Painted grey and carrying national flags and yellow serial numbers on their tails, two Y-20 planes, China's homegrown large transport aircraft, officially joined the People's Liberation Army Air Force on Wednesday.
With a maximum takeoff weight of around 200 tonnes, the Y-20 is ideal for transporting cargo and people over long distances in diverse weather conditions.
China’s Chengdu Aircraft Company (CAC) has built more Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) J-20 stealthy jet fighters, with another new aircraft featured in flight on Chinese websites over the past week.
This is the second known J-20 LRIP aircraft, after the first example serialed 2101 was shown in late December 2015.
They follow two prototypes and six known development aircraft that featured a successive series of refinements.
The latest aircraft is painted in shades of gray and carries toned down national insignia, but unlike all previous J-20s has no identifying serial numbers.
Reports from China suggest that this latest aircraft may in fact be the fourth LRIP aircraft, but verifiable evidence of this has yet to surface.
Most information about the J-20 has emerged from unofficial Chinese websites, and the type has never been shown in public.
The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) will have on display both the Y-20 cargo aircraft and J-31 stealth fighter at the Zhuhai Airshow in November, reported Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua.
The Xian-built Y-20 “Kunpeng” heavy cargo transport and the Shenyang-built J-31 stealth multirole fighter appeared for the first time at the 2014 China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, also known as the Zhuhai Airshow.
Construction has apparently begun of a prototype of the second version of the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) FC-31 'Gyrfalcon' twin-engine, fifth-generation export fighter, according to a video shown at Airshow China, held in Zhuhai from 1-6 November.
The video provides views of the fuselage under construction and shows that the new version will have a distributed aperture system (DAS) optical early-warning system.
FC-31 ..... un misto di contraddizioni e di misteri .....
The non-appearance of the Shenyang FC-31 fighter at the recent Zhuhai Air Show is another indication that the type is failing to fulfill both technical and sales expectations.
However, the aircraft’s Russian Klimov/Sarkisov RD-93 engine was shown for the first time.
This led some observers to believe that this was part of a joint Russian-Chinese initiative to sell the FC-31 to Pakistan, since the same engine powers the Chengdu JF-17/FC-1 fighter that China has co-developed with Pakistan.
Some Chinese industry officials said previously that the FC-31 would be a “breakthrough export program.”
But sources within the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) delegation at Zhuhai stated there is no realistic prospect of the service acquiring the FC-31 for now.
John A. Tirpak fa il punto sul Daily Report dell' AFA .....
The J-20 “Mighty Dragon,” China’s first purportedly stealth combat aircraft, is operational, Chinese state television reported on March 9, without giving further details.
Two J-20s in production configuration made a flyby at the November 2016 Zhuhai air show, and China watchers said at the time the debut indicated operational status was likely near.
China is believed to have between nine and 12 J-20s in operational configuration, having begun low-rate production in 2014; eight other prototypes in a variety of configurations have flown since 2011 and are still involved in weapons tests.
E, secondo la stampa locale, riceverà presto un motore di produzione nazionale .....
China is nearing the use of an indigenous powerplant for the Chengdu J-20 fighter aircraft, although mass production of key engine technologies is a challenge.
A report in the official China Daily newspaper quotes an official of Aero Engine Corporation of China, Chen Xiangbao, as saying that “it will not take a long time for our fifth generation combat plane to have China-made engines.”
A technological breakthrough in naval propulsion will enable China’s second home-grown aircraft carrier to use the world’s most advanced jet launch system without having to resort to nuclear power, overcoming a huge hurdle in the vessel’s development, military sources said.
The development of the integrated propulsion system (IPS) would allow the vessel to be more efficient, allowing more power for an electromagnetic catapult, rather than a less technologically advanced steam-driven catapult launch system, the sources said.
Trovo quanto mai improbabile che la Cina possa essersi imbarcata in un' azione di questo tipo senza prendere in considerazione gli enormi rischi, con relative conseguenze, che essa avrebbe potuto comportare sia sul piano politico che su quello militare ... data anche la contemporanea presenza, nella Corea del Sud, di reparti statunitensi dotati di materiali militari di modello recentissimo ...
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has introduced the Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation Z-8G transport helicopter to active service.
Previously known as the Z-18, it was reportedly redesignated the Z-8G (Gaoyuan, or "Plateau") because it is a heavily modified version of the Harbin Z-8, the Chinese derivative of the Aérospatiale SA 321 Super Frelon.
Beijing will evolve the Chengdu J-20 fighter into roles well beyond aerial supremacy.
The aircraft’s primary mission for the time being is “making way for other aircraft in an air battle,” says Zhang Hao, who heads an air force flight test centre.
Zhang made the remarks in a story carried by Beijing’s official China Daily news organ (*).
The type will be developed into variants and will also allow for the opening of research into a “sixth generation fighter,” says Yang Wei, a deputy director of science and technology at AVIC.
Chissà da dove viene. Forse dal J-15. Un Su-30MK navale probabilmente pesa troppo. Le derive oblique lo avvicinano al J-15 e al Su-33. In pratica un Su-33 biposto. Dato che ha il gancio d'arresto, potrà operare da portaerei.
