DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: F-35 Jump Jet Gears Up For Crucial At-Sea Tests

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: F-35 Jump Jet Gears Up For Crucial At-Sea Tests

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources By Lance M. Bacon, Staff writer - NavyTimes
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - March 23, 2015: The blue-green team is gearing up for operational tests that could build momentum for the embattled F-35B Lightning II — or add more fuel to the fire of outspoken critics.

The first shipboard operational test period for the Marine Corps' short take off and vertical landing version of the Joint Strike Fighter is scheduled to take place May 18-30 aboard the amphibious assault ship Wasp. Six of the jets will participate, four out of Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, and two from MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina.

Evaluators will assess the stealth jet's integration and operation within the full spectrum of flight and maintenance operations, as well as supply chain support while embarked at sea, said Maj. Paul Greenberg, Marine Corps spokesman. Lessons learned will "lay the groundwork" for future deployments, he said. The aims of the at-sea tests include:

*Assess day and night take-offs and landings, weapons loads, and extended range operations.
*Assess aircraft-to-ship network communications.
*Evaluate the landing signal officer's launch and recovery software.
*Test the crew's ability to conduct scheduled and unscheduled maintenance.
*Determine the suitability of maintenance support equipment for shipboard operations.
*Assess the logistics footprint of a deployed, six-plane F-35B detachment.

The F-35B remains the centerpiece of Marine fixed-wing modernization because "it supports our doctrinal form of maneuver warfare and our operational need for close air support in austere conditions and locations potentially inaccessible for traditional fighters," Greenberg told Navy Times on March 17."The Lightning II will provide effective close-air support to our Marines and sailors when they need it the most."

Twenty-one alterations were required to equip the Wasp for regular operation of the F-35B aircraft, according to Matt Leonard, spokesman for Naval Sea Systems Command. Each alteration will be made on all L-class ships during planned availabilities and in line on newly constructed ships in advance of the F-35B's arrival.

Among the biggest challenges has been the downward force and heat of the F-35B's engines as it lands, which has burned the nonskid deck. A new highly tolerant, temperature resistant thermal spray coating was applied and has been successfully evaluated aboard Wasp during F-35B, V-22, AV-8B and other helicopter flight operations, Leonard said.

The Wasp also underwent seven "cornerstone" alterations that provide necessary electrical servicing upgrades, expand weapons handling and storage, provide for the F-35B Autonomic Logistics Information System, secure access facilities, and relocate the flight deck tramline for flight safety.

The Wasp is the test ship for the F-35B and has not made a major deployment in over a decade.

While the Air Force's decision to replace the venerable A-10 with its F-35A variant has nabbed headlines, some analysts and lawmakers remain critical of the Corps' next-generation jump jet for three reasons. It has the shortest range and smallest payload of any F-35, its capabilities are reduced and it's the most expensive. An Air Force F-35A airframe and engine runs $77.7 million, as compared to $105.5 million for the F-35B, and $89.7 million for the F-35C, according to an April 2014 Congressional Research Service report. The Marine Corps also plans to buy the carrier-based F-35C.

Supporters point out that few (if any) potential adversaries can beat the fifth-generation fighter, and this design amounts to a leap ahead for reconnaissance, electronic warfare and close-air support missions

"This actually doesn't just replace the F/A-18, the AV-8 or the EA-6. It's a fundamentally different capability," Marine Commandant Gen. Joseph Dunford said in March 10 testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee. "It's a transformational capability. It'll do everything that those three aircraft will do, but also, in terms of the information environment, it'll do a significant amount more for the Marine air-ground task force."

Initial operating capability for the F-35B is scheduled for July.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources By Lance M. Bacon, Staff writer - NavyTimes
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DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: US DoD Has Awarded Contracts To Lockheed Martin For F-35 JSF Aircrafts

Asia News Report: DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: US DoD Has Awarded Contracts To Lockheed Martin For F-35 JSF Aircrafts

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by K. V. Seth from reliable sources U.S. DoD #691-13 Dated September 27, 2013 + Baynet.com

