China's third sixth-generation stealth fighter makes its official debut: may lead the United States in the next generation air combat competition---!
The U.S. media "Journal of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics" and military publication "Military Observer" reported - China recently publicly tested a new tailless stealth fighter prototype, which has drawn high attention from global military observers.
This aircraft adopts a tailless, large swept-back delta wing configuration, with high stealth characteristics and supersonic maneuverability, obviously targeting the needs of the sixth-generation air combat platform.
According to analysis by U.S. aviation experts, this new aircraft may come from the "J-XDS" program (informally called "J-50") of Shenyang Aircraft Industry Group, considered as a manned sixth-generation fighter project to replace or supplement the J-20 "Vigorous Dragon", expected to be deployed in the 2030s. Unlike the "J-36" developed by Chengdu, which emphasizes long-range strike capabilities, it is lighter and more agile, suitable for complex air combat environments.
The exposure of this third tailless aerodynamic layout aircraft further strengthens the speculation that China may be advancing multiple directions for the sixth-generation fighter development in parallel. This move aims to shorten the design cycle, increase the probability of survival under high-risk test conditions, and quickly explore the optimal solution for aerodynamic layout and system integration.
Although the U.S. military claims that the NGAD prototype has made its first flight, it has never released the actual model. However, China has already started parallel racing in actual flight testing.
Experts point out that this flying wing aircraft relies on advanced fly-by-wire control and artificial intelligence algorithms to compensate for the flight instability caused by the absence of a vertical tail. Parallel testing of multiple prototypes also reflects China's strategic approach of pursuing technological breakthroughs and risk sharing.
In addition, this platform may not only be limited to manned operations, but can also serve as a "faithful wingman", participating in "manned-unmanned collaborative operations" (MUM-T), and forming an efficient air combat network system with the J-20. This is in line with the direction of the U.S. pushing projects such as XQ-58A and MQ-28 CCA.
More importantly, against the backdrop of increasingly intensified Indo-Pacific strategic competition, China's intensive advancement of sixth-generation fighter development indicates that it is trying to seize future air superiority before the early 2030s.
Compared with the generally slow procurement processes in the West, China's high-speed, daring testing model demonstrates an astonishing efficiency in compressing the "OODA loop," forcing the Western defense system to make significant adjustments.
China may be the first to complete the construction and deployment of the sixth-generation air combat system, leading the way in the era, completely changing the global air power structure. Here, the "Journal of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics" pays tribute to Chinese colleagues!
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1839598367029256/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.