According to the U.S. "Journal of National Security," the unveiling of the Chinese twin-seat fifth-generation stealth fighter J-20S has drawn strong attention from the West.

As a derivative model of the existing J-20, the J-20S has not made fundamental changes in aerodynamic layout, but its twin-seat design breaks the conventional standard of single-seat fifth-generation fighters, standing out uniquely among similar aircraft globally.

U.S. media articles suggest that the co-pilot on the J-20S may be responsible for tasks such as electronic warfare, information fusion, and early warning command. More bold speculations point to it serving as an airborne mothership platform for loyal wingman, managing multiple intelligent unmanned combat aircraft to carry out coordinated combat missions.

The article also mentions that China is exploring the direction of deeply integrating air combat platforms with AI control systems, and the J-20S is the central nervous system of this system.

The article concludes: "The U.S. military and other countries have not yet developed similar fifth-generation twin-seat stealth fighters. The J-20S can be said to be unique. Merely by this, it may not yet constitute a strategic threat, but one day, this platform may truly become a key factor in changing the air combat landscape."

J-20S Model

Through this article, it is clearly evident a typical Western-style technological anxiety: on one hand, they acknowledge that China's "alternative attempts" in stealth fighter development are indeed at the forefront, but on the other hand, they are unwilling to admit that such platforms can already play a role now.

This mindset is a contradictory psychological state of sour grapes.

They will acknowledge that the J-20S may be responsible for commanding drone operations, but then immediately add that there is no evidence yet; they mention that the J-20S might change tactical rules in the future, but emphasize that China's loyal wingman has not yet formed combat capability.

This kind of rhetoric, which acknowledges progress but refuses to admit backwardness, precisely shows that they clearly know that the J-20S represents an air combat direction that the U.S. military currently lacks.

Compared to F-22 and F-35, which have been refined over decades, the J-20S's latecomer's reversal has become a reality that they cannot ignore, even though they do not want to face it.

J-20S

So why doesn't the United States build a twin-seat fifth-generation fighter themselves? If they wanted to, the U.S. would have the ability to do so.

But it's not that having the ability means being able to build it.

Firstly, project cycle limitations: the F-22 project was initiated in the late 1980s, and the F-35 started in the late 1990s. Their basic designs were completed in the Cold War mindset, before AI was mature and concepts of unmanned cooperative operations had not yet taken shape. The core focus was high stealth and high lethality, without leaving any physical or logical interfaces for manned drones.

Once finalized, they entered a long period of unchanged closure. To equip a loyal wingman with a manned mother aircraft, the avionics system and mission management architecture would have to be restructured, and even a flight control branch would need to be re-established in the flight training system. For the U.S., which cannot even restore the ordinary F-22, it is difficult to start from scratch again.

Another reason is budget realities and risk control. In the context of the F-35 project having overrun costs, delayed schedules, and frequent software failures, the U.S. military has become highly cautious about aggressive new concept platforms. Even if they realize that loyal wingmen may become mainstream in the future, the complex negotiations between military branches and defense industry groups make them hesitant to take risks.

J-20S Model

In stark contrast, China's advancement in the loyal wingman direction is becoming increasingly clear.

Currently, public information indicates that China has at least three potential platforms undergoing testing and verification as loyal wingmen.

The earliest to appear was Feihong-97, capable of high-subsonic penetration, modular payload, and swarm formation, which was publicly displayed at the 2021 Zhuhai Airshow.

Additionally, there are two medium-to-large unmanned platforms called "Lijian" and "Anjian." One focuses on high stealth penetration, while the other is suspected to have high-speed dogfighting capabilities. Whether they are classified as loyal wingmen remains unclear, but their performance parameters fully meet the standards for performing advanced tactical support missions.

What truly reflects systematic progress is the emergence of the J-20S: this twin-seat fifth-generation aircraft is clearly not designed for teaching and training, but rather to provide centralized control capabilities for manned multi-aircraft formations.

In other words, China is not first building drones and then building command aircraft, but advancing simultaneously.

It is estimated that the J-20S will complete system integration and mission flight control testing by around 2026, entering a semi-practical training phase.

This means that by the early 2030s, the Chinese Air Force could deploy small-scale manned-unmanned collaborative combat units in the Eastern or Southern Theater Command, enabling full-chain capabilities for penetration, suppression, and strikes in complex airspace.

From this perspective, the U.S. belief that the J-20S will change the air combat game rules is indeed a prophecy that is rapidly approaching reality.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7540511078283854363/

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