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 28, 2013: The U.S. Department of Defense and Lockheed Martin signed two F-35 contracts today, valued at $7.8 billion, for a total of 71 F-35 Lightning II aircraft to be produced in the sixth and seventh Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) lots. These agreements are a significant milestone for the F-35 Program, and reflect cost reduction initiatives shared by government and industry.
The LRIP 6 contract, valued at $4.4 billion ($3.7 billion awarded through a December 2012 undefinitized contract action; ref: N00019-11-C-0083, and $0.7 billion awarded through today’s contract) funds production of 36 aircraft, with average aircraft unit cost approximately 2.5 percent lower than LRIP 5 aircraft. LRIP 6 per variant unit prices (not including engine cost) follow:

·   23 F-35As CTOL - $103 million/jet

·   6 F-35B STOVL - $109 million/jet

·   7 F-35C CV - $120 million/jet

The LRIP 7 contract, valued at $3.4 billion, funds the production of 35 aircraft, with average aircraft unit cost approximately 6 percent lower than LRIP 5 aircraft. F-35 LRIP 7 per variant unit prices (not including engine cost) follow: 

·   24 F-35As CTOL - $98 million/jet

·   7 F-35B STOVL - $104 million/jet

·   4 F-35C CV - $116 million/jet

The 71 aircraft are currently in various stages of production. Lockheed Martin will begin delivering LRIP 6 aircraft in the second quarter of 2014 and LRIP 7 jets in the second quarter of 2015. LRIP 6 will mark the first delivery of international F-35 jets for Italy and Australia, and LRIP 7 will mark the first delivery to Norway.

 The LRIP 6 and 7 contract terms reduce the government’s exposure to target cost overruns relative to previous LRIP contracts. In the LRIP 6 and 7 buy, Lockheed Martin will cover all cost overruns. The government and Lockheed Martin will share returns (20/80) derived from any under runs in target cost.

 The LRIP 6 and 7 contracts contain performance-based payments, whereby the contractor will receive incremental payment as measured goals are achieved along the production line until government aircraft acceptance. LRIP 6 and 7 contracts also include a concurrency clause which requires Lockheed Martin to share costs equally with the government (50/50) for known concurrency changes arising from System Development and Demonstration testing and qualification. Newly discovered concurrency changes identified during LRIP 6 and 7 production periods will be authorized via engineering change proposals.

F-35 engines are funded through separate contract actions with Pratt & Whitney.

Lorraine Martin, VP and GM of the F-35 Program, said about the contracts “Lockheed Martin is extremely pleased with the LRIP 6 and 7 contract signing, which represents a significant milestone for the F-35 Program and its path to enhanced affordability. With each successive production lot, unit costs have declined. That’s a trend we look forward to continuing as this program moves toward full rate production and operational maturity. Working together with the Joint Program Office, our entire industrial team is focused on delivering the F-35’s 5th generation capabilities to our Armed Forces and partner nations at a 4th generation price point.”

