An internet user recently published a black and white photograph of the “number 2013” prototype of the Chengdu J-20, China’s first stealth fighter, on a test flight, according to Sina’s military news web portal.The angle of the photograph suggests that the area of the canard wings is quite large and that the body of the plane is long and thin, which suggests that it will have high-speed cruise capability.
Many countries have accused China of designing its military aircraft by copying the fighters of other countries. Media outlets in Europe and the US have suggested that the J-20 is a rip-off of the US F-22 stealth fighter, while Japanese media have suggested that the design concept of the J-20 is derived from the MiG-1.44 technology demonstrator developed by the Soviet Union and subsequently Russia, although the project was later abandoned.
The website of US magazine Wired previously stated that the Xian Y-20 large military transport aircraft “sports the same wide swept wing and T-shaped tail as the Boeing-made C-17, blueprints of which China obtained several years ago through a spy working for the Chicago-based plane manufacturer.” Overseas media outlets have also stated that the Harbin Z-20, a 10-tonne multirole helicopter developed at China’s 602nd Aircraft Design Institute, is a clear copy of the S-70C2, the export version of the US Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk.
Overseas media outlets suggest that all three aircraft with the -20 designation are rip-offs, however, they mainly focus on the external appearance of the aircraft to justify their claims. However, if the outer appearance of aircraft is weighed too heavily, then the aircraft of many countries can be considered rip-offs, including Israel’s IAI Lavi, which bears a striking resemblance to the French Dassault Mirage III, and the Soviet Tu-160 strategic bomber, which resembles a larger version of the US B-1B. Even the US F-15 fighter resembles the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25. To establish the degree of creativity, therefore, one has to look beyond appearances, according to the website, particularly the differences in the interior design and weapons systems. These aspects of the J-20, Y-20 and Z-20 demonstrate that they are not just rip-offs, according to the website.
The J-20 is a fourth-generation stealth heavy fighter which uses two domestically developed Shenyang WS-10B turbofan engines, with divertless supersonic inlets (DSI) on both sides, an all-moving vertical tail and a canard wing configuration. The J-20 will be the main craft used by the PLA to protect air and marine sovereignty and will reportedly get the NATO designation “Fire Tooth.”
It will take over from third- and previous fourth-generation fighters such as the J-10 and J-11 multirole fighter aircraft, which use fly-by-wire (FBW) flight systems. By Chinese and Western standards, the plane is a fourth-generation fighter. Russia has a different system for classifying the generation of fighters, however, as the F-22, which the West considers a fourth-generation fighter, has been classified as a fifth-generation fighter by Russia. The J-20 is aimed at meeting the PLA Air Force’s combat needs by 2020. Until it is equipped with the WS-15 turbofan engine, it will not be capable of supersonic cruise, however.
It is estimated that the fighter will weigh 16-19 tonnes empty with a maximum take-off weight of 36 tonnes. It is estimated that it can carry a weapons payload of 10 tonnes. It is thought to have a body length of 21 meters, a wing span of 13 m and a maximum flight speed of Mach 2.2. Its cruise speed will likely be around Mach 1.6. It will likely have a maximum altitude of 20,000 m and a range of 4,500 km (carrying two subsidiary fuel tanks). It will have a combat radius of 1,500 km. Its main weapon systems will be the PL-21 long-range active radar air-to-air missile, the PL-12 medium-range active radar air-to-air missile, the PL-10 radar-homing medium-range air-to-air missile and the PL-8 infrared-guided air-to-air missile, as well as homing weapons and free-fall general purpose bombs. It is piloted by one person and has a radar cross-section (RCS) of 0.05 square meters. Its infrared signal is similar in strength to the F-35.
The aircraft is expected to enter service with the PLA Air Force in 2018.
The Y-20 has a conventional configuration and looks short and stubby, earning it the moniker “Chubby Girl” in China. It has a cantilevered shoulder wing, with a backswept angle of around 24° on the leading edge (though without the wingtips of the US C-17A). The aircraft’s use of supercritical airfoil raises the critical Mach number of the plane, thereby raising the cruise speed of the plane. The use of supercritical foil also reduces the weight of the plane’s structure. At the same time as reducing aerodynamic drag, the supercritical foil also reduces lift, to address this therefore, the Y-20 uses leading-edge slats and a system of externally blown flaps. The Y-20’s T-tail configuration, its monoplane wing, the large aspect ratio of its backswept wings, the turbofan engines hanging under its wing, its rear cargo door are all common features of modern large transport planes, including the Ilyushin Il-76, the C-17A, Japan’s C-2 and Europe’s A-400M, therefore China can’t really be singled out as the lone “copycat.”
Although the Z-20 is similar to the Black Hawk in appearance, there are several striking differences in detail. The main rotor of the Z-20, for example, has 5 blades, whereas the Black Hawk has only four, nor does the Z-20 have the canted design of the tail rotor of the Black Hawk. The tail wheel of the Z-20 is also further back than the Black Hawk, almost stretching to the end section of the tail boom, to reduce shaking when it is being pulled.
