SAC FC-31 Stealth Fighter: News & Discussions

[Zarvan]

China has test flown a second model of a prototype stealth fighter, aviation experts said Thursday, in a sign of its aircraft industry's growing sophistication.
Photos posted to the Internet Thursday showed the radar-avoiding aircraft airborne near the northeastern city of Shenyang with its landing gear still down. Two Chinese-made J-11 fighters accompanied it on the flight, which Chinese military enthusiast websites said took place Wednesday and lasted about 10 minutes.
Ross Babbage of Australia's Kokoda Foundation and Greg Waldron of Fliightglobal magazine in Singapore said the plane known as the J-31 appeared to be a smaller version of the J-20 prototype that was tested last year in the southwestern city of Chengdu.
While both planes feature stealth design features, their true capabilities in terms of sensors, radar-absorbing coatings, and other key factors remain unknown. It isn't known when, or if, either plane will go into production.
"I think it's a fairly straight forward evolution to develop advanced fighters at this time, but you can't read too much into it in terms of capabilities," Waldron told The Associated Press.
The smaller and nimbler J-31 appeared intended for a fighter-interceptor role similar to the U.S. Joint Strike Fighter, while the heavier J-20 would target airfields, warships and other ground targets, he said.
The technical barriers and development costs for such aircraft are enormous and the U.S. has struggled for years to deliver on their potential.
Another major challenge for China is developing engines for its fighters that are reliable and capable enough for such cutting-edge aircraft, Babbage said. China remains overwhelmingly reliant on Russia for engines for its latest J-10, J-11, and J-15 models, the last two of which were developed from Russian Sukhoi fighter-bombers.
"The demands in the engine area are very substantial," Babbage said.
Despite that, the ability to develop two prototype stealth fighters at the same time demonstrates an impressive capability on the part of the Chinese industry, he said.
"It's a very interesting development. It shows how rapidly they're moving ahead."


Read more: Photos show second China stealth fighter prototype has test flight | Fox News

 

[kafumanpk]

It's just a mere imitation of F22 and F35 shape, and I do not think this is a stealth aircraft, it is only a Third-generation aircraft, the Chinese version of the F18.

 

[shuttler]

It's just a mere imitation of F22 and F35 shape, and I do not think this is a stealth aircraft, it is only a Third-generation aircraft, the Chinese version of the F18.

how do you know? do you have the parameters?

 

[500]

We're looking forward to see China-Israel will be back into full military cooperation one day...maybe you will have something interesting to offer for our J-31 upgrade

Would be nice, but unfortunately no chance. We depend on America too much.

how do you know? do you have the parameters?

Dont put attention, he is just trolling.

 

[bhedgehog]

Anyone helps to translate?

 

[Devil Soul]

China flexes military muscle with J-31 stealth jet
Reuters | Nov 2, 2012,
BEIJING: China's second stealth fighter jet that was unveiled this week is part of a programme to transform China into the top regional military power, an expert on Asian security said on Friday.

The fighter, the J-31, made its maiden flight on Wednesday in the northeast province of Liaoning at a facility of the Shenyang Aircraft Corp which built it, according to Chinese media.

"This is the second entirely new fighter design that's emerged from China in the last two years, which suggests a pretty impressive level of technical development, and puts them ahead, certainly, of all their regional neighbours," said Sam Roggeveen, a security expert with the Lowy Institute in Sydney.

The Chinese military "has been extremely deliberate and well funded and persistent, and it's starting to bear fruit", Roggeveen said.

"What you're now seeing since the early '90s is the slow emergence of a first-class regional military power."

China's Defence Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

China's previous stealth fighter, the J-20, is a heavier aircraft and believed to be less manoeuvrable than the J-31.

China's military capabilities lag far behind those of the United States, but China is seeking aggressively to boost its strength, including launching its first aircraft carrier - purchased from Ukraine - in September.

The buildup is a worry for neighbours uneasy about China flexing its military muscle, especially in territorial disputes with Japan in the East China Sea and with Vietnam and the Philippines in the South China Sea.

"Just like the US F-22 and F-35 fifth-generation fighters, the J-20 and J-31 will complement each other during future operations," Bai Wei, former deputy editor of the weekly Aviation World, told the Global Times newspaper.

"The J-31 is almost certainly designed with the intention to have the potential of operating on aircraft carriers, judging from its enhanced double-wheel nose landing gear and two big tail wings, which help increase vertical stability," Bai said.

China needs both the heavier J-20 and more nimble J-31 to defend its air space, Bai said.

The J-31 is a mid-sized fighter using Russian-made engines which will later be replaced by Chinese engines, the Global Times reported.

