Posted on 09/28/2014 9:57:59 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
J-31 mock-up appears on carrier deck
A full-scale model of China’s J-31 stealth fighter prototype has appeared on the flight deck of the Chinese navy’s aircraft carrier mock-up, fueling speculation that the radar-evading jet could become part of China’s carrier air wing.
If so, China would enter the race alongside the United States to be the first to deploy a stealth jet on a flattop. The U.S. Navy is struggling to develop the F-35C stealth fighter to fly from the American fleet’s 10 large carriers starting no earlier than late 2018.
China often builds mock-ups of its new warships on land before constructing prototype vessels. In the spring of 2014, Chinese naval architects began assembling a model of a huge new missile cruiser on the campus of a technical institute in Wuhan.
The cruiser model joined an older mock-up of China’s first aircraft carrier Liaoning—actually a refurbished Soviet flattop. Before placing Liaoning into limited service in 2012, the Chinese navy tested the rebuilt carrier’s systems on the model at Wuhan.
And now a photographer has spotted a model of the J-31 fighter on the mock-up carrier’s deck. Chinese engineers could be testing the plane to see whether it can safely maneuver on Liaoning’s 1,000-foot-long flight deck. Liaoning lacks catapults and instead launches planes by way of a bow ramp.
The Chinese carrier is considerably smaller than American flattops.
J-31 on mock carrier deck. Photo via Alert 5
The twin-engine, twin-tail J-31 first appeared in September 2012 at the Shenyang Aircraft Company’s airfield in northeastern China and took off for its debut flight the following month.
The J-31 is similar in layout to the American F-35 and is apparently smaller than China’s other stealth fighter prototype, the J-20, which seems to be around the same size as the U.S. F-22—still the only radar-evading air-to-air fighter in front-line service anywhere in the world.
The U.S., China, Russia and Japan are all working on new stealth planes. But only the United States and China have shown any interest in adapting their new radar-dodging jets for use aboard a full-size carrier at sea—although the U.K., Italy and other countries plan to flying vertical-landing F-35Bs from medium carriers or amphibious assault ships.
In any event, the ocean is hard on stealth. Saltwater and hard deck landings could wreak havoc on a radar-evading plane’s sensitive coatings.
There were early indications that the J-31 might head to sea. For starters, its nose landing gear has two side-by-side wheels, a standard feature on many carrier planes. The extra wheel helps soften the impact of a deck landing.
And to be sure, China needs new carrier planes. Liaoning’s air wing includes up to two dozen J-15 fighters—unlicensed Chinese copies of Russia’s Su-33—plus a dozen helicopters.
By contrast, American carrier air wings boast more than 40 F/A-18 fighters plus EA-18G radar-jammers, E-2 radar early-warning planes, C-2 airlifters and helicopters—more than 60 aircraft, in all.
Liaoning would need “extensive land-based support to oppose a U.S. Navy carrier battle group,” Richard Fisher, a fellow with the International Assessment and Strategy Center, told Defense News.
But the limitations of Liaoning’s air wing are largely a consequence of the Chinese flattop’s comparatively modest size and lack of catapults. Beijing has begun design work—and possibly even early construction—on a new class of larger carriers, presumably with catapults.
The new flattops could accommodate more, bigger and better planes, including new fighters and fixed-wing radar planes like the E-2. The model J-31’s appearance on the carrier mock-up at Wuhan could be a preview of the Chinese carrier air wing of the future.
America needs to stop buying everything from China.
We led the world in manufacturing just one generation ago.
Now, we are about to be overtaken, by a communist nation with over four times our population.
YET WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THEM FINANCIALLY.
Bring back American jobs, to America.
"The U.S. Navy is struggling to develop the F-35C..."
It's real easy to just throw out some flaming bag of $hit statement without any substantiation and watch the dancing party begin about whether it just needs to burn or some hapless idiot gets to stomp on it...
Oh, just like FR...opinion passed as "fact"...
does this mean it can be launched and recovered?
Really?
No. Even if they stole a retired functioning conventional carrier like the Kitty Hawk they couldn’t operate it. They have no experience conducting carrier ops, no infrastructure to support a battle group at sea. There is reason to respect the Chinese naval threat, but that comes from their growing diesel sub fleet more than anything.
“The problem with internet quotes is that you can’t always depend on their accuracy.” -Abraham Lincoln, 1864
America is making China into a manufacturing POWERHOUSE.
China makes quite a lot of what WE BUY.
China makes Apple phones. China makes a ton of what we buy. Why in the world would China not make a real, no sh!t 5th generation Stealth Fighter?
Why not?
They have to. The JSF program COULD go the way of the F-22 and declared "not needed" by even Republicans.
The traitorous bastards on Capitol Hill are concerned ONLY about their next payoff.
Especially military technology.
They copy what they can...but often fail when it comes to actually manufacturing a decent product.
You are overly optimistic.
America has sent far too much American manufacturing abroad.
We need to stop disarming our own country.
It is time to be concerned with America once again.
Bring back American manufacturing.
Thanks to . . . unsecure cleared defense contractors’ computer networks, overly permissive USG technology export habits, and chicom human intelligence sources . . . yes.
Regards.
I agree with that for a host of good, strategic reasons.
The best China has could not take on the F-15C in real combat, much less the F-22 or F-35.
And yes, they are better than they were 30 years ago. But they still lag even the Russians otherwise they would not still be buying jet engines from them...or airframes...or avionics and radar and weapon systems.
Well I defer to your military knowledge, but I have some experience with China and I believe they are far more capable at a whole bunch of things than you give them credit for.
Quite a bit more.
I believe it is time to start to look to build up America once again.
Right now.
“They copy what they can...but often fail when it comes to actually manufacturing a decent product. “
The electronics for our fighters comes from China. :)
Agreed and consider this, a fast mover stick jockey good friend of mine once told me the aircraft is only as good as the pilot in the seat. Ours are well seasoned yet I do not know how much training outside the combat zones they are getting these days. Add to that the oft heated argument that no matter the aviator’s skill and capabilities of the aircraft, the farthest looking radar coupled with the best air/ground-to-air missiles wins.
Regards.
A whole lot oh heat coming out of those two Chinese tailpipes.
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