The Z-20’s turboshaft engine, flight systems and avionics also differ from those of the Black Hawk. The design of the Z-20 clearly references the Black Hawk, but the differences between them show the different needs of the PLA compared with the US Air Force and China’s years of experience in developing helicopters.
SOURCE: idrw.org
Many countries have accused China of designing its military aircraft by copying the fighters of other countries. Media outlets in Europe and the US have suggested that the J-20 is a rip-off of the US F-22 stealth fighter, while Japanese media have suggested that the design concept of the J-20 is derived from the MiG-1.44 technology demonstrator developed by the Soviet Union and subsequently Russia, although the project was later abandoned.
The website of US magazine Wired previously stated that the Xian Y-20 large military transport aircraft “sports the same wide swept wing and T-shaped tail as the Boeing-made C-17, blueprints of which China obtained several years ago through a spy working for the Chicago-based plane manufacturer.” Overseas media outlets have also stated that the Harbin Z-20, a 10-tonne multirole helicopter developed at China’s 602nd Aircraft Design Institute, is a clear copy of the S-70C2, the export version of the US Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk.
Overseas media outlets suggest that all three aircraft with the -20 designation are rip-offs, however, they mainly focus on the external appearance of the aircraft to justify their claims. However, if the outer appearance of aircraft is weighed too heavily, then the aircraft of many countries can be considered rip-offs, including Israel’s IAI Lavi, which bears a striking resemblance to the French Dassault Mirage III, and the Soviet Tu-160 strategic bomber, which resembles a larger version of the US B-1B. Even the US F-15 fighter resembles the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25. To establish the degree of creativity, therefore, one has to look beyond appearances, according to the website, particularly the differences in the interior design and weapons systems. These aspects of the J-20, Y-20 and Z-20 demonstrate that they are not just rip-offs, according to the website.
The J-20 is a fourth-generation stealth heavy fighter which uses two domestically developed Shenyang WS-10B turbofan engines, with divertless supersonic inlets (DSI) on both sides, an all-moving vertical tail and a canard wing configuration. The J-20 will be the main craft used by the PLA to protect air and marine sovereignty and will reportedly get the NATO designation “Fire Tooth.”
It will take over from third- and previous fourth-generation fighters such as the J-10 and J-11 multirole fighter aircraft, which use fly-by-wire (FBW) flight systems. By Chinese and Western standards, the plane is a fourth-generation fighter. Russia has a different system for classifying the generation of fighters, however, as the F-22, which the West considers a fourth-generation fighter, has been classified as a fifth-generation fighter by Russia. The J-20 is aimed at meeting the PLA Air Force’s combat needs by 2020. Until it is equipped with the WS-15 turbofan engine, it will not be capable of supersonic cruise, however.
It is estimated that the fighter will weigh 16-19 tonnes empty with a maximum take-off weight of 36 tonnes. It is estimated that it can carry a weapons payload of 10 tonnes. It is thought to have a body length of 21 meters, a wing span of 13 m and a maximum flight speed of Mach 2.2. Its cruise speed will likely be around Mach 1.6. It will likely have a maximum altitude of 20,000 m and a range of 4,500 km (carrying two subsidiary fuel tanks). It will have a combat radius of 1,500 km. Its main weapon systems will be the PL-21 long-range active radar air-to-air missile, the PL-12 medium-range active radar air-to-air missile, the PL-10 radar-homing medium-range air-to-air missile and the PL-8 infrared-guided air-to-air missile, as well as homing weapons and free-fall general purpose bombs. It is piloted by one person and has a radar cross-section (RCS) of 0.05 square meters. Its infrared signal is similar in strength to the F-35.
The aircraft is expected to enter service with the PLA Air Force in 2018.
The Y-20 has a conventional configuration and looks short and stubby, earning it the moniker “Chubby Girl” in China. It has a cantilevered shoulder wing, with a backswept angle of around 24° on the leading edge (though without the wingtips of the US C-17A). The aircraft’s use of supercritical airfoil raises the critical Mach number of the plane, thereby raising the cruise speed of the plane. The use of supercritical foil also reduces the weight of the plane’s structure. At the same time as reducing aerodynamic drag, the supercritical foil also reduces lift, to address this therefore, the Y-20 uses leading-edge slats and a system of externally blown flaps. The Y-20’s T-tail configuration, its monoplane wing, the large aspect ratio of its backswept wings, the turbofan engines hanging under its wing, its rear cargo door are all common features of modern large transport planes, including the Ilyushin Il-76, the C-17A, Japan’s C-2 and Europe’s A-400M, therefore China can’t really be singled out as the lone “copycat.”
Although the Z-20 is similar to the Black Hawk in appearance, there are several striking differences in detail. The main rotor of the Z-20, for example, has 5 blades, whereas the Black Hawk has only four, nor does the Z-20 have the canted design of the tail rotor of the Black Hawk. The tail wheel of the Z-20 is also further back than the Black Hawk, almost stretching to the end section of the tail boom, to reduce shaking when it is being pulled.
The Z-20’s turboshaft engine, flight systems and avionics also differ from those of the Black Hawk. The design of the Z-20 clearly references the Black Hawk, but the differences between them show the different needs of the PLA compared with the US Air Force and China’s years of experience in developing helicopters.
SOURCE: idrw.org