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

Data Figure: China-made stealth fighter F -20 after the New Year begin flight-testing

Reference News Network reported that the United States on February 1, “Aviation Week & Space Technology” Web site on January 30 Japan published a signed article, author Bill Sweetman pointed out that although people know that China is developing stealth fighter, but the emergence of F -20 sooner than expected, but better than many people expect the flight test or demonstration machine is more mature.

article said, is a large F -20 fighter, but its total length (approximately 19.8 m) is not higher than Lockheed – Martin’s F-22 (18.6 m) much greater, from the Head to the main part of the exhaust pipe is much longer. Like the F-22, as it has in the lower part of the main fuselage weapons bay, and the smaller side of the weapons bay, which may be designed to launch air to air missiles.

F -20 on January 11, 2011 for the first test flight, at least two F -20 prototype has been completed. The two aircraft exhaust pipe through the details of its design to distinguish, making speculation a plane with a Russian AL-31F engine provided with the same model Chengdu J-10, another rack is the development of China’s WS10 engine. The article quoted a Chinese newspaper website statement said the main goal is to design the future of China can get the engine – AL-31F and WS10 to achieve high speed and maneuverability. Both engines are not as big as the latest Western engine thrust-weight ratio, which makes the aircraft need to select a relatively long fuselage and delta wing, also need to have larger and higher deflection angle of the horizontal stabilizer and elevator to provide flexible of. Reported full-motion vertical tail rudder-fin than the traditional design of a small 40% of the lighter. The engine may not make the existing aircraft to achieve supersonic cruise, but if China’s power technology continues to progress, from the design point of view can reach this point.

2012, China watchers will be closely watching the progress of test items, find the hidden machine of many challenging aspects of the emerging evidence. Need multi-spectral stealth fighter, active and passive detectors to detect and track targets, synthesis and control of these sensors need to minimize aircraft radar cross section. Similarly, network warfare as part of the military, in order to maximize the effectiveness of stealth fighters need to have “the possibility of intercepted low,” the voice and data communications systems. These are the U.S. stealth fighters are still trying to solve the problem.

article said, there is another more fundamental problem: F -20 is what to do with? The fighters are large enough for air. However, because of geopolitical factors, China’s enemy camp and can not compete with them, like the F-22 fighter aircraft like. Meanwhile, for most long-range air to surface weapons, the weapons bay is -20 F is not big enough. One possibility is that F -20 is used to threaten air intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance forces, is defeated by the enemy with stealth and speed as a means of aerial escort.