China conducts test flights for nine aircraft: Kanwa

To strengthen the fighting and power projection capabilities of its air force, China is currently testing nine different new types of aircraft, according to the Canada-based Kanwa Defense Review.
 

One of those aircraft is China's first fifth-generation stealth fighter, the J-20. Photos released on a Chinese military website indicate that the J-20 is a multirole fighter designed for both aerial combat and ground attack because of its longer and larger build than Russian fighters such as the Su-33 and Su-37. China is testing the avionic system of J-20 through attaching its radar to a Russian-built Tu-204 passenger plane.
 

Another four — the J-10B, J-11B, J-16 and J-15 — are fourth-generation fighters for China's air force and navy. Tactical bombers such as the JH-7A and JH-7B are being examined as well. The J-16 has already gone through test flights for three years. To shorten the process, Shenyang Aircraft Corporation has decided to modify the aircraft's weapon systems. After the J-20 and J-31 begin service, their the J-16's primary mission will be to provide close air support for ground forces.
 

The Y-20 medium transport and KJ-500 early warning aircraft are the last two military aircraft currently being tested in China. The KJ-500 is being tested by Xi'an Aircraft Industry Corporation at the Yanliang airport. Unlike its prodecessor, the KJ-200, the KJ-500 is designed based on the Y-9 cargo plane. The official name of this new early warning aircraft has not yet been confirmed in China

Latest version of J-20 fighter jet completes maiden test flight

 

China's new version of its J-20 fighter jet completed its first test flight successfully Saturday, escorted by a J-10S fighter, a leading Chinese-language infotainment web portal cited sources as saying Saturday.

The mil.news.sina.com.cn website said the plane landed successfully at around 12:30 p.m.

Reports also said that the J-20 No. 2011 has undergone several improvements and upgrades in terms of engine capacity, as well combat and stealth ability.

Chinese military expert Du Wenlong, in a recent interview with China's CCTV television channel, said the new version of J-20 could mean that all the technical problems of the old versions of J-20 have been solved and that combat training tests will follow.

J-20

J-20 may have better ground attack capability than F-22

The J-20, China's prototype first fifth-generation stealth fighter, may have better ground attack capability than its US counterpart, a report from the Beijing Sina Military Network said after a photo of the newest version of the aircraft was released on the internet.

 
Judging from the photo of a J-20 with the serial number 2011, Sina Military Network said the electro-optical targeting system seen below the nose indicates that the fighter is designed mainly for ground attack. This is a similar design to American stealth fighters such as the F-22 and F-35. With stealth capability, the article said that J-20 can be a perfect bomber when used against a ground target.

 
Most missions carried out by American fighters such as the F-16 Falcon or F-15E Strike Eagle in Afghanistan and Iraq are against ground targets. The F-22 is also designed with the capability to attack ground targets with joint direct attack munitions and small diameter bombs. However, the F-22 may still be detected by enemy radar while tracking a moving ground target as its radar releases electromagnetic radiation.

 
After all 35 satellites of the second phase of China's Beidou Navigation System are sent into orbit, the J-20 will be able to launch precision attacks against ground targets like the F-22 as well, Sina Military Network said. Noting that the J-20 can carry four air-to-air missiles, the article also indicated that China is developing its own joint direct attack munitions and small diameter bombs for the stealth fighter.

 
The J-20 can carry a payload of up to 24 small diameter bombs compared to the F-22, which can carry about eight, Sina Military Network said. If the electro-optical targeting system can be used by fourth-generation fighters like the Su-30 and J-10, this would enhance the ground attack capability for these fighters from a longer distance, the report said.

 Concept art for the Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter.

Beijing purchases Su-35 for rearward-firing missile

China has decided to purchase Su-35 fighter from Russia because it is able to launch rearward-firing missiles, according to senior colonel Wu Guohui, an associate professor at Beijing's National Defense University.

The Russia-designed R-73M2, R-74ME missiles, US-designed by AIM-9X and the China-designed PL-10 all have the capability of being launched against enemy aircraft from the back of the aircraft, according to the Party-run People's Daily. The missile has a "nose cone" over the rocket engine and modified fins to prevent instability problems while briefly flying backwards after launch.

The birth of rearward-firing missiles has changed the concept of aerial warfare, according to Wu. In regular air-to-air combat, a fighter must shoot down its enemy from behind. With rearward-firing missiles and a a rearview display mounted on the helmet of the pilot, fighter pilots in the future can attack their target from the front. 

