Zarvan
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Pakistan is showing a more than casual interest in acquiring China's Chengdu J-20 fifth generation "stealth" multirole fighter even as India commits to developing its own indigenous stealth fighter modeled after Russia's Sukhoi PAK FA.
Sources in the Indian Armed Forces were quoted by Indian media as saying the J-20's appearance at the Zhuhai Air Show on Nov. 1, although lasting less than a minute, was enough to impress senior officers of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) that were at China's largest military arms exhibit.
At the air show, two J-20s flown by the Bayi Aerobatic Team were put through very safe maneuvers that consisted of a very loud low level pass and a series of gentle turns. The unpainted J-20s then zoomed away.
The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) said the J-20's disappointing "show" was necessary to prevent western spies from learning more about the jet.
"J-20 contains many of China's top technologies in stealth aircraft plus other military secrets that include the J-20's body shape, the proportion of its wing and body and other secrets as aircraft experts can easily calculate its stealth parameters from its exterior," said a PLAAF spokesman.
Nothing revealed by the J-20s at Zhuhai, however, dispelled the notion this jet isn't quite the equal of the F-35 as the Chinese claim it to be.
Despite the jet's less than sterling reviews, PAF is talking about buying the export variant of the J-20. This interest in a stealth jet now in low rate initial production might be due to India's renewed interest in producing its own stealth jet derived from the Sukhoi PAK FA, Russia's troubled, too expensive and underfunded stealth jet.
Last February, India and Russia revived talks to develop India's indigenous fifth generation stealth jet after Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar approved the project.
Indian Air Force sources said India's stealth jet will have capabilities equal to PAK FA T-50 aircraft (the designation for the prototype jet) a fifth-generation fighter. Russia has produced only six T-50 prototypes because of unexpectedly high cost escalation.
These same sources said India's stealth jet will be designed over the next few years, and will be more advanced than the T-50 in some aspects. India will contribute $3.7 billion to produce three flyable prototypes of its stealth fighter.
"The agreement has been completed on our end; we are ready to sign it. It is now down to the Indian side. There are some formalities to figure out, but I think it will be signed by the end of this year," said Sergei Chemezov, CEO of Russian weapons maker Rostech Corporation.
Chemzov noted the project "will produce a state of the art fighter jet, and it will be the result of the work on Russia's most modern technology done by both Russian and Indian engineers. As fifth generation, it means fifth generation speed, ballistics and military equipment, avionics and stealth capabilities among other qualities."
http://en.yibada.com/articles/17390...e-field-fifth-generation-stealth-fighters.htm
