The Chengdu aircraft corporation test
airfield has been home to most of
china's most innovative fighter jets in
their early development stages and
recently housed a new aircraft that
resembles the concept seen in the u.s
for the next generation of air dominance
fighters. The sightings follow the unveiling of
china's two never-before-seen fifth
generation fighters in the last week of
october. namely the twin-seat variant of
the J-20 heavyweight and carrier-based
medium-class jet based on the FC-31
technology demonstrator.
While rival Shenyang aircraft
corporation has long focused on
developing original improved derivatives
of soviet designs, such as the J16 and J11B. Based on the soviet SU-27 flanker, the Chengdu aircraft industry group is
expected to be the first to produce as
many sixth generation fighters as they
already have. Production J-20 which remains the only
non-american fifth generation fighter in
active service anywhere.
Inside the world while the rest of the
world struggles with fifth generation
technology china and the united states
remain completely in a league of their
own with several active fifth generation
fighter squadrons and with sixth
generation programs well underway. China's new fighter has a diamond-like
delta shape with a thin nose section and
a wingspan comparable to that of the J-20 which is one of the largest combat
aircraft in service in the world. Its tailless design has become a much
specified feature at the center of the
sixth generation program and with its
new state-of-the-art flight control
surfaces. It has the promise of
delivering unprecedented levels of
stealth.
Such aircraft also benefit from greater
efficiency for sustained high-speed
voyage and can compensate in terms of
maneuverability due to the lack of a
tail by relying on thrust vector engines. The most prominent tailless aircraft
today are the american B-2 spirit bomber, various drones such as china's GJ-11
which uses a flying wing design and
china's WZ8 hypersonic reconnaissance
drone.
The u.s had previously planned to
develop a fifth-generation tailless
fighter under the A-12 program although
this was discontinued due to extreme
costs. It remains uncertain whether china's new
design is manned or unmanned, whether it
has not yet flown and whether its
invention via satellite was intended. But
the possibility remained significant
that it could enter service in the next
decade as one of the world's first six, generation warrior.