U.S. DoD #691-13 Dated September 27, 2013

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $3,405,427,661 modification with fixed-price-incentive-firm, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and cost-plus-incentive-fee line items to a previously awarded advance acquisition contract (N00019-12-C-0004) for Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Lot VII F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft production. This modification provides for the manufacture and delivery of 19 F-35 Conventional Take-Off and Landing (CTOL) for the U.S. Air Force; six F-35 Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) aircraft for the U.S. Marine Corps; four F-35 Carrier Variant (CV) aircraft for the U.S. Navy; two F-35 CTOL aircraft for Norway; three F-35 CTOL aircraft for Italy; and one (1) F-35 STOVL for the United Kingdom. This modification also provides for LRIP Lot 7 production requirements, including manufacturing support equipment, diminishing manufacturing sources management, ancillary mission equipment, including Pilot Flight Equipment, and concurrency changes to LRIP Lot 7 aircraft for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Navy, and for non-U.S. DoD Participants in the F-35 Program. Concurrency changes are changes to the LRIP Lot 7 configuration baseline resulting from the F-35 development effort. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (55 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (15 percent); Warton, United Kingdom (10 percent); Orlando, Fla. (5 percent); Nashua, N.H. (5 percent); Baltimore, Md. (5 percent), and Cameri, Italy (5 percent). Aircraft deliveries are expected to be completed in October 2016. Fiscal 2013 Aircraft Procurement, Air Force; Fiscal 2013 Aircraft Procurement Navy; and International Partner funding in the amount of $3,405,427,661 are being obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Air Force ($1,823,737,540; 53.55 percent), U.S. Marine Corps ($567,802,742; 16.67 percent), the U.S. Navy ($401,457,402; 11.79 percent); and the Governments of Italy, Norway, United Kingdom, Australia, Turkey, the Netherlands, Canada, and Denmark ($612,429,977; 34.46 percent) The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $742,657,068 cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-plus-incentive-fee, fixed-price-incentive (firm target) modification to the previously awarded F-35 Lightning II Low Rate Initial Production Lot VI advance acquisition contract (N00019-11-C-0083). This modification provides for the manufacture and delivery of two F-35 Conventional Take-Off and Landing (CTOL) aircraft for the Government of Australia and three F-35 CTOL aircraft for the Government of Italy. In addition, this modification provides for LRIP Lot VI production requirements, including manufacturing support equipment, diminishing manufacturing sources management, ancillary mission equipment including pilot flight equipment, and concurrency changes to LRIP Lot VI aircraft for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Navy, and the non-U.S. DoD Participants in the F-35 Program. Concurrency changes are changes to the LRIP Lot VI configuration baseline resulting from the F-35 development effort. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (55 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (15 percent); Warton, United Kingdom (10 percent); Orlando, Fla. (5 percent); Nashua, N.H. (5 percent); Baltimore, Md. (5 percent); and Cameri, Italy (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in April 2016. Fiscal 2012 and 2013 Aircraft Procurement, Air Force; Fiscal 2012 Aircraft Procurement, Navy; and International Partner funding in the amount of $742,657,068 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the U.S. Air Force ($130,677,491; 17.60 percent); the U.S. Navy/Marine Corps ($66,199,572; 8.92 percent); and the Governments of Italy, Australia, United Kingdom, Turkey, the Netherlands, Canada, Norway and Denmark ($545,780,005; 73.49 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

*Link for This article compiled by K. V. Seth - DTN News from reliable sources U.S. DoD #691-13 Dated September 27, 2013 + Baynet.com
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DTN News - U.K. DEFENSE NEWS: The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter - Simply A Penomenal Flying Machine

Asia News Report: DTN News - U.K. DEFENSE NEWS: The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter - Simply A Penomenal Flying Machine

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Con Coughlin, Defence Editor, at Patuxent River Naval Base, Maryland 8:0AM BST 04 May 2013
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 4, 2013: The smile on the face of the test pilot as he completed a successful vertical landing of Britain’s newest generation of fighter jets said it all. “This is simply a phenomenal flying machine.”

After all the bitter controversy over the Government’s decision to scrap the iconic Harrier jump jet in 2010 as part of the defence cuts, a team of Britain’s top gun fighter pilots has now arrived in the U.S. to begin testing its successor, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Under the Government’s plans to build two new aircraft carriers equipped with state-of-the-art fighters, the role of the F-35 is crucial to the programme’s success. Like the Harrier before it, the F-35 has the ability to conduct vertical landings.

And last week at the American military’s Patuxent River naval air base in Maryland, I became the first British journalist to see one of the British pilots conducting a perfect test landing of an aircraft that is set to become one of Britain’s leading strike fighters for the next generation.

One of the most impressive aspects of Britain’s first stealth warplane is its Rolls Royce vertical landing system, which will enable the aircraft to land on the deck of the new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers that are currently under construction in Scotland.
During last week’s test flight I watched as one of Britain’s prototype F-35 fighters approached the landing area at around 150mph, before the aircraft slowly came to a complete halt. It then hung perfectly motionless in the sky for a full minute at around 100 feet before making a gentle landing on the tarmac.

“This aircraft is light years ahead of the Harrier in terms of what it can do,” said Peter Wilson, 47, the British test pilot who conducted the landing. A veteran Harrier pilot who has flown combat missions in Iraq, Bosnia and Sierra Leone, Mr Wilson, who is now one of Britain’s leading test pilots, said the Harrier was a difficult plane to fly, and required immense skill on the part of the pilot to conduct vertical landings. “We have learnt our lessons and the F-35 has all the Harriers faults designed out of it,” said Mr Wilson, from Whalley, Lancs.