...ciao, il J15 nominato "Flying Shark" è a tutti gli effetti derivato dal Sukhoi SU33 che i cinesi hanno acquistato dall'Ucraina in quanto i Russi si rifiutarono di vendere poiché i cinesi violarono l'accordo sul numero massimo di copie che potevano produrre su licenza. Questo J15 sicuramente imbarca avionica e radar totalmente cinesi. Il nuovo biposto in tandem navale, sembra invece un adattamento della configurazione del SUkhoi30 al progetto del J15. Comunque credo che questi nuovi prototipi sfornati dai cinesi dimostrano due cose, la prima la bontà e le potenzialità del progetto del Sukhoi Su27, la seconda è l'entità dei progressi che i cinesi hanno fatto in pochi anni sia sul piano della progettazione che della produzione industriale aeronautica. Considerando che le persone e i quattrini non gli mancano, e che parecchi di loro hanno gli studi pagati nelle migliori università occidentali, non credo che ci si possa meravigliare se tra qualche anno diventeranno una super potenza aerospaziale. Credo/Sospetto che non si facciano neanche troppi scrupoli a stipendiare ben bene diversi cervelli occidentali/russi per progettargli/costruirgli tutto quello che vedono nell'arsenale americano e russo. Praticamente la voce di costo relativa alla ricerca non sanno neanche cosa sia. E credo che stiano facendo lo stesso anche per quanto riguarda aerei per il trasporto civile, ne hanno sfornati un paio che credo potranno competere con Airbus 320 family e Boeing 737.
A quanto pare ..... i Cinesi di sono resi conto che la loro copia del Su-33 è una 'ciofeca' ..... e stanno correndo ai ripari per a sostituirla .....
Beijing wants to develop a new carrier-borne fighter to replace its Shenyang J-15s, which have been plagued by safety and mechanical problems.
According to a report in the South China Morning Post (*), quoting Chinese air force lieutenant general Zhang Honghe, a “new carrier-based fighter to replace the J-15” is in development.
Ora i Cinesi annunciano di aver sviluppato un 'Waverider' in grado di toccare Mach 6 .....
China has reportedly conducted the maiden flight of a new hypersonic test vehicle, achieving speeds of Mach 5.5 for over six minutes, and reaching Mach 6.
The test of the unmanned system, designated Starry Sky 2, took place recently in Northwestern China, reports the official China Daily newspaper. (*)
During the flight the vehicle reached an altitude of 30km and undertook several maneuvers.
I Cinesi spiano e rubacchiano ..... ma gli Stati Uniti non ci stanno .....
The US Department of Justice has levied new charges against 10 alleged Chinese spies who purportedly sought to steal proprietary corporate information, including information related to commercial aircraft turbofan engines.
An indictment filed in US District Court for the Southern District of California comes three weeks after the DOJ revealed it indicted another Chinese national as part of a similar conspiracy that targeted aerospace companies including GE Aviation.
"Members of the conspiracy targeted, among other things, data and information related to a turbofan engine used in commercial jetliners," says the latest indictment.
"At the time of the intrusions, a Chinese state-owned aerospace company was working to develop a comparable engine for use in commercial aircraft manufactured in China and elsewhere."
On the last day of China's biennial air show and weapons expo in Zhuhai, a pair of the country's J-20 heavy stealth fighters added a surprise twist to their routine - they popped open their weapons bays and showed off full magazines of missiles.
This is the first time such a full load of weapons has been fully exposed and the first time China has officially shown off the jet's complete internal weapons configuration in the flesh.
FTC-2000G ..... l' ultima evoluzione cinese del MiG-21 .....
Following its first flight on September 28, AVIC’s FTC-2000G fighter made its show debut at Zhuhai's Airshow China in October.
The flying prototype was painted in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s (PLAAF) standard blue-grey camouflage, flying on the first day of Zhuhai airshow and remaining on static display thereafter. ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
The FTC-2000 has roots in the JL-9, the latest mutation of the Chinese derivative of the Soviet-built MiG-21 twin-seat operational trainer.
La qual cosa dimostra che, nei confronti del velivolo cinese, vi è, da parte dell' Occidente, un' attenzione sempre più crescente .....
In the first week of December a full-scale replica (FSR) of a Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon was spotted parked outside the Air Dominance Center at Savannah Hilton Head Airport in Georgia.
The United States Marine Corps later confirmed that the aircraft was built for USMC training.
While the purposes of the FSR remain uncertain, the arrival of the mock-up hints at the high level of interest being shown in the J-20 by the U.S. military as more features of the aircraft become known following its revelation in 2011.
Altro che uno ..... quelli si stanno preparando a sfornarne addirittura due .....
A new report by the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) (*) offers the first official acknowledgment of the existence of two stealth bomber development programs by China’s air force.
A previously-confirmed Chinese strategic bomber and a newly acknowledged stealth “fighter-bomber” are both now under development, the DIA says in a China Military Power report released Jan. 15.
The Pentagon first acknowledged a strategic bomber program exists in a 2017 report to Congress.
The admission came a year after a senior Chinese air force official publicly confirmed the effort to develop a new strategic comber variously called H-X and H-20.
For several years, Chinese and foreign media have speculated about the existence of a separate stealth bomber development project sometimes called the JH-XX, a replacement for the Mach 1.8-class Xian JH-7 fighter-bomber.
The new DIA report also describes the second project as a “medium”-range stealth bomber.
China's fifth generation fighter jet J-20, which has been in service under the People's Liberation Army Air Force since early 2018, is endowed with state-of-the-art aviation and electronic technologies.
Its range and weapons payload are widely considered to be better than the F-35's, enabling it to achieve its main mission of gaining aerial superiority in a 21st Century battlefield.
Moreover, the J-20 has room for improvement.
An upgraded version of the J-20 will have "overwhelming superiority" to the F-35 in the future .....