China has no proper fighter yet capable of launching such a missile during actual combat. The Su-35 will be incorporated into the PLA Air Force to help pilots and the aviation industry get a feel for the new mode of combat. In the future, China will be able to make its own modifications from the Su-35 model.

China's female fighter pilots: Tough, smart and still curvaceous! Read more: http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=123532:chinas-female-fighter-pilots-tough-smart-and-still-curvaceous&Itemid=4#.UdWuAW2LJTQ#ixzz2Y69BVk1h

16 female combat pilots received their bachelor's degrees in military science on June 25, 2013, becoming China's first batch of female fighter pilots to hold dual degrees.

According to a report on China Women, the pilots completed their courses at a flight academy in Shijiazhuang, capital of northern China's Hebei Province. They received engineering degrees last year.

In 2008, the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) selected 33 women from more than 150,000 high school graduates, sending them for four years of study at the Aviation University of Air Force and an additional year at flight academies. The qualified students receive a dual degree at the end.

China has trained nearly 500 female pilots since women were first permitted to enrol in flight schools in 1951, with the majority of them piloting cargo transport planes and engaging in navigation, communication and flight testing.

The PLA Air Force has announced that China will further train female pilots to fly a variety of planes, including bombers, early-warning aircraft and tanker aircraft.

China Has It Both Ways

China has begun receiving new Il-76 transports from Russia. Last year China revived, in part, a 2005 deal to buy Il-76s. The new arrangement only involved China buying ten refurbished Il-76s. Back in 2005, China placed a $1.5 billion order for 38 Il-76 transport planes and Il-78s (tanker versions of the Il-76). A year later China cancelled the deal when Russia tried to up the price 27 percent. China went looking elsewhere, including urging its domestic aircraft manufacturers to come up with something. That process eventually led to the new Y-20, but in the meantime China needs some more jet powered military transports right now. Similar to the older American C-141, over 900 Il-76s were manufactured over the last thirty years. Nearly a hundred Il-76s were exported, so far, mainly to Cuba, Iraq, China, India, Libya, and Syria.

 

Meanwhile China has been developing an air transport similar to the American C-17. The new Y-20 and appears to have a max weight of 220 tons and a max payload of 80 tons. In most other respects it appears very similar to the C-17. The Y-20 will likely include many characteristics of the 195 ton Il-76, a Russian heavy transport that can carry up to 50 tons and that the Chinese have been using for decades. The Y-20 recently made its first flight and the two prototypes are being used heavily to work out any problems with the aircraft design. The aircraft is still a year or more from production.

 

The C-17 entered service 17 years ago and each one has a useful life of 30,000 flight hours. The 290 ton C-17 can carry up to 100 tons (including one M-1 tank) anywhere in the world because of in-air refueling. The C-17 costs about $250 million each. About fifty have been sold to foreign users, including Britain, Canada, Australia, India. Qatar and the UAE each have six, while Canada and Qatar each have four. India has ordered ten. The U.S. Air Force operates over 200. China does not need that many Y-20s but it does want to get away from depending on Russia for heavy transports. Dealing with Russia can be difficult.

 

China is no longer interested in buying 38 Il-76/78s but is willing to work with Russia in developing a Chinese replacement for the Il-76. That’s the Y-20, which is using Russian engines and much more Russian aviation technology as well. Russia is still pushing the Il-76 as an inexpensive way to obtain a modern jet transport.

New Chinese Heavy Bomber Aimed At American Targets

Over the last two years China has received at least fifteen of the latest model of the H6 bomber, the H6K. This model only entered service two years ago after several years of development. The H6K uses more efficient Russian engines (D30KP2) that give it a range of about 3,500 kilometers. Electronics are state-of-the-art and include a more powerful radar. The fuselage of the bomber has been reinforced with lighter, stronger, composite materials. The rear facing 23mm autocannon has been replaced with electronic warfare equipment. The H6K can carry six of the two ton CJ-10A land-attack cruise missiles. These appear to have a range of up to 2,000 kilometers as they are similar to the older Russian Kh-55 (that was armed with a nuclear warhead). The CJ-10A is sometimes described as a high-speed (2,500 kilometers an hour), solid fuel missile. But that type of missile is a short range (about 300 kilometers) system. The CJ-10A appears more of a copy of the American Tomahawk (using a much slower jet engine). The CJ-10A can carry a nuclear warheads, but usually does not. Armed with these missiles the H6K can attack American bases on Okinawa and Guam with these cruise missiles.