A key element in the versatility of the Harriers, which played a vital role in the campaign to liberate the Falkland Islands and more recently saw action in Iraq and Afghanistan, was their ability to make vertical landings in the most challenging conditions, whether on the deck of an aircraft carrier in a driving gale or at a remote desert airstrip.

Now the team of British pilots and technicians working on the F-35 are making sure the new aircraft has the same capability. If all goes according to plan, and the new Queen Elizabeth-class carriers are built on time, then the F-35s will available to fly off the decks on combat operations by 2020.

Apart from its flying capability, the F-35 is also fitted with the latest intelligence-gathering and stealth technology. Named Lightning II in honour of Britain’s supersonic jet fighter during the early Cold War era, the F-35 can fly at nearly twice the speed of sound and its stealth capability means it can penetrate deep into enemy territory without being tracked by radar. “The stealth factor means you can detect enemy aircraft but they cannot detect you,” explained Mr Wilson.

“It is a joy to fly,” said Lt. Commander Ian Tidball, 43, a former Royal Navy Harrier pilot who arrived in the U.S. four weeks ago to begin test flights. “It is very responsive compared to the Harrier, and has a far wider range of capabilities.”

These include a specially designed helmet that gives the pilot a 350 degree view around the aircraft simply by tilting his head, while the cockpit is filled with a multi-screen display consol that enables the pilot to collect and assess intelligence collected by the aircraft’s advanced sensors will assessing which targets to attack. In all the most advanced combat aircraft ever flown by the British military contains around eight million lines of software code.

“The helmet is like wearing a laptop on your head, while the cockpit has been designed with its own in-built i-Pad before the i-Pad had even been invented,” explained Group Captain Harv Smyth (correct spell), 41, another veteran RAF Harrier pilot who won the Distinguished Flying Cross during the Iraq War in 2003 and is overseeing the project. “The main problem we face is that the technology is now so advanced that we have to make sure it fits in with our air worthiness requirements.”

At $110 million (around £71 million) a piece, the Lightning does not come cheap and, like the previous Eurofighter project that produced the RAF’s Typhoon interceptor, the development programme has been beset by spiralling costs and serious equipment setbacks. During early trials pilots found that the helmets – which cost around £300,000 each – did not function when the plane hit turbulence, a potentially fatal failing in a combat environment, while more recently the entire test fleet was grounded earlier this year when cracks were found in the engine turbine blade.

Critics of the ambitious plan to provide a new generation of aircraft carriers with top-range fighters also say that at a time when the Government is trying to cut the deficit Britain simply cannot afford to continue with the most ambitious military project undertaken in recent British history.

But Philip Hammond, the Defence Secretary, who visited the American test site last week, said he remained committed to maintaining the £10 billion programme. He said Britain’s participation in the American-led F-35 venture will create 25,000 jobs and has the potential to earn an estimated £35 billion in exports during the life of the programme. In addition it will help to strengthen the transatlantic alliance.

“It’s great to be back in the business of vertical landing aircraft again,” said Mr Hammond. “This aircraft will enable Britain to have one of the world’s leading war-fighting capabilities for many years to come.”

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Con Coughlin, Defence Editor, at Patuxent River Naval Base, Maryland 8:0AM BST 04 May 2013
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DTN News - CHINA DEFENSE NEWS: China Shocks The World

Asia News Report: DTN News - CHINA DEFENSE NEWS: China Shocks The World

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Strategy Page

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - January 5, 2013: Chinese weapons development in the last two decades has been even more spectacular when you consider that 500 years ago China began falling farther and farther behind the West in most military matters. When the civil war ended in 1948 there were no Chinese factories producing modern (Western) weapons. 

There were some workshops repairing Western weapons and assembling them from parts, but that was it. In the 1950s China began producing licensed copies of simple Russian weapons (rifles, machine-guns, some artillery and ammunition for all this stuff), but nothing sophisticated. 

By the late 1950s China was producing copies of Russian tanks and other armored vehicles as well as the two seat trainer version of the MiG-15 jet fighter and the Mig-17 jet fighter. 

