hu, who is chairman of the Central Military Commission, said the flight
hadn't been timed to coincide with Gates's visit.
The 11-member commission issues directives to the army including senior
appointments, troop deployment and arms spending. The majority of
members are senior generals but several senior Communist party members
are on the commission, a move said to ensure that the military remains
loyal in its actions toward the government.
Defense and aviation analysts have been questioning images and video
clips of the stealth fighter seen on Chinese Web sites since last month,
showing what looks like a J-20 standing on a runway apron and then
taking off.
Many of the shots of the Chengdu J-20 appear taken by people standing a
long way from the runway, possibly outside the airport perimeter.
The aircraft was officially announced in late 2002 as being under
development through a joint design and development project by the
Chengdu Aircraft and Shenyang Aircraft companies.
But Chinese political leaders and aviation sector professionals have
been guarded about details, specifications and development progress of
the aircraft that is similar in concept to Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor
stealth fighter.
However, experts have gleaned much information over the years.
The latest shots show an elongated airframe with forward canards, a main
delta wing, outward canted fins, two small ventral fins, two under-wing
diverterless supersonic intakes and conventional jet nozzles.
It is believed to be larger than the F-22 -- the only truly stealth
plane operational -- or Russia's prototype stealth fighter, the Sukhoi
T-50, which had its first test flight in January 2010 and is expected in
service sometime after 2015.
It isn't clear what engine the J-20 is using. There was some speculation
that the Russians may have supplied the 32,000-pound thrust 117-S
engine because the Chinese-made WS-10A isn't ready.
The 117-S is an upgrade of the Saturn AL-31 turbofan engine developed by
Lyulka, now NPO Saturn, of Russia. It was originally made for the
Sukhoi Su-27 fighter.
It also remains open whether the plane uses plasma stealth technology
whereby it emits an ionized gas that surrounds the aircraft, making it
harder to detect by radar systems.
Chinese Stealth Fighter J-20 Black Eagle Makes Its Way For First SuccessFull Test FlightA leading expert on the Chinese military says the country's prototype stealth fighter has made its first-known test flight.
Kanwa Asian Defense magazine editor Andrei Chang said the J-20 flew for
about 15 minutes over an airfield in the southwestern city of Chengdu
where it was spotted carrying out runway tests last week. Photos of the
plane in flight were also posted on unofficial Chinese military
websites.
The test flight comes on the second day of a visit
to China by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Chang and other
analysts say the test's timing is apparently intended to send the
message that Beijing is responding to calls from the U.S. and others to
be more transparent about its defense modernization and future
intentions.