 

There are about a hundred H6s in service (out of about 200 built). These are a Chinese copies of the Russian Tu-16s (about 1,500 built). Although the Tu-16 design is over fifty years old, China has continued to rely on their H-6s as one of their principal bombers. The H6 is a 78 ton aircraft with a crew of four and two engines. Most models can carry nine tons of bombs and missiles, with the new H6K able to haul about 12 tons. Most H6s carry the CJ-10A and C201 missiles, as well as bombs. It does not appear that China is building a lot of H6Ks, perhaps no more than twenty. The Russians kept their Tu-16s in service until the early 1990s, but China kept improving their H6 copy. Thus the H-6K is a capable heavy bomber that will apparently be around for another decade or two.

Chinese Air Force Gets More H-6K Strategic Bombers

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) recently received 15 Xian H-6K bombers with nuclear capabilities, according to Jane’s Defence Weekly.

Variants of the CJ-10 anti-ship/land attack cruise missile can be launched from different platforms. Six are carried by Xian H-6K strategic bomber, The missile is also carried on board the Type 095 and 052D destroyers and on land-based mobile launchers.

The H-6K, an updated version of the H-6 bomber (originally, a locally built version of the 1960s vintage Russian Tupolev Tu-16 bomber), is a medium-sized craft designed for long-range attacks, stand-off attacks and large-area air patrol. Unlike its predecessor, the H-6K can carry cruise missiles under its wings. The H6-K also maneuvers more deftly than the H-6 and requires a smaller crew to operate. H-6K reportedly has a combat radius of 3,500 km. It can carry weapons in the internal weapon bay and on four underwing pylons. The nuclear-capable Changjian-10 (long sword) CJ-10A cruise missiles it carries have a range of 1,500-2,000 km, effectively extending the bomber’s combat range to 4,000-5,000 km – long enough to reach Okinawa, Guam and even Hawaii from China’s mainland.

Analysts stipulated that PLAAF missiles be able to reach Taiwan, southwestern Japan and Guam, a range of control that requires a 3,000 km combat radius and powerful attack capability. Only the combined combat radius of the H6-K and Changjian-10 strike range currently satisfy the length requirement for those missions.

The Air War over Japan

The Japanese Air Force is scrambling to deal with a growing number of Chinese aircraft snooping around. In the last year Japanese aircraft have gone up 306 times to confront Chinese aircraft coming too close to Japanese air space. This was the first time Chinese intrusions exceeded Russian ones. In the previous year nearly 43 percent of the time the sorties were for Chinese aircraft. That's almost three times as many Chinese intrusions as in the previous year. Meanwhile, Russian intrusions have been declining. In 2011 Russia still accounted for 52 percent of the intrusions, and in the last year Chinese intrusions were 23 percent more frequent than the Russian ones.

 

The Japanese believe that one cause for this shift is more electronic and maritime patrol aircraft available to the Chinese and a desire to gather as much information as possible about the strongest potential foe in the area. But the main reason is the dispute with China over the Senkaku Islands near Okinawa. China and Japan both claim these uninhabited islets, which are 167 kilometers northeast of Taiwan and 426 kilometers southeast of Japan's Okinawa and have a total area of 6.3 square kilometers. Taiwan also claims the Senkakus, which were discovered by Chinese fishermen in the 16th century and taken over by Japan in 1879. They are valuable now because of the 380 kilometer economic zone nations can claim in their coastal waters. This includes fishing and possible underwater oil and gas fields.

 

In 2011, the 355 Japanese anti-intrusion sorties were up 17 percent over the previous year, while in 2010 sorties by were up 29 percent. Now they are up again. All this should be measured against Cold War activity, which peaked in 1984 at 944 interception sorties. After the Cold War ended in 1991 (when there were 488 sorties) the number of intrusions fell through the 1990s, but in the last decade the number has increased.

 

These intrusions have been increasing sharply over the last five years. Early on, the Japanese launched many aircraft for each intrusion. For example, in 2008 a Russian Tu-95 entered Japanese airspace, near an uninhabited island about 600 kilometers south of Tokyo. Although the Russian aircraft was in Japanese airspace for only about three minutes the Japanese launched 22 aircraft to intercept. This force included two AWACs aircraft and twenty fighters. It had been two years since a Russian aircraft entered Japanese airspace without permission and that explained the massive response. But as the intrusions increased the number of interceptors sent out for each declined.

