J-31 first flight

When are the Chinese and the Yanks going to realise that stealth technology is old hat and it is no longer "stealth" technology. Modern Radar can pick up stealth aircraft, or at least BAE systems Radar can anyway.

reply to post by chrismarco


They tried to get the AL-41 engines from Russia, but Russia wouldn't sell them, so it's speculated that they went with the Russian RD-33, which was first produced in 1981. It's been upgraded repeatedly, and it's not a bad engine, but some of the things I've heard from Russian pilots about their engines is a little on the scary side, to put it mildly. One told me that when they are flying the AN-124, they sit at the end of the runway, with brakes locked, at full power for two minutes. If they don't lose an engine, they take off.

reply to post by michael1983l


And the new generation stealth isn't just radar. When are people going to realize that stealth is evolving as fast as the radar is? They're into visual stealth, and multifrequency stealth now. Any low frequency radar will detect early stealth, but it won't do much good if you can't shoot them, which you can't from that type of radar.

reply to post by Zaphod58



That is not quite correct, from what I understand the BAE Radar operates using complex algorithms that look to detect the absence of a radar return rather than a radar return. They can use this in exactly the same way as traditional Radar, and as the Rapier II ground to air has proven in the past, they can lock surface to air missiles on the "stealth" aircraft.

reply to post by michael1983l


The big problem with the "big story" about the Rapier locking on is that the stealth it was locked on to wasn't using the systems that they would be using in real combat. There is a lot that isn't allowed to be turned on unless it's actual war, even against other US pilots in training in the US with no one else around. There is a lot that was on the F-117, and the B-2 that will aid in defeating radar systems, no matter how good they are. The countermeasures advance as fast as the radar.

About 7 or 8 years ago, I was reading an article, that has since disappeared, in which someone working on a DOD project talked about how much farther advanced stealth really is, and what they were working on then, and it's much better than people realize.

reply to post by Zaphod58



One thing you are unlikely to be able to ever fully cover is the infra red trace your aircraft makes. Regardless of the Radar counter measures, your aircraft will always kick out some heat, clever exhaust system or not,

Originally posted by michael1983l
reply to post by Zaphod58

 

One thing you are unlikely to be able to ever fully cover is the infra red trace your aircraft makes. Regardless of the Radar counter measures, your aircraft will always kick out some heat, clever exhaust system or not,

Thats true, but if you fly a B-2 or an F-22 within detection range of an IR sensor in a wartime scenario you deserve to get shot down.

You don't have to be undetected all the way in. Just undetected to the point you can release your weapons and break away.

reply to post by michael1983l


They don't have to completely cover it. Just hide enough of it so that by the time they are detected (in the F-22 or F-35 case) they have already gotten a shot off, or in the B-2 case, have dropped their weapons. Although from what I hear IR stealth is pretty damn far along as well. It's an interesting game to follow this one.

reply to post by chrismarco


That IS NOT A CHARGER!The best were made in 68-70 nothing worth a damn since.

Originally posted by michael1983l
reply to post by Zaphod58

 

One thing you are unlikely to be able to ever fully cover is the infra red trace your aircraft makes. Regardless of the Radar counter measures, your aircraft will always kick out some heat, clever exhaust system or not,

This is true, but IR attenuates a lot faster through the atmosphere than radio frequencies.

I thought we had a meta thread. I guess I was wrong.

An undated J-31 pic:

www.popularmechanics.com...

www.iesdouyin.com...

Probably a mockup.

Uncertain if this is the rumored J-XY or a J-31. Probably the latter, but not 100% certain. The size comparison with the Sukhoi derivatives is rather interesting.

a reply to: anzha

That is on the 'faux' carrier the chinese use for clearances and whatnot.

This is the sighting of the mockup of the J-XY then.

They're watching. Always watching.

www.thedrive.com...

a reply to: Britguy

paranoid much?

A better picture of the J-XY aircraft mockup has come out. This was spotted on the building the Chinese have built to be a carrier simulator for spacing and other uses. It's a way of doing basic training and just making sure everything just fits. CAD is fine, but if anything I have learned over the years is that engineers like to design things one way, but making them and maintaining them are rather different beasts.

Some of the details from the mockup are emerging. Take a look for yourself.



1. It looks like the aircraft mockup has folding wings. You can see the seams line up with the tails. That lends credence to the idea its not an artifact in the image.

2. The tail has changed. Again. The J-31 had a trapezoidal tail. The FC-31 has a clipped rhomboid shape. This is different.

3. This one is subjective and feel free to call me out: the dorsal fuselage looks different. Accommodating different engines perhaps? Mildly different internal layout? Or am I wrong?

What else do you see in the changes?

a reply to: anzha

Not the same angle, but here are a couple aft fuselage shots of the FC-31/J-31.

a reply to: Zaphod58



Different than the last 'bird' seen being truck transported.

Note: folding wings.

Probably a static test article being transported.