"The big Achilles heel for Chinese aerospace generally, and particularly for both of these two programmes, is engines," Roggeveen, a former analyst for Australian government intelligence and editor of the Lowy Institute's blog LowyInterpreter.org.

"They still rely very much on foreign technology, and their progress on developing domestic high-performance engines for combat aircraft has been frustrating and slow," he said.

While the J-31 and J-20 will add to China's offensive as well as defensive capability, "it will take many, many years" for them to enter service with the air force, Roggeveen said.

 

[gambit]

how do you know? do you have the parameters?

How often do you ask these questions of Chinese claimants?

 

[abaseen99]

 

[abaseen99]

China Stealth Fighter Jet J-31 Prototype Tested In Shenyang

Posted: November 1, 2012

China Stealth Fighter Jet J-31 Prototype Tested In Shenyang [Video]
The China stealth fighter prototype jet flew this past Wednesday in Shenyang according to eyewitnesses. The China stealth fighter is called the “Falcon Eagle” and is designated J-31, which is the second stealth fighter after the larger J-20 which flew in 2011. The 10-minute aerial debut of the twin-engine Falcon Eagle was over the Shenyang Aircraft Company airfield in northeastern China. An army of Chinese bloggers have leaked pictures and videos.


For years, China has been purchasing its military hardware from Russia, but the Chinese are trying to change this by rapidly increasing their Defense military spending. “The technical barriers and development costs for such aircraft are enormous and the U.S. has struggled for years to deliver on their potential,” the Washington Post explains. Similarly, China’s development of their own stealth fighter program will takes years, and the earliest projection for the jet entering service is 2018.

Analyst David Axe, writing for Wired.com, calls the flight “a huge leap forward for China’s ambitious stealth warplane program.” But, he added, “there are still more questions than answers about China’s second stealth fighter model.”

Some believe that the J-31 China Stealth Fighter is intended for launching off of China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, which has been undergoing testing near the port of Dalian since July 2011. But it’s possible it’s intended to be primarily land-based. The J-31 appears similar to the fifth generation United States stealth fighters, “but with a less powerful engine and a lower proportion of sophisticated radar-blocking composite materials.” These superficial similarities to the United States F-22 and F-35 have fueled speculation that the Chinese based the J-31 Stealth Fighter′s design on blueprints stolen in 2009 from the servers of at least six American defense contractors.

“In terms of design it appears the J-31 is inferior to the latest US planes,” said Chang, head of the Kanwa Information Centre which monitors China’s military, on Telegraph.co.uk. “The layout is similar, but the material and quality are inferior. It will take at least seven or eight years before it can be commercially sold.”

Change believes that the J-31 China stealth fighter test flight was “timed to coincide with the run-up to China’s once-in-a-decade leadership transition next month.” The Shenyang Aircraft Company plans to export the stealth fighter jet to Chinese allies like Pakistan. Chang explains, ”I think the regime is trying to to show off to their colleagues that the Hu Jintao regime achieved a lot for China.” The handover of power in China will be coming in several years.


Read more at China Stealth Fighter Jet J-31 Prototype Tested In Shenyang [Video]

 

[Dheeman Rajkhowa]

A very unpleasant news, these Chinese tend to give such sort of nasty surprises. So much so I had to join this forum, as one of the "occasional" Indian trolls.
Well, not that I can do anything about the J-31- except taking it seriously.Too much talk going on about how much the Chinese 'copy' and are mere 'imitators'- the US had got a bad shock with the 'zero' the last time they thought about the Japanese and their fighters like that in WW2 and I do feel jealous of China's rapid military progress and the way they meet their deadlines.

And about J-31 export to Pakistan? why not? even the PAF fanboys must be getting bored of their F-16's.Export em right away-with discount of course, considering how cash strapped the Pakistanis are.
And about the 'nuking New Delhi with the J-31 and photographing it' Rhetoric ,if the next regional annihilation contest actually becomes that bad -we'll sure return the compliments. We Indians may have a big mouth, but we do weigh something in the balance of power in Asia.Period.

I doubt anyone here is from the J-31 design team of engineers ,so no amount of picture sharing is gonna affect its military development process and It's too early to decide the outcome of J-31 vs PAKFA/T-50 vs Rafale debate But big 'Daddy' China has just given PAF it's potential fighter joygasm.

And oh yes, the J-31 does look beautifully designed.

 

[sohail.ishaque]

We don't show it, we use it. Nobody knew about th F117 and B2 for many years. Or the so called Beast of Kandahar or the stealth helo used in Osama's death.