Many of the components for armored vehicles and aircraft had to be imported from Russia. It took decades for China to develop the skills and industrial organizations that could build the electronics and high-tech mechanical items (like jet engines). This really didn’t start happening until after the economic reforms of the 1980s (allowing entrepreneurs to start businesses and get rich) had time to develop high-tech industries. That’s why there’s been so much progress in the last two decades. China is still playing catch-up, but is closing the gap more rapidly every year.

For example, while the U.S. introduced stealth aircraft three decades ago, China now has two of these in development and flying. While the U.S. has been operating aircraft carriers for nearly a century, China commissioned its first one this year and is operating jet aircraft from it. Nearly all the mechanical and electronic equipment on this carrier is Chinese made, and often of Chinese design. 

China is a major supplier of satellite launch services and has already developed and tested a KillSat (a satellite that can find and destroy, via collision, another satellite). China has sent men into space in the last decade and is developing a reusable vehicle similar to the American Space Shuttle. 

China has been producing more and more UAVs with capabilities (and often designs) similar to the most advanced ones in the West. China is still having problems developing state-of-the-art warships, but keeps at it and continues to make progress. Same trend with missiles (guided, ballistic and so on).

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*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Strategy Page
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DTN News - CHINA DEFENSE NEWS: China Has A Daring And Prudent Plan

Asia News Report: DTN News - CHINA DEFENSE NEWS: China Has A Daring And Prudent Plan

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Strategy Page
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - October 25, 2012: Earlier this year pictures came out of China showing yet another stealth fighter prototype. This one is called the J-31 “Falcon Eagle” (from an inscription on the tail), and while it looks like the American F-22, it’s also smaller than China’s other stealth fighter (the J-20, which has already flown). The J-31 was built by the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (which makes the J-11, the illegal Chinese copy of the Russian Su-27). The J-31 has some characteristics of the F-35 as well but appears more an attempt to match the F-22. It’s possible that the F-31 was a competing (with the J-20) design that lost out. That’s because the J-31 has not flown yet. Whatever the case, the J-31 is further evidence that China is determined to develop its own high tech military gear. 

While China is eager to develop advanced military technology locally, it recognizes that this takes time and more effort than nations new to this expect. Thus China is trying to avoid the mistakes Russia made in this area, and having competing designs and developing necessary supporting industries is part of that. All this takes a lot of time and involves lots of little (and some major) failures. The Chinese are doing it right and are willing to wait until they get military tech that is truly world class.

The other stealth fighter, the J-20, was made by CAC (Chengdu Aircraft Company), which also produced the JF-17 and J-10. The J-20 made its first flight over a year ago and several more since then. A second J-20 prototype has also been seen and first flew last May. While the J-20 looks like the American F-22 when viewed head on, it's overall shape, weight, and engine power is closer to the American F-15C. In other words, it's about 20 meters (62 feet) long, with a wing span of 13.3 meters (42 feet). J-20 has about the same wing area as the F-15C, which is about 25 percent less than the F-22 (which is a few percent larger than the F-15 in terms of length and wingspan). Worse, for the J-20, is the fact that its engine power is about the same as the F-15C, while the F-22 has 65 percent more power. With the afterburner turned on, the J-20 has more power than the F-15C and nearly as much as the F-22. But because the afterburner consumes so much fuel, you can't use more than a few minutes at a time. The F-22 is still one of only three aircraft (in service) that can supercruise (go faster than the speed of sound without using the afterburner). In addition to the F-22, the Eurofighter and the Gripen can also supercruise.

The J-20 has some stealthiness when it's coming at you head on. But from any other aspect, the J-20 will light up the radar screen. For this reason the J-20 is seen as a developmental aircraft, not the prototype of a new model headed for mass production. As such, it is only the fifth stealth fighter to fly, the others being the U.S. F-22 and F-35, plus the Russian T-50 and I.42. The older U.S. F-117 was actually a light bomber and the B-2 was obviously a heavy bomber. Based on recent Chinese warplane development projects (J-11 in particular), the J-20 has a long development road ahead of it and will likely change size and shape before it reaches the production design. The J-31 may be an insurance policy, in case the J-20 effort goes off the rails in a big way.

