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Chengdu J-20 5th Generation Aircraft News & Discussions

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J-20 variant may be world’s first two-seat stealth fighter jet: report
By Liu Xuanzun Source:Global Times Published: 2019/1/16 17:11:51

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Concept art depicts the two-seat variant of the J-20 stealth fighter jet. Photo: cctv.com

China's most advanced stealth fighter jet J-20 could be developed into a bomber, electric warfare (EW) aircraft and a carrier-based variant, Chinese military experts said on Wednesday as latest reports suggested a two-seat version of the warplane is under development.

All current stealth fighter jets feature single-seat, so the potential J-20 variant might become the first two-seat stealth fighter jet in the world, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Wednesday.

On a highly digitalized future battlefield, large amounts of information can easily overflow the entire control panel of an aircraft. Having a second pilot and a second panel sharing part of the work will be advantageous, the report said.

Yang Wei, the chief designer of the J-20, said in March 2018 that the aircraft will be serialized and see its combat capability constantly upgraded, People's Daily reported.

The current J-20 is a basic version, and it is by design highly customizable, Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Outfitting the warplane with a second seat allows it to play multiple roles in addition to winning air superiority, Song said, noting that the two-seat version can be further developed into a tactical bomber or EW aircraft.

Having variations that other countries do not possess will greatly expand the Chinese military's capability in an asymmetric warfare, analysts said.

The US had a similar plan with its stealth fighter jet the F-22 due to its supersonic speed and potential to penetrate airspace without being detected. However, the FB-22, a tactical bomber version of the F-22, was axed in 2006 because the US Air Force wanted a strategic bomber instead of a tactical one, US media outlet the National Interest reported.

Although the FC-31, another Chinese stealth fighter jet, is widely expected to become China's next generation carrier-borne fighter jet, Song said that J-20 can also be modified to fulfill the role.

Even if the J-20 does not make additions to its role, it will definitely see enhancements to its capability, as China has a tradition of upgrading its fighter jets with advanced technologies before moving on to an entirely new aircraft.

An upgraded J-20 will have improved avionics and fire control systems, more powerful engines and more weapons payload, Song said.

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Upgraded J-20 fighter jet ‘overwhelmingly superior’ to US F-35: analysts
By Liu Xuanzun Source:Global Times Published: 2019/1/15 18:12:49

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A J-20 fighter performs at the 12th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition (Airshow China) in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, Nov. 11, 2018. The air show closed on Sunday. (Photo: Xinhua)

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F-35 Lightning II (US)The Lockheed F-35 Lightning II is a fifth-generation fighter development of the United States that incorporates new and learned stealth teconology and practice with advanced computer processing and systems through a "budget-friendly" modular approach. (Photo: Xinhua)

As South Korea became the latest country to buy and deploy US F-35 stealth fighter jets, Chinese military observers asserted that an upgraded Chinese J-20 fighter will gain overwhelming superiority over the F-35 in future and that China can fend off all potential threats from what media dubs the "US F-35 friends circle" in the Asia-Pacific region.

Yonhap News Agency reported on Monday that two F-35As will be assigned to South Korean combat units starting in April or May. The delivery is a part of South Korea's procurement of 40 F-35As in 2014 at a cost of more than $100 million each.

South Korea is not the only US ally that has purchased the stealth aircraft. Japan operates 10 F-35As, with 32 more due from a previous order, CNN reported in November 2018.

Japan is also preparing to order an additional 100 F-35 fighter jets. These aircraft include F-35Bs which are capable of short takeoffs and vertical landings, which will be deployed on the revamped Izumo-class helicopter destroyers, essentially making them aircraft carriers, Nikkei reported in November 2018.

Australia also received two F-35As in December 2018, local news site news.com.au reported. The country will eventually receive 100 of the jets, said the website of Australian Air Force.

Under the US' Joint Strike Fighter program, the F-35 has three variations: the F-35A for the air force, the F-35B for marines and the F-35C for the navy.

By selling the stealth fighter jets to its allies in the West Pacific region, the US is building an "F-35 friend circle," Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The US, Japan and South Korea may conduct more joint exercises near China using the F-35, making it easy for coordination, Wei said. The stealth capability makes the F-35 more difficult to detect and will impact China's national defense needs, he said.

Equipped with an advanced weapon system and capable of stealth and supersonic cruising, the F-35 is regarded as one of the most advanced fighter jets in the world. But China is no sitting duck in a potential clash with the US fighter jet.

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, Wei said.

China's passive radars and meter wave radars can also detect stealth aircraft, and can guide anti-aircraft missiles such as the HQ-9 and HQ-16 to destroy them, Wei noted.

Meanwhile, the F-35 has its share of problems.

The F-35's stealth capability, one of the most important features that set it apart from previous generations of fighter jets, requires very high maintenance cost, as the radar wave-absorbing coating wears off and needs to be replaced after every flight, the news.com.au report said.

In September 2018, an F-35B under the US Marine Corps crashed due to faulty fuel-lines. F-35 jets have in the past made emergency landings, experienced in-flight incidents, including oxygen deprivation among crews, and suffered from engine fires and other failures on the ground, the Washington Post reported.


The Chinese military has not make public any reports of malfunctions of the J-20.

Source: http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1135845.shtml
 
The F-35's stealth capability, one of the most important features that set it apart from previous generations of fighter jets, requires very high maintenance cost, as the radar wave-absorbing coating wears off and needs to be replaced after every flight, the news.com.au report said.

That's crap. If paint falls off after a flight, you know that's bad paint.
 
That's crap. If paint falls off after a flight, you know that's bad paint.
He's talking about the stealthy RAM on these fighters. I thought they mitigated this problem with the F-35 ... versus the F-22 which required constant maintenance.
 
Air Platforms

China may be developing first two-seat stealth combat aircraft

Andrew Tate, London - Jane's Defence Weekly

18 January 2019

State broadcaster CCTV showed a CGI of a two-seat J-20 aircraft in a 16 January report. China may be developing a two-seat variant of the fighter, according to Chinese state-owned media. Source: Via CCTV.com

A two-seat version of China’s first stealthy combat aircraft, the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) J-20, may be in development to fulfil roles as a tactical bomber, electronic warfare (EW), or carrier strike aircraft, according to a report published in the state-owned Global Times newspaper on 16 January.

The concept of a two-seat variant of the J-20 is not new and computer-generated images (CGIs) of such an aircraft have circulated on the Internet for some time.

However, the likelihood that such a variant will be produced has increased following state broadcaster China Central Television’s (CCTV’s) recent release of a TV report showing a CGI of a two-seat J-20. The 16 January report not only highlighted the advantages of having two aircrew in a complex tactical environment, but also asked whether China would be the first country to introduce a two-seat stealth combat aircraft.

A day earlier the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) published its China Military Power report, in which its assessment was that the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) “is developing new medium- and long-range stealth bombers”.

The long-range stealth bomber will be the H-20, which the PLAAF confirmed was in development in 2016. No new programme for a medium-range stealth bomber has been identified in open sources, so development of the J-20 for such a role may reflect the DIA’s assessment.

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Guys ... please stop any political issues, leave out the F-35 .... and please back to topic.
 
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This J-20 thread is once again turned into a clown one :partay: :partay: :partay:

Looks like a repeating bad habit by some personas when actual substance is rather quiet. Why not just let it rested when there is really nothing of substance to address ???
 

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