Chinese Plane Spurs Interest in US Fighter

[Dragon Emperor]

By NATHAN HODGE

FORT WORTH, Texas—New evidence of China's military buildup has spurred interest in sales of the U.S.'s next-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, U.S. defense and industry officials said.

Beijing's growing military arsenal isn't a new development. But recently publicized images suggest China has made unexpected strides in developing the J-20, a "fifth-generation" aircraft that combines a stealthy, radar-eluding design with high-end fighter performance.

Tom Burbage, general manager of the F-35 program for Lockheed Martin Corp., said Beijing's progress in developing the J-20 has created a "stronger sense of urgency" throughout the Asian-Pacific region about air-force modernization. He said Japan, South Korea and Singapore are now engaged in bilateral discussions with U.S. government officials over the F-35.
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"We're starting to see the dialogue happening right now even on the diplomatic level," he said. Mr. Burbage said the Asian countries haven't committed to buying the plane.

In contrast to the Lockheed F-22 Raptor, the world's only fully operational stealth fighter, the U.S. is developing the F-35 specifically for international markets. Several NATO members and Australia are partners in the program, meaning they contribute development funds and are industrial participants.

Other countries such as Israel have also signaled interest in acquiring the fighter.

Mr. Burbage said the U.S. government has asked Lockheed to provide preliminary information on how it could build the Joint Strike Fighter with Japanese industrial input, building either major subcomponents or completing final assembly in Japan. Under its constitution, Japan isn't allowed to export any arms, so Japan would likely work only on aircraft for its own military inventory.

At a Jan. 11 media round table in Beijing, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said he would encourage Japan to invest in fifth-generation fighter aircraft.

"I'm going to Japan from here, and the Japanese government is considering the purchase of its next generation of fighter aircraft, the FX," Mr. Gates said. "And so that would give Japan the opportunity—if they bought the right airplane—to have a fifth-generation capability. And I might have a few suggestions for them."

Lockheed isn't the only fighter manufacturer that could see a possible upside from countries interested in deterring China's rising military. Boeing Co. has marketed an upgrade to the F-15E Strike Eagle, called the Silent Eagle, an aircraft that would have stealthy characteristics such as an internal weapons bay, which reduces the radar profile of the aircraft.

The Chinese J-20 seems to draw some design features directly from the F-35. For instance, the Joint Strike Fighter features a unique fuselage design called a diverterless engine inlet, which optimizes airflow to the engine at high speeds.

On a tour of the production facility, J.D. McFarlan, vice president of test and verification, said that the J-20 inlet bore a distinct resemblance to the F-35 inlet, although it was difficult to verify if the Chinese had actually perfected the design.

From Chinese Plane Spurs Interest in U.S. Fighter - WSJ.com

 

[siegecrossbow]

Some times I think this is a collaborationist effort between China and the United States. The Chinese expose the J-20, which in turn creates an urgent demand for the F-35 in Asia, which in turn boosts the pockets of U.S. defence companies.

 

[Akasa]

Some times I think this is a collaborationist effort between China and the United States. The Chinese expose the J-20, which in turn creates an urgent demand for the F-35 in Asia, which in turn boosts the pockets of U.S. defence companies.

And in the end it's China that ends up in its own trap.

 

[Obambam]

Some times I think this is a collaborationist effort between China and the United States. The Chinese expose the J-20, which in turn creates an urgent demand for the F-35 in Asia, which in turn boosts the pockets of U.S. defence companies.

I beg to differ. The J-20 was designed to counter the F-22 and is supposedly a F-35 killer. The thought of spending on the F-35 when it is still non operational and is still riddled with problems is beyond me. Not to mention that the funds for the F-35 project was slashed? If the US is confident with the F-35 project they wouldn't be quoted saying that they can counter the threat of the J-20 by upgrading their F-15's with better radars right?

Rather than waiting around for something that will be obsolette by the time it comes out of the production chain, it's wiser to sort out their economy and invest on its own R&D don't you think? In this day and age, how likely is it that they will go into war with one another? but I guess each to its own, their allies might think it is more appropriate to spend money on war and put its economy and people's lives into jeopardy.