Military of China, force comment.
Military of China, force comment.

F 20 excellent shape design.

into since mid-August, the news of the Five Dynasties machine once again become the focus of attention. F-22 fighter pilots came to the dilemma facing the loss of pilot’s license; F -20 fighter in Chengdu, China for the first 27 test flights; August 21, a Russian fifth generation fighter T-50 flight in Moscow air show performances when sudden engine failure emergency grounded.

pattern from the current point of view, although the United States in the lead plane in the Five Dynasties, but still the problem continued. China and Russia at the moment in a backward, but is hard to catch up. Five machines in the US-Russia contest in the next five to 10 years will certainly be more intense.

Five confidential over three threshold

as the first successfully developed and equipped with the fifth-generation fighter, the United States for the fifth-generation fighter under the “4S “standard, that is ultra-mobile, supersonic cruise, stealth capabilities and high detection capacity, defined five generations of machines has become common international standard. However, due to the difficulty of developing a huge Five machines, this road becomes very tortuous.

First, the engine was developed by five generations of the biggest stumbling block machine. Engine called the advanced aircraft and ships all the modern “heart” of the engine thrust size, performance and stability is directly related to the level of modern weapons and combat performance.

In general, five generations of machine problems in the test process is actually very normal. However, the use of service for many years the AL-31 engine T-50 aircraft in the roll phase is the most simple engine working condition when it fails to take off and forced to terminate the emergency brake, which fully shows the aircraft after a long time of development, there is still a great engine unreliability.

China’s development has also received F -20 engine problems. Western media speculated F -20 fighter use is made of WS-15 engine, but has not officially confirm the news. As we all know, the engine has been China’s defense industry is a major short-board, in what type of F -20 engine will directly affect their future use. Australian Air Force military analysts Kaluokupu Dr., if F -20 engine provides 40,000 to 50,000 pounds thrust class, F -20 fighter aircraft will be used as air, air defense interceptor and in-depth attack fighter. If the thrust is lower than this benchmark, will lack the flexibility needed to close combat, but will remain as a bomber interceptor, or very effective.

Second, the overall design of the current Five machines are weak. Five exterior design of the machine is critical, because the stealth design, the majority of improvements are derived from the shape of the radar signal design and radar absorbing materials and details of the design is mainly used for the “Clear” can not prevent the appearance of the radar signal is reflected. Russian T-50′s overall design, relying on the former Soviet Union 20 years ago in a number of technical solutions, naturally there are more defects. For example, T-50 of the inlet distribution, in fact, with the Su-27 series aircraft is no different. This fuselage-shaped inlet directly below the fourth-generation fighter though is a classic design, but used in the fifth-generation fighter has brought a significant disadvantage relative to “Raptor” fighter is, T-50 greatly increased the RCS. Therefore, compared with their U.S. counterparts fighters, the fighters not only the type payload and carrying missiles at a disadvantage, but also in stealth performance there is a big gap.

F -20 fighter of China’s biggest problems is the lack of a more excellent overall design. More obvious is the F -20 fighter on a pair of big is not conducive to stealth canard wing, which may be associated with China’s current low level of technology related to the overall design, technical specifications related to China may choose to reliability, especially low technical risk approach.

released from the current F -20 test images can be found on their body shape design stealth design is based on the U.S. rules-based, using a similar F-22 fighters of the layout of the fuselage on both sides of the inlet , the inlet may also be used with similar radar effectively block the S-shaped inlet, so that it can be known at this stage the best magazine layout, at least you can get similar F-22 fighters and ammunition mounted volume. Meanwhile, F -20 at the inlet is still using the DSI technology, the F-35 achieved the same level of technology.

Western military experts believe that if the Chinese designers have adequate materials and design technology, F -20 fighter front and side invisible sex may be better than the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and F-22A “Raptor “comparable aircraft. particularly in response to higher than 1 GHz L-band radar, the shape design will be very effective. United States and its allies in Asia to use most of the land and air search, access and fire control radars, are in this band range.

Third, the development of five generations of machines takes massive investment. To engine development, for example, the United States used 57 F100 engines to test prototypes, but because the test cycle after a short service led to a large number of failure; China’s “Taihang” engine produced four dozen prototypes for testing, but also initially exposed a lot of problems. Although Russia’s 117S engine is based on AL-31 improvements, but there is a larger increase due to temperature, so the machine a lot of parameters requires a lot of adjustments, the workload is not much less than the new engine, but now the price of a prototype needs 5 million to $ 10 million, 40 prototypes of the investment is probably not Russia can afford.

Five machines in the U.S. is also at this stage projects into a blind pursuit of performance due to costs resulting from the death spiral. Although not experienced a war, but the F-22 but has had seven major crash, killing two, in May this year, fiscal tightening in the United States, and asked to cut the military budget is growing in the case, United States oxygen supply system problems on the grounds, the termination of this aircraft flying.

