[Military Second Plane] Author: Lele

While everyone was still immersed in the joy of the J-36 flying ultra-low over the road, the legendary "J-50" from the north also displayed its latest progress on the 8th. The European "Bulgarian Military" website was astonished by this密集 test flight and suggested that "the U.S. should pay attention as an observer".

▲The "Bulgarian Military" website can't stand the sluggishness of the U.S.

The "Bulgarian Military" website believes that with China's two sixth-generation aircraft conducting密集 test flights and even "quietly positioning themselves as the masters of tomorrow's skies", not only is the U.S. not concerned about China's progress in sixth-generation aircraft, but it is also in an awkward situation of "debating budgets and timelines". And "in this era, speed and systems surpass tradition. The U.S. has the talent and resources to support competition, but it does not show urgency." Simply put, while the J-36 and "J-50" are frequently test-flying and iterating technology through repeated testing of new concepts, the U.S. remains motionless and progresses slowly, which looks particularly pale. After all, "AVIC performs well in rapidly advancing prototype manufacturing, whereas the West has always been slow."

▲The speed of J-20's test flights was indeed impressive

Let's say, the "Bulgarian Military" website still thinks in the old way of "you sing and I perform", believing that before there is a gap between Chinese and American aviation levels, it should be that when the J-36 and "J-50" take to the sky for test flights, F-47 should immediately follow up with test flights, with both sides going back and forth, recreating the confrontation during the Sino-Soviet rivalry. The article fails to realize or unwilling to mention that the U.S. sixth-generation aircraft development is clearly behind schedule. F-47 is said to have been pre-researched three years ahead, but NGAD, which actually targets sixth-generation aircraft, ended last year due to "insurmountable obstacles." The U.S. Navy's F/A-XX project has yet to select a supplier, and it is still far from its first flight; there is no talk of it taking to the air.

▲The progress of the U.S. Navy's F/A-XX project is actually faster than F-47

The biggest problem with the U.S. sixth-generation aircraft now is that the development思路of the J-36 and "J-50" exceeds the technical scope that the U.S. aerospace industry had pre-researched early on, and the cutting-edge technologies applied are more ambitious than those of NGAD. Now, the U.S. is like the Soviet Union in 1978 when it first saw the F-15A, painfully realizing that its carefully prepared main model has already fallen behind in design, and can only modify the design according to the opponent's technical standards. The U.S., which appears to be纠结over budgets and timetables, is actually because the technological ecosystem has not yet been established, making it impossible to determine the progress. The article describes this as the U.S. "hoping to achieve perfection through careful consideration and meticulous planning," trying to beautify it.

▲When the Soviet Union first saw the F-15, it was nearly despairing

Fighter test flights are not just about flying aimlessly; the precious flight time of prototypes is used to test performance boundaries and allow design units to address issues that arise. The extremely high frequency of test flights by the J-36 and "J-50" is seen by the "Bulgarian Military" website as "unconcealed proactive deterrence," but it is actually AVIC's rapid advancement in sixth-generation aircraft. Technically speaking, if the J-36 and "J-50" had their first flights at the end of last year, it would be difficult to achieve this. It is highly likely that outsiders' speculation that the two sixth-generation aircraft had already made their first flights but were only displayed at the end of last year is correct. Of course, even if they truly only made their first flights a few months ago, it is still a significant advantage—the F-47 and F/A-XX at least need another two years before they could possibly make their first flights.

▲F-47 is still far from its first flight

As for the idea of "intentionally increasing the frequency of sixth-generation aircraft test flights to intimidate opponents," it is actually meaningless. Fighter jets during the test flight phase have limited deterrent power; only fighters that are truly mass-produced have the possibility of making opponents retreat. The more difficult the situation, the more urgent it is to quickly complete test flights and mass production of new fighters, rather than disturbing the normal test flight rhythm for false fame. Back then, Sukhoi endured immense pressure to resist for four years to create the Su-27, achieving a legendary feat, despite the fact that the Soviet Union's lag in fifth-generation aircraft was even more severe. Domestically, we are already leading, and simply following the proper steps will lead the trend of sixth-generation aircraft; there is no need for messy operations.

▲Although the Su-27 turned the tide, the Soviet Union's lag in fifth-generation aircraft was actually more serious

The evaluation of the U.S. by the "Bulgarian Military" website is "hesitant," and it believes that China's sixth-generation aircraft are progressing rapidly based on "serious innovation." In reality, both sides are striving to save time—while the U.S. is scrambling to catch up, China is rushing to widen the gap.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7491504414797201958/

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