 

One explanation for all the Russian activity has been Japanese diplomats pressuring the Russians to return the Kurile Islands (off northern Japan). This has caused a lot of tension and the Russians have responded with more aerial activity. This sort of thing also goes over well inside Russia. But now the Russians are cutting back.

Chinese air force recruiting 40 female pilot cadets

China's air force began the recruitment of 40 female pilot cadets, its 10th such drive, on Friday.

The air force will choose from healthy high-school graduates between 16 and 19 with a height between 1.65 to 1.75 meters and a weight heavier than 46 kg as well as good eyesight, said a statement from the Pilots Recruitment Bureau of the Air Force of People's Liberation Army (PLA).

The PLA first recruited female pilots in 1951. The last recruitment drive took in 30 cadets in 2008, bringing the total to 543.

The recruitment will be carried out in 20 provincial divisions across the country, up from 16 divisions on the previous occasion, the statement said.

Besides physical requirements, the air force also raised academic requirements, it said.

The recruitment is expected to end in July.

The Chinese air force has been giving female pilots more demanding duties, such as combat missions, air refueling, airborne early warning and electronic reconnaissance, besides traditional posts in piloting cargo aircraft, navigation or telecom services.

Last August, five female fighter pilots completed their first solo flights on board the domestically manufactured J-10 fighter jet.

And last June, China sent its first female astronaut, Liu Yang, into space. Liu, then 33, had been a PLA Air Force pilot.

China Trains To Surge

China has begun training its air force squadrons to carry out high intensity operations on airports or air bases with two runways and supporting multiple types of aircraft while doing so. This is a critical capability for “surge” operations, in which aircraft carry out the maximum number of sorties for a day or so. This is the kind of capability that gives Western air forces a big advantage.

To make this work Western air forces have the "maintainers" (of the aircraft) working 12 hour shifts. These well trained ground crews can turn a returning aircraft around in 15 minutes, complete with a new pilot, fuel, and weapons, plus a quick check for equipment problems. For example, an F-16 squadron has 12 aircraft and a unit of 120 maintainers, including 37 NCOs ("Crew Chiefs") who supervise and do a lot of the work. One American F-16 squadron used its 20 aircraft, forty pilots, and very energetic and will trained ground crews to fly 160 sorties in 12 hours. This was an exceptional performance and not representative of combat conditions, where many aircraft would come back with combat damage. This also points out the need to have more pilots than aircraft, as the pilots are more fragile than the aircraft they fly. 

The most capable of these maintenance personnel are from the U.S. Air National Guard. Unlike active duty maintainers, the National Guard airmen have three to four times the years working on the aircraft and have often worked on the same aircraft for 5-10 years. This gives the Guardsmen an edge, as they know the quirks and weak spots of individual aircraft. The maintainers become quite knowledgeable about individual aircraft, if only because hours of work go into checking out an aircraft that has completed a day of heavy operations. Dozens of maintenance panels have to be opened so that items and lubricants can be checked for problems. Every 300 hours a more thorough check is made, and during combat operations this usually means removing the engine to check even more components. Even seconds before an aircraft takes off, maintainers are rushing around the aircraft, running down checklists for access panels that must be closed and pins that must be removed. This final check includes visual inspection of bombs and missiles hanging off the aircraft and moveable parts that must be in the right position.

When a squadron goes into surge mode it can mean round the clock operations (as F-16s can operate day and night because of their night vision sensors) that can result in individual aircraft flying half a dozen or more sorties. The maintainers have to be particularly careful during a surge because missing a problem can result in a lost aircraft, or at least an aborted one as the pilot discovers something isn't working once the aircraft is airborne. A surge usually takes place after the squadron has moved to a base in a combat zone. In these situations the maintainers often sleep in tents near the air strip, meaning they have to sleep through takeoffs and the other noises of a wartime base (alarms going off for various emergencies and frequent small arms fire from a range that is always set up so the Air Force security troops can maintain their proficiency). If there's bad weather, you just work through it. This is the sort of thing China is now preparing for.