While the shape of the J-20 confers a degree of stealthiness (invisibility to radar), even more electronic invisibility comes from special materials covering the aircraft. It's not known how far along the Chinese are in creating, or stealing, these materials, or the needed engines. The current J-20 engines are sufficient for early flight tests but not capable of providing the supercruise, something that would be essential for the J-20. That's because China would most likely use the aircraft singly, or in small groups, to seek out and attack American carriers. As for F-22 class engines, that is being worked on. Two years ago China announced it was developing the WS-15 engine (since the 1990s), a more powerful beast well suited for the J-20. No date was given as to when the WS-15 would be available for use or whether it would have the same vectoring (ability to move the hot jet exhaust in different directions in order to make the fighter more maneuverable) the F-22 uses.

For the J-20 to be a superior fighter, it would need electronics (including radars and defense systems) on a par with the F-35 and F-22. So far, the Chinese have not caught up with stuff used by current American fighters. But the gap is being closed, faster than it was during the Cold War when the Russians were creating, or stealing, their way to military tech equivalence with the West. The Russians never made it but the Chinese believe they can succeed.

Work on the J-20 began in the late 1990s, and the Chinese knew that it could be 25 years or more before they had a competitive stealth fighter-bomber. The J-20 is being tested in central China. The twin engine J-20 appears to be about the same weight as the 30 ton F-15C. The F-35A is a 31 ton, single engine fighter, while the twin-engine F-22 is slightly larger at 38 tons. The Russian I.42 was a 42 ton aircraft and their T-50 weighed in at 37 tons.

China is also developing other support technologies, like the AESA radar, highly efficient cockpit, stealth, and software to tie everything together. Developing, or even copying, this tech is not easy. But the Chinese already know that, having decades of experience adapting stolen technology to their needs. Thus it appears that China is planning on having the J-20, in some form, ready for service by the end of the decade. The key factor is their ability to develop or steal the needed technology by then. The J-20 appears to be a fighter-bomber, as this kind of aircraft would be most useful dealing with the U.S. Navy and key targets in Taiwan or Japan. In any event, the J-20 is an attempt to develop some kind of 5th generation aircraft, complete with stealth.

The only other competitor in this area is Russia, where fifth generation fighter developments were halted when the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991. Actually, all development work on new fighters, by everyone, slowed down in the 1990s. But work on the F-22, F-35, Eurofighter, and Rafale continued, and those aircraft became, in roughly that order, the most advanced fighter aircraft available today. MiG resumed work on the I.42 in the 1990s, but had to stop after a few years because of a lack of money. Sukhoi has never stopped working on its T-50, funded by much higher sales of its Su-27/30 fighters. This fifth generation may come to be called the "last generation," after they are replaced by the second generation of pilotless combat aircraft (counting armed Predators and the like as the first).

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Strategy Page
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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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DTN News - CHINA DEFENSE NEWS: China Has A Daring And Prudent Plan

Asia News Report: DTN News - CHINA DEFENSE NEWS: China Has A Daring And Prudent Plan

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Strategy Page
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - October 25, 2012: Earlier this year pictures came out of China showing yet another stealth fighter prototype. This one is called the J-31 “Falcon Eagle” (from an inscription on the tail), and while it looks like the American F-22, it’s also smaller than China’s other stealth fighter (the J-20, which has already flown). The J-31 was built by the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (which makes the J-11, the illegal Chinese copy of the Russian Su-27). The J-31 has some characteristics of the F-35 as well but appears more an attempt to match the F-22. It’s possible that the F-31 was a competing (with the J-20) design that lost out. That’s because the J-31 has not flown yet. Whatever the case, the J-31 is further evidence that China is determined to develop its own high tech military gear. 

While China is eager to develop advanced military technology locally, it recognizes that this takes time and more effort than nations new to this expect. Thus China is trying to avoid the mistakes Russia made in this area, and having competing designs and developing necessary supporting industries is part of that. All this takes a lot of time and involves lots of little (and some major) failures. The Chinese are doing it right and are willing to wait until they get military tech that is truly world class.