Yes.. on the ladies and children who even don't know what the meanings of the word "war" is... Throw some daizy cutter bombs or send ur drones to kill the innocents.. oh wait, before that send UNO to make sure that your opponent are not having any kind of weapons,.. not even a rifle or grenade... then it'll b very easy to show your power...

 

[ahfatzia]

Second stealth jet puts China on path to top regional power: Expert

BEIJING - China's second stealth fighter jet that was unveiled this week is part of a programme to transform China into the top regional military power, an expert on Asian security said on Friday.

The fighter, the J-31, made its maiden flight on Wednesday in the northeast province of Liaoning at a facility of the Shenyang Aircraft Corp which built it, according to Chinese media.

"This is the second entirely new fighter design that's emerged from China in the last two years, which suggests a pretty impressive level of technical development, and puts them ahead, certainly, of all their regional neighbours," said Sam Roggeveen, a security expert with the Lowy Institute in Sydney.

The Chinese military "has been extremely deliberate and well funded and persistent, and it's starting to bear fruit", Roggeveen said.

"What you're now seeing since the early '90s is the slow emergence of a first-class regional military power."

China's Defence Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

China's previous stealth fighter, the J-20, is a heavier aircraft and believed to be less manoeuvrable than the J-31.

China's military capabilities lag far behind those of the United States, but China is seeking aggressively to boost its strength, including launching its first aircraft carrier - purchased from Ukraine - in September.

The buildup is a worry for neighbours uneasy about China flexing its military muscle, especially in territorial disputes with Japan in the East China Sea and with Vietnam and the Philippines in the South China Sea.

"Just like the US F-22 and F-35 fifth-generation fighters, the J-20 and J-31 will complement each other during future operations," Bai Wei, former deputy editor of the weekly Aviation World, told the Global Times newspaper.

"The J-31 is almost certainly designed with the intention to have the potential of operating on aircraft carriers, judging from its enhanced double-wheel nose landing gear and two big tail wings, which help increase vertical stability," Bai said.

China needs both the heavier J-20 and more nimble J-31 to defend its air space, Bai said.

The J-31 is a mid-sized fighter using Russian-made engines which will later be replaced by Chinese engines, the Global Times reported.

"The big Achilles heel for Chinese aerospace generally, and particularly for both of these two programmes, is engines,"Roggeveen, a former analyst for Australian government intelligence and editor of the Lowy Institute's blog LowyInterpreter.org.

"They still rely very much on foreign technology, and their progress on developing domestic high-performance engines for combat aircraft has been frustrating and slow," he said.

While the J-31 and J-20 will add to China's offensive as well as defensive capability, "it will take many, many years"for them to enter service with the air force, Roggeveen said.

Second stealth jet puts China on path to top regional power: Expert

 

[Kiss_of_the_Dragon]

A very unpleasant news, these Chinese tend to give such sort of nasty surprises. So much so I had to join this forum, as one of the "occasional" Indian trolls.
Well, not that I can do anything about the J-31- except taking it seriously.Too much talk going on about how much the Chinese 'copy' and are mere 'imitators'- the US had got a bad shock with the 'zero' the last time they thought about the Japanese and their fighters like that in WW2 and I do feel jealous of China's rapid military progress and the way they meet their deadlines.
.

You don't have any reason to be jealous, India military procurement philosphy is not the same as China: India buy, China make, we're walking on different paths. Sure we're envy when seing Rafale, C-17 and others high tech toys you guys got ...in fact we should be the one to be jealous to see how easy India can get these hi tech weapons so easily

I guess dues to embargo...build J-31 is only way to go, as for those who call it as copy or imitation, that's fine with us as long as this J-31 meet our air force's need.

 

[gpit]

Hey, Indians. You do not have to worry about, Chinese do not have a reliable engine.

Maybe Indians should keep corrupting …

1. 1960s: Hey, Indians. You do not have to worry about, Chinese do not have a reliable air force.
2. 1990s: Hey, Indians. You do not have to worry about, Chinese do not have a reliable airplane.
3. 2000s: Hey, Indians. You do not have to worry about, Chinese do not have a reliable stealth.
4. 2010s: Hey, Indians. You do not have to worry about, Chinese do not have a reliable engine.
5. 2020s: Hey, Indians. You do not have to worry about, Chinese do not have a reliable ....

In the end, China has everything and India doesn’t have anything.

Are you a CPC covered agent?

------

Back to the topic.

I was just emerging from stone age caused by Sandy the hurricane and compounded with corrupted/inept 1%... amazing to hear this j-31 news.

 

[giant panda]

Gyrfalcon

【中华鹰鹘苑】海东青猎天鹅 - YouTube
J-31(Gyrfalcon)