serenity
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No it hasn't reached "the end" of what can be expected of the design. The design is great. 4th gen fighters are already at or near the peak of kinematic performance. The rest is about changing out and upgrading the electronics and software. This can be done through many decades. J-10C is a modern platform and the newest ones made this week would have MLU in decades time. They remain effective and useful.
The design itself won't be changed dramatically. Maybe adding that dorsal fin spine thing for service fighters. Definitely not stealthifying it though, that's one change that is simply ridiculous and I don't know why people entertain that idea. I guess fan art doesn't help.
I don't have any authoritative insider sources but we are all in the same position except I think on knowledge, we are roughly equal. This has to do with speculation. I simply do not understand how PLAAF could want a J-3x or J-21 based on FC-31. The purpose of any lo fighter in lo hi mix is to have it single engined otherwise it is no less expensive to run and service than the hi fighter.
FC-31 based fighters are twin engined. In this case not even an engine that is the same as the mainstream platforms where logistics is simplified. See F-14, F-15, F-16 engines. Pretty much all the same from same or very similar family of F-100 based engines. Before F-14 got re-engined of course.
PLAAF already has a 5th generation fighter. PLAN does not. J-35 is better for carrier apparently because they can fit more onto a carrier than J-20. Okay fine that makes enough sense to justify a totally different platform. It also makes sense to give SAC something to continue working with in the fighter department. It allows Chinese fighter aviation to have at least two major separate groups that admittedly cooperate a lot and all under AVIC anyway but that's not relevant to this point.
The naming convention is J-1x from before 2010 induction into service (and typically of a group of generations ie below gen 5. J-2x from before 2020 induction (J-20 induction in 2017 and news noticed it and could report on it in 2018). J-3x for fighters inducted before 2030. J-x5 for naval fighters. J-15... inducted in 2010s and a naval fighter hence first designation is 1 and second is 5.
J-35 because inducted past 2020 and before 2030 so first designation is 3 and second is 5 since it is a naval fighter.
It is not so much an attempt to troll the Americans like Su-57 where 57 = 22 + 35 to suggest it is better than F-22 and F-35 or something like that. The naming convention with Su-57 simply did not make sense anymore. Su-75 is ... really I don't even want to speculate. Su-35 naming still had some pattern to it. Mig-35 as well. Due too previous baseline generations in the 20s.