The other stealth fighter, the J-20, was made by CAC (Chengdu Aircraft Company), which also produced the JF-17 and J-10. The J-20 made its first flight over a year ago and several more since then. A second J-20 prototype has also been seen and first flew last May. While the J-20 looks like the American F-22 when viewed head on, it's overall shape, weight, and engine power is closer to the American F-15C. In other words, it's about 20 meters (62 feet) long, with a wing span of 13.3 meters (42 feet). J-20 has about the same wing area as the F-15C, which is about 25 percent less than the F-22 (which is a few percent larger than the F-15 in terms of length and wingspan). Worse, for the J-20, is the fact that its engine power is about the same as the F-15C, while the F-22 has 65 percent more power. With the afterburner turned on, the J-20 has more power than the F-15C and nearly as much as the F-22. But because the afterburner consumes so much fuel, you can't use more than a few minutes at a time. The F-22 is still one of only three aircraft (in service) that can supercruise (go faster than the speed of sound without using the afterburner). In addition to the F-22, the Eurofighter and the Gripen can also supercruise.

The J-20 has some stealthiness when it's coming at you head on. But from any other aspect, the J-20 will light up the radar screen. For this reason the J-20 is seen as a developmental aircraft, not the prototype of a new model headed for mass production. As such, it is only the fifth stealth fighter to fly, the others being the U.S. F-22 and F-35, plus the Russian T-50 and I.42. The older U.S. F-117 was actually a light bomber and the B-2 was obviously a heavy bomber. Based on recent Chinese warplane development projects (J-11 in particular), the J-20 has a long development road ahead of it and will likely change size and shape before it reaches the production design. The J-31 may be an insurance policy, in case the J-20 effort goes off the rails in a big way.

While the shape of the J-20 confers a degree of stealthiness (invisibility to radar), even more electronic invisibility comes from special materials covering the aircraft. It's not known how far along the Chinese are in creating, or stealing, these materials, or the needed engines. The current J-20 engines are sufficient for early flight tests but not capable of providing the supercruise, something that would be essential for the J-20. That's because China would most likely use the aircraft singly, or in small groups, to seek out and attack American carriers. As for F-22 class engines, that is being worked on. Two years ago China announced it was developing the WS-15 engine (since the 1990s), a more powerful beast well suited for the J-20. No date was given as to when the WS-15 would be available for use or whether it would have the same vectoring (ability to move the hot jet exhaust in different directions in order to make the fighter more maneuverable) the F-22 uses.

For the J-20 to be a superior fighter, it would need electronics (including radars and defense systems) on a par with the F-35 and F-22. So far, the Chinese have not caught up with stuff used by current American fighters. But the gap is being closed, faster than it was during the Cold War when the Russians were creating, or stealing, their way to military tech equivalence with the West. The Russians never made it but the Chinese believe they can succeed.

Work on the J-20 began in the late 1990s, and the Chinese knew that it could be 25 years or more before they had a competitive stealth fighter-bomber. The J-20 is being tested in central China. The twin engine J-20 appears to be about the same weight as the 30 ton F-15C. The F-35A is a 31 ton, single engine fighter, while the twin-engine F-22 is slightly larger at 38 tons. The Russian I.42 was a 42 ton aircraft and their T-50 weighed in at 37 tons.

China is also developing other support technologies, like the AESA radar, highly efficient cockpit, stealth, and software to tie everything together. Developing, or even copying, this tech is not easy. But the Chinese already know that, having decades of experience adapting stolen technology to their needs. Thus it appears that China is planning on having the J-20, in some form, ready for service by the end of the decade. The key factor is their ability to develop or steal the needed technology by then. The J-20 appears to be a fighter-bomber, as this kind of aircraft would be most useful dealing with the U.S. Navy and key targets in Taiwan or Japan. In any event, the J-20 is an attempt to develop some kind of 5th generation aircraft, complete with stealth.

The only other competitor in this area is Russia, where fifth generation fighter developments were halted when the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991. Actually, all development work on new fighters, by everyone, slowed down in the 1990s. But work on the F-22, F-35, Eurofighter, and Rafale continued, and those aircraft became, in roughly that order, the most advanced fighter aircraft available today. MiG resumed work on the I.42 in the 1990s, but had to stop after a few years because of a lack of money. Sukhoi has never stopped working on its T-50, funded by much higher sales of its Su-27/30 fighters. This fifth generation may come to be called the "last generation," after they are replaced by the second generation of pilotless combat aircraft (counting armed Predators and the like as the first).

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Strategy Page
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