China’s FC-31 Fighter Disappoints in First Display
The big curiosity at this year’s Airshow China was the prototype Shenyang FC-31 fighter that was making its first public appearance. Previously billed as the J-31, the stealthy-looking aircraft first flew two years ago. It is a smaller complement to the Chengdu J-20, which was the first of the PRC’s new stealth aircraft...
...If they were involved in the FC-31 design, MiG officials might not want to take any credit, because the display at Zhuhai revealed some poor aerodynamic efficiency. The aircraft bleeds too much energy and the pilot had hard time keeping the nose up during turns and other maneuvers. He also had to engage afterburners far too often to maintain a proper energy utilization curve.
Western aerospace analysts point out that the FC-31 flown at Zhuhai was a “clean” jet. An aircraft configured for a real mission and fitted with weapons would be even heavier and would have an even more dismal flight performance, they said. A large-scale model of the FC-31 on display inside the halls at Zhuhai showed some detail changes of configuration, compared to the flying prototype...
if you dont talk seriously just get lost