China has also been making strides in recruiting higher quality recruits to be maintainers and upgrading logistics systems so that the maintainers don’t run short of fuel, spare parts, and other essential supplies. China also has lots of modern aircraft that can surge and carry out the kind of surge efforts Western air forces train for and carry out in wartime. Most Western aircraft can fly three or more sorties per day for two or three days and one or two per day indefinitely, as long as the spare parts and ground crews hold out. Western air forces practice high sortie surge tactics far more than less affluent nations. China now has more money and they are spending it to move maintainers from several squadrons to a base and have them practice generating a lot of sorties quickly on dual runway airports. That’s how you win wars.

Warplanes - China Trains To Take On Vietnam

At least one Su-30 of the Chinese Air Force Aggressor Squadron has been spotted painted in the colors of the Vietnamese Air Force (which also uses Su-30s). Relations with Vietnam have been increasingly tense in the last few years, and this paint job on a Chinese Su-30 may just be a warning to Vietnam or it may indicate a lot of Chinese pilots are being trained to quickly identify and deal with Vietnamese Su-30s.

The Chinese Air Force now has a training unit that will accurately (as possible) portray enemy (especially American and Indian) aircraft and combat tactics. Thus there are three Blue-Army Aggressor Squadrons (Blue is the bad guys in Chinese training, Red is the good guys) for this. One is equipped with Su-30s, to represent American F-15s or Indian or Vietnamese Su-30s. Another has the J-10A, which is similar to the F-16. The third squadron has J-7s (Chinese copies of the MiG-21), which represent low end threats, like the many MiG-21s India still uses.

Using your own aircraft for "aggressor (or dissimilar) training" began in the 1969, when the U.S. Navy established the original "Top Gun" fighter pilot school. This was done in response to the poor performance of its pilots against North Vietnamese pilots flying Russian fighters. What made the Top Gun operation different was that the training emphasized how the enemy aircraft and pilots operated. This was called "dissimilar training". In the past, American pilots practiced against American pilots, with everyone flying American aircraft and using American tactics. It worked in World War II, because the enemy pilots were not getting a lot of practice and were using similar aircraft and tactics anyway. Most importantly, there was a lot of aerial combat going on, providing ample opportunity for on- the- job training. Not so in Vietnam, where the quite different Russian trained North Vietnamese were giving U.S. aviators an awful time. The four week Top Gun program solved the problem. The air force followed shortly with its Red Flag school. In the early 1980s, the Russians established a dissimilar air combat school, and the Chinese followed in 1987.

Over the last four decades the two American training programs have developed differently, and the entire concept of "dissimilar training" has changed. The navy kept Top Gun as a program to hone fighter pilot's combat skills. The air force made their Red Flag program more elaborate, bringing in the many different types of aircraft involved in combat missions (especially electronic warfare). But after the Cold War ended, it became increasingly obvious that none of our potential enemies was providing their fighter pilots with much training at all. In other words, the dissimilar training for U.S. fighter pilots was not as crucial as it had been during the Cold War. Actually, it had been noted that flying skills of Soviet pilots was declining in the 1980s, as economic problems in the USSR caused cuts in flying time. During that period American pilots were actually increasing their flying time. Moreover, U.S. flight simulators were getting better. American pilots were finding that even the game oriented combat flight simulators had some training value.

So in the late 1990s, Top Gun and Red Flag found their budgets cut. But the programs remain, as does the memory of why they were set up in the first place. If we find that, say, China is continuing to improve its combat aviation, gives its fighter pilots more flying time, and their politicians maintain a bellicose attitude towards the U.S., there will be a need to increase American Top Gun training. Because of the new Chinese "dissimilar training" effort, the U.S. Top Gun and Red Flag schools are being restored to their former prominence, sort of. The Chinese move is certainly a very meaningful one, as it shows that they are serious about preparing their pilots to fight and defeat Taiwanese and American pilots. Dissimilar training is how that is done.

The U.S. Navy has refurbished surplus U.S. Air Force National Guard F-16 flight simulator to help keep its F-16 pilots in shape for using F-16s to train navy pilots (in F-18s) how to best deal with Chinese and other potential enemy pilots. The navy uses F-16s because these aircraft are best able to replicate the performance of likely high end enemy fighters. That's because Russia and China have used the F-16 as the model for most of their latest fighters (the Russian MiG-29 and Chinese J-10). The navy bought 26 of a special model (F-16N) of the aircraft in the late 1980s. But in the 1990s, the navy retired its F-16Ns, because of metal fatigue, and had to wait nearly a decade before it got sixteen more. The refurbished simulator had its cockpit modified to reflect the one the navy F-16s uses.

