Is This China’s First Stealth Fighter? (Picture)

Originally posted by boondock-saint
and I'll bet these bad boys are what's gonna
be on the decks of those new Chinese
aircraft carriers.

Why? There is no evidence of an arrestor hook and the landing gear is the wrong design for carrier ops, far too short and the nose gear oleo does not have the required stroke for ideal carrier use. Further no one least of all the premier carrier and stealth plane developing nation(US) has managed to operate stealth aircraft at sea, so pretty much a big unsubstantiated call on your behalf.

Now add to it the capabilities
of the Chinese carrier killer missle
and u have a very strong force on
the open sea.

Granted if that were true the USN would have some real problems to deal with here, but so far not.

China is gearing up for war
it seems.

Sighhh.... yes you would just love that wouldn't you? Any excuse to jump to conclusions, break the glass and pull out the guns in complete disregard of reality. The reality is China is doing the same thing your own country did, getting rich rapidly at someone else's expense and flexing it's muscles to protect it's own interests and new found wealth. The irony is it was your own republican President Nixon who started this whole process over 35 years ago. And what is being done to the US economically and militarily is EXACTLY what your own country did to others.

The one good thing that may come from this is that it might refocus US Govt/DoD attention on getting back to basics and not stupid follies like the JSF, DDX, Ford class etc. Then again there isn't much sign of that so far.

LEE.

i'll say one thing it is a dam fine looking aircraft. It seems to give off more of an "OH SH*T!" Factor than the F22

New head-on image.



TJ

reply to post by tommyjo


I still don't think that first image is cgi.
The ones you posted in the link look cgi, but that first image doesn't. Maybe the logos could be added, but it doesn't look cgi.

reply to post by GogoVicMorrow




Even the artist admits the above image is CGI. It was created based on what the artist thinks the design will actually look like. Note that the serial on the CGI image reads 2012. The serial on the actual aircraft is 2001.

Nobody in the Defence Media is using that image, because they know it it CGI because they monitor the Chinese forums. Many of the Chinese forums have CGI threads. Unfortunately lots of the CGI images are ripped off, with the tag edited out and reposted as real all over the web.

TJ

reply to post by GogoVicMorrow


Also look at the CGI image. The one with 2012 on the nose. The nose design in the artists rendition is completely different. Look where the serial is on the actual aircraft.

img132.imageshack.us...

TJ

Hmmm 2 different planes...

Only shown on the ground...

Too many images available for a secret craft...

No WAY a Chinese citizen would get that close...

Seems like a deliberate 'leak'...

Bet they are just mockups... to 'scare' us...

reply to post by zorgon


Pegasus needs a 'man on the ground' in China to get to the truth of the matter.

I'm already working on a disguise.

*There isn't any pictures of this thing in the air.

I think you are right about it being a mock-up of sorts - until we see it flying, then we'll know more. But even then, it could still be a game of deception with the wrong engines being used, crappy stealth paint, etc. Anything to throw us off.

reply to post by thebozeian
same thing was said about the F14 Tom Cat, look at it, and the J20 landing gear, and as far as the "HOOK" it is most likely A not installed for it is still in testing or B retractable.

reply to post by maintainright
nice!!!!! glade you found the right pix, The J20 seems to be a true foe for us, for it does have MRC just like the new F35, but without the vert take off.

reply to post by zorgon


2 different planes? in these images?

or are you refering to the chinese allegedly having two stealth planes in development? one by chengdu and one by shenyang?

reply to post by zorgon


Yes, Chinese citizens do get that close to Chengdu airfield. When the J-10 images from Chengdu first appeared on the web around 10 years ago many cried foul and called them fake. Many images came streaming out from the perimeter of Chengdu and still no official release by the Chinese authorities. It took until 2006 for the Chinese to officially release the J-10 on their government controlled news agency.

There isn't two images of different aircraft. The only aircraft properly imaged has been the one carrying the serial 2001.

People are allowed to view around Chengdu, but photography is quite restrictive. They have no photography and video signs up, but people still take images on camera phones. To turn up with a camera with a large photo lens would likely get it confiscated?

See following image of J-20 and note the building with the Chinese characters?

img827.imageshack.us...

Location of Building with Chinese characters on.

Copy and paste into Google Earth

30 41 35.44N 103 56 52.00E

Copy and paste into Google Earth for one of the Chengdu viewing location on the perimeter. Also notice around the airfield other photo click links showing images of fighter aircraft at Chengdu.

30 41 25.62N 103 56 24.00E

At that location you will find a clickable taking you to an image from 'deyidanran2009'.

The photo has been deleted from 'deyidanran2009's' account, but the small holding image is still visible on Google Earth. Notice the woman in front of the 'no photography' sign? The white coloured part of the building that you can see through the poles of the sign is the one with the Chinese characters on.

Go onto the following link and click on the Google Earth (KML) file and see the photo locations.

www.panoramio.com...

In the past few days a lot of the images from photographer 'deyidanran2009' at Chengdu airfield have been removed.

Close up of the landing gear and landing gear doors at the following.

forum.keypublishing.com...

TJ

reply to post by tommyjo


Another fine example of why I posted this. I know it wouldn't get much S&F attention but I love reading your guy's post (the ones who seem to know their S..T!).

Wish I could give you a flag.

I was wondering how secluded thier airfields are. Nice to know they have people willing to risk it all for us out here. I am sure if they ever caught who took the photo-death would soon follow a long and painful discussion with them.

Another interesting aircraft at Chengdu can be found at the following coordinates.

Copy and paste the following into Google Earth.

30 42 30.71N 103 57 27.49E

This is a large Chinese UAV being developed. Claimed to be very similar to the Global Hawk.

geimint.blogspot.com...

Also noted at another Chinese base is an F-117 mock up/shape.

geimint.blogspot.com...

TJ

Is it me, or does it look like it lacks thrust vectoring?

reply to post by Number23


yeah thats how it looks on this one anyways

the more I look at the images the more confused I get actually, so I'm gonna stop

Originally posted by Number23
Is it me, or does it look like it lacks thrust vectoring?

You only need thrust vectoring if you plan on dogfighting with your chain gun.

That's not a tactic China needs. They've got lots and lots of cheap expendable airframes.

We don't.

Originally posted by Pervius
That's not a tactic China needs. They've got lots and lots of cheap expendable airframes.

And the Airmen to go with them?

Shortest career in the world? Chinese test pilot.

I'd personally be tempted to disagree with the mock-up theory. There's a lot of things that lead me to suspect it's the real thing or a very advanced (and expensive) mock-up, which doesn't seem like a necessary thing.

Firstly: If it were a mock-up it would almost certainly have no engine systems in it. If that were the case you'd expect to see dedicated tow vehicles in at least some of these pictures, but I see only what appear to be military transport and occasional support vehicles.

Secondly: You can see plenty of control surfaces being actuated. The vertical stabilizers, canards, and air brake can all be seen in different positions which require a) actuating systems onboard, unlikely on a mock-up or b) someone moving them into different positions between photos, but you'd just expect photos of that as well.

Does this prove it's not a mock-up? No, but it is evidence against it. So far I'm of the thought that even if this isn't the J-XX or J-20 or whatever the photos are still genuine and of a real airplane.

Edit for some more potentially interesting information: Few reports on the 'net suggest that NPO Saturn is supplying some 117S engines, the same as PAK-FA uses currently for the J-20. I'm not supplying a link because none that I've found seem too terribly credible but it's food for thought. 117S is also capable of 3D TVC but personally I don't think the engines are spaced out enough to really take advantage of it, but make of that what you will.