Posted on 01/10/2011 7:51:42 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
New photo suggests J-20 achieves maiden flight
By Stephen Trimble
A new photo circulating on aviation web sites indicates China's newest fighter project has achieved first flight.
The maiden flight of the stealthy Chengdu J-20 prototype has been anticipated since the aircraft was revealed in unofficial photos that started appearing on the web in late December.
The new photo shows the J-20 after takeoff with the landing gear still lowered. The aircraft does not appear to be using afterburners in the image. Further details about the aircraft's first sortie are still unknown.
The J-20's sudden appearance took the non-Chinese aviation community by surprise a few weeks ago.
Photo circulating on aviation web sites suggest the Chengdu J-20 has achieved first flight The existence of a Chinese stealth fighter programme has been acknowledged by US defence officials for more than a decade, but not the pace of China's progress in developing a rival to the Lockheed Martin F-22 and F-35.
Some US officials, including retired Lt Gen Tom McInerney, have called for the US to restart F-22 production in response to the J-20's possible new threat.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates told reporters on 9 January, as he was en route to Beijing for a new round of military-to-military talks, acknowledged the J-20's public unveiling came as a surprise.
"I think that what we've seen is that they may be somewhat further ahead in the development of that aircraft than our intelligence had earlier predicted," Gates says.
(Excerpt) Read more at flightglobal.com ...
At 70 feet long, it’s a wonder it got off the ground.................
It’s a big boy...
The F-22 gets off the ground easily with a length of over 60 feet, so it shouldn’t be impossible for the J-20.
MiG-25 fighter jet. The Mach-3 jet (NATO designation “Foxbat”) was a mystery craft to the Western powers, particularly the U.S., who were eager to examine the latest, “most advanced” Soviet fighter. The Defense Department had long used the mystery of the MiG-25 as a “boogeyman” to scare the government into funding advanced U.S. weaponry.
The Russian Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 interceptor fighter was the subject of NATO military hysteria, until one actually fell into U.S. hands — and turned out to be a turkey. From the Air Force Times LibraryOn September 6, Russian pilot, Lt. Viktor Belenko, landed his MiG-25 fighter (NATO designation “Foxbat” shown below) at an airfield near Hakodate, on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, and asked for asylum, and it was temporarily granted. The Soviet government furiously demanded the prompt return of their stolen plane, and the pilot who took it. And when Japan refused, the Russian Navy, in retaliation, captured Japanese fishing boats and imprisoned their crews, while Soviet military craft menaced Japanese military craft over international waters.
The condescending bluster and arrogant challenges of the Soviets only insulted the Japanese — who dug their heels in more forcefully, and welcomed U.S. requests to examine the aircraft. Then- U.S.-Defense-Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld (who, ironically, is now again the Secretary of Defense) admitted “we wanted the plane. We wanted metal samples; to fly it, take it apart, then fly it again.” He got his wish. The Japanese government allowed the U.S. to disassemble the plane, stuff it in a giant C-5A Galaxy transport, and fly it to a Japanese airbase near Tokyo for a thorough disassembly and inspection. Two months later, it was shipped back to the Russians in pieces.
What was expected to be an intelligence bonanza turned into an embarrassment for the U.S. Defense Department. The MiG’s crude, bulky, stainless-steel construction, poor aerodynamic qualities, limited weapons capacity, short range and utterly archaic electronics discredited Defense Department paranoia over the new aircraft, and over Soviet military technology, generally.
http://www.defence.pk/forums/india-defence/76078-russias-defence-industry-boosted-india-5.html
Anybody who tries to downplay the significance of this is in denial of reality. While we battle over budgets and priorities the Chinese military modernization program is full speed ahead.
The B-17G that hammered Europe during WWII was only about 74’ in length.
Yeah, it’s eight feet longer than a F-14, which was sixty-two feet in length, but three feet shorter than a F-111 (which comes in at 73 feet).
I don’t know why, but that picture looks funny to me.
Kinda like photoshopped. It looks a little ‘fuzzy’ around the edges.
Maybe it’s just my dirty glasses.. :)
“F-111” is probably a good description of its intended role.
That won’t be surprising given the PLA’s record in the past.
Interestingly, the article that I posted seems to have vanished off the flightglobal site!!
Might be a photo shop of a picture from a taxi test where it it got nose-high.
I like the canards and stabilization fins.
Usually they add that crap to cover up flaws.
It won’t be very stealth with that junk.
Where are the curb feelers and static straps.
They may be fake canards.................;^)
Like in Foxfire when they are flapping while taxiing after the iceberg landing?
I thought hose were impaled penguins....................
I think the Chineese engineers are more capable than the Russians. The workforce is more disciplined and motivated.
The Chineese do more than Russian inventions.
The ChiComs are a potent advisary.
Taking off is easy, the real question is can it land?
I think that webpage has now been taken down? It appears that the image is one of the fakes running around on the Chinese forums. The same thing happened with some of the initial images of the J-10 some ten years ago. Some people can’t help themselves when it comes to photoshop!
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