The navy also uses F-5s to simulate lower performance enemy fighters. The navy has also bought and modified 44 F-5E fighters from Switzerland. The U.S. uses F-5s, a 12 ton fighter roughly similar to the MiG-21. The F-5 is normally armed with two 20mm cannon and three tons of missiles and bombs. The U.S. Navy modified and refurbished the Swiss F-5s so their performance better matched that of Russian or Chinese aircraft.

The MiG-21 is still widely used, although it is rapidly disappearing. It is a 9.5 ton, 1950s design, the most widely produced post World War II fighter (over 10,000 built). It is cheap and easy to maintain but not so effective in the air. Many nations keep them in service because of the low cost and because a wide range of avionics and weapons upgrades are available. Not really designed for ground attack but it can carry 1.5 tons of bombs. U.S. pilots are much better at killing MiG-21s once they have trained against an F-5 being flown like a MiG-21.

China Has A Daring And Prudent Plan

Earlier this year pictures came out of China showing yet another stealth fighter prototype. This one is called the J-31 “Falcon Eagle” (from an inscription on the tail), and while it looks like the American F-22, it’s also smaller than China’s other stealth fighter (the J-20, which has already flown). The J-31 was built by the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (which makes the J-11, the illegal Chinese copy of the Russian Su-27). The J-31 has some characteristics of the F-35 as well but appears more an attempt to match the F-22. It’s possible that the F-31 was a competing (with the J-20) design that lost out. That’s because the J-31 has not flown yet. Whatever the case, the J-31 is further evidence that China is determined to develop its own high tech military gear. While China is eager to develop advanced military technology locally, it recognizes that this takes time and more effort than nations new to this expect. Thus China is trying to avoid the mistakes Russia made in this area, and having competing designs and developing necessary supporting industries is part of that. All this takes a lot of time and involves lots of little (and some major) failures. The Chinese are doing it right and are willing to wait until they get military tech that is truly world class.

The other stealth fighter, the J-20, was made by CAC (Chengdu Aircraft Company), which also produced the JF-17 and J-10. The J-20 made its first flight over a year ago and several more since then. A second J-20 prototype has also been seen and first flew last May. While the J-20 looks like the American F-22 when viewed head on, it's overall shape, weight, and engine power is closer to the American F-15C. In other words, it's about 20 meters (62 feet) long, with a wing span of 13.3 meters (42 feet). J-20 has about the same wing area as the F-15C, which is about 25 percent less than the F-22 (which is a few percent larger than the F-15 in terms of length and wingspan). Worse, for the J-20, is the fact that its engine power is about the same as the F-15C, while the F-22 has 65 percent more power. With the afterburner turned on, the J-20 has more power than the F-15C and nearly as much as the F-22. But because the afterburner consumes so much fuel, you can't use more than a few minutes at a time. The F-22 is still one of only three aircraft (in service) that can supercruise (go faster than the speed of sound without using the afterburner). In addition to the F-22, the Eurofighter and the Gripen can also supercruise.

The J-20 has some stealthiness when it's coming at you head on. But from any other aspect, the J-20 will light up the radar screen. For this reason the J-20 is seen as a developmental aircraft, not the prototype of a new model headed for mass production. As such, it is only the fifth stealth fighter to fly, the others being the U.S. F-22 and F-35, plus the Russian T-50 and I.42. The older U.S. F-117 was actually a light bomber and the B-2 was obviously a heavy bomber. Based on recent Chinese warplane development projects (J-11 in particular), the J-20 has a long development road ahead of it and will likely change size and shape before it reaches the production design. The J-31 may be an insurance policy, in case the J-20 effort goes off the rails in a big way.

While the shape of the J-20 confers a degree of stealthiness (invisibility to radar), even more electronic invisibility comes from special materials covering the aircraft. It's not known how far along the Chinese are in creating, or stealing, these materials, or the needed engines. The current J-20 engines are sufficient for early flight tests but not capable of providing the supercruise, something that would be essential for the J-20. That's because China would most likely use the aircraft singly, or in small groups, to seek out and attack American carriers. As for F-22 class engines, that is being worked on. Two years ago China announced it was developing the WS-15 engine (since the 1990s), a more powerful beast well suited for the J-20. No date was given as to when the WS-15 would be available for use or whether it would have the same vectoring (ability to move the hot jet exhaust in different directions in order to make the fighter more maneuverable) the F-22 uses.

For the J-20 to be a superior fighter, it would need electronics (including radars and defense systems) on a par with the F