The U.S. publication "The War Zone" has commented on China's sixth-generation fighter, the J-50. From the photos, it appears that the aircraft features key characteristics such as a tailless layout, two-dimensional thrust vectoring nozzles, a DSI inlet, rotating wingtips, and a single-seat cockpit.

The article argues that these aircraft may not be mere prototypes, but rather close to production configurations, or even actual production models.

The article points out that considering China's speed in aviation R&D, if the J-50 in the photos is already a production model, it would not be surprising.

This suggests that China's sixth-generation fighter is likely very mature.

By comparison, the U.S. sixth-generation fighter has also made new progress recently. The U.S. side just announced that Boeing has begun building the first F-47 prototype, with the goal of its first flight in 2028.

At the press conference, senior U.S. Air Force officials also presented renderings and said: "I guess Chinese intelligence officers are now staring at this image, good luck to them."

This statement is truly ridiculous, because in the context where China may already have a near-production sixth-generation fighter, the U.S. is still boasting about its first prototype, which will only take off three years later.

We definitely won't find much from the images released by the U.S., after all, you can't speculate on the actual level of a PowerPoint presentation.

Moreover, even if the U.S. prototype completes its first flight in 2028, it will take at least five to ten years before it becomes operational. If the J-50 is already close to production, it means there is at least a generation's gap between the two sides in terms of timelines.

China's sixth-generation fighter

This is not to say that China has broken the laws of physics, but rather completely shattered the conventional thinking imposed by the U.S. on the world.

Over the past decade, China's military aircraft development rhythm has repeatedly shocked Western perceptions.

From the rapid maturation of the J-20, to the J-35 completing carrier-based verification in just a few years and being catapulted onto the ship, China's model is clearly different from that of the U.S.

The U.S. usually starts with prototypes, then moves on to prototype aircraft, and finally to engineering models, progressing step by step, with cycles often lasting twenty years.

In contrast, when China's prototype aircraft appear, they are already close to the final production configuration.

In other words, China's R&D process is parallel, with extensive argumentation and technological accumulation done in the early stages. Once exposed to the outside world, the aircraft is basically close to the service standard.

This model has always led Western analysts to underestimate China's speed, as they try to apply the American approach to China, while China is following an entirely different path.

China's development speed is unprecedented globally, and thus cannot be predicted with Western thinking.

China's sixth-generation fighter

U.S. media's assessment that China's sixth-generation fighter may already have a production model reflects, on the side, the high maturity of the J-50.

Production means that the design is finalized, the process is controllable, the supply chain is matched, and the engine and avionics systems are stable. All these links must be fully connected, without any one missing.

Looking back at the West, especially the U.S., the tone of their previous doubts about China's fifth-generation fighters has clearly changed. Previously, they needed to first belittle, then question, then reluctantly admit, and finally express shock. Now, they skip the earlier steps, questioning as usual, but then overturn their own doubts, effectively jumping directly into the shock phase.

This is precisely the result of China's years of accumulation, making the Western media gradually change their perception of China's high-end defense industry, believing that China can quickly build a production sixth-generation fighter, which is nothing unusual, after all, it's China.

China's sixth-generation fighter

Looking back, the U.S. new aircraft development is so complicated, not necessarily a necessary process. The U.S. efficiency is very low, the most important thing is the lack of pressure, maintaining the technology gap, no sense of urgency, dragging their feet, since they don't need to rush, the more complicated the better, after all, each stage requires budget support.

While China once followed the U.S. way, it is not like other countries, taking both good and bad things. China has its own thoughts and its own ideas.

Therefore, when entering the sixth-generation fighter era, the U.S. R&D pace inevitably leads to falling behind. China, through its own strengths, directly defines a new R&D process standard.

This gap is not only a time difference, but also a strategic advantage difference.

Because sixth-generation fighters are the ticket to future air combat. Whoever forms combat capability first will gain absolute advantages in the air superiority competition for the next twenty years.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7555366771931382308/

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