F -20 to best frequent flight

different from the United States, China and Russia develop fifth-generation fighter, the real needs are fully considered. In the Russian view, regardless of their strong or weak, are within the United States in the world with main rival. Therefore, regardless of the U.S. strategic center of gravity in the Middle East, West Africa or Asia, Russia has to be uninterrupted from the United States bear the enormous pressure. Therefore, Russia and the United States developed and equipped active-duty fighter similar to or even exceed the performance of new aircraft is very necessary. Meanwhile, Russia’s Moscow air show in the current year, T-50 prototype high-profile appearance, but also reflects its intention to Su-27 and MiG-29 series aircraft gradually lost their appeal in the international arms market, the timely introduction of a new aircraft continue to maintain their market share.

Five machines in China in the development of a cautious when adhering to the traditional style, close to the actual needs to start development work. Since the reform and opening up, China has always centered on economic construction, which makes China’s rapid economic development, but also makes military spending less than the People’s Liberation Army in the combat capability development lagged behind international standards. China’s expanding overseas interests, territorial rights of urgent protection, and the U.S. strategic focus has returned to Asia in the context of China in a relatively short period of time possible to enhance the naval and air-based military power, has become the inevitable choice. It is in this context, the long-standing concern of the two Chinese equipment there: one is the symbol of the Navy long-range power projection capabilities of the “Kuznetsov” aircraft carrier, the other is China’s fifth generation fighter F -20. Since January this year in the United States when he was Defense Secretary Robert Gates to visit China since the exposure period, F -20 appearance seems more and more frequency, and even playing a crucial moment in China from the strategic determination of the effective means of declaration.

If the three countries in the US-Russian fifth-generation fighter to make a horizontal comparison, it seems not difficult to score. Although the F-22 fighters, there are many difficulties, but compared to China’s F -20 with Russia in terms of T-50 aircraft, F-22 more powerful, more close to actual requirements, in terms of overall performance is still the most advanced. But its main problem is high cost, and new aircraft as opposed to Russia’s “advantage” is concerned, F-22 is difficult for the rapid integration of new technology application, because that would make it the death spiral in the cost bogged down further.

Thus, the three top fifth-generation fighter, the overall performance point of view, the U.S. F-22 fighter no doubt lead, although in China the foundation and key technical aspects of the accumulation of relatively weak, but rely on strong economic strength and the actual needs, fully mature after the F -20 fighter, if not beyond the F-22, but enough to become F-22 performance with the most advanced fighters close. Russian T-50 aircraft is subject to restrictions on the overall national strength and international practice and future needs of their own continue to shrink, even if the final T-50 equipped troops, prior to its performance relative to the terms of the two fighters, there may be more significant technical gap. Although the three fighters at this stage at the technical level, the Air Force can not meet their actual needs, but after enough after the development, I believe will become the Air Force’s main battle equipment.

U.S. F-22 fighter

U.S. F-22 fighter although not leading, but the new aircraft as opposed to Russia’s “advantage” and words, F-22 is difficult for the rapid integration of new technology application, because that will make F-22 in the death spiral in the cost of deeper depression.

China’s Five Dynasties machine idea “very clever”

but the aircraft technology development and the needs of countries of view, the equipment is necessary to the fifth-generation fighter of. However, the current fifth-generation fighter will need to appear so many root of the problem and the fifth-generation fighter to sort out the future development ideas, in particular, give full attention to the actual operational environment changes, the most important factor. As we all know, the fifth-generation fighter concept was first proposed during the Cold War, when the major countries to face the future air combat environment is similar, namely large-scale conventional combat. Therefore, the fifth-generation fighter seeking breakthrough performance in many it appears as it should be.

the end of the Cold War, the outbreak of large-scale conventional combat the possibility of this becoming less and less. Similar to the U.S. Air Force combat forces to bear this great task, at best against such backward countries like Iraq. Because of this, for the destruction of these small countries with limited technical equipment, long known for stealth B-2 stealth bombers even been fitted with a radar signal Enlargement Device, power to attract enemy radar detection, which would thus be destroyed. In this new operational environment, the Five machines were too stressed the value of stealth performance will be greatly reduced.

imaginary enemy that the United States as countries in the development of fighter aircraft in the future, will undoubtedly face a dilemma: If the F-22 fighters as rivals, then it is equal to the actual performance in a limited and may no large-scale equipment units and equipment for the model; the other hand, if not the F-22 fighters as rivals, that kind of fighter and worthy adversary it?

Faced with this problem, China’s approach may be a more realistic, “smart” solutions, that is still the fourth-generation fighters as the main force, combined with the fifth-generation fighters produced during new technologies and improve the overall technological level four generations of machines, so that in a relatively traditional or new operational environment, can demonstrate a strong fighting force. For the fifth-generation fighter, the stage of the technical indicators are still reasonable, but may have to refer to the actual operational needs to be adjusted, and then fully equipped with the appropriate time to push back, then the fifth-generation fighter is still the major countries the best option. Newspaper Zhuangao Guo Yi Chi

(edit: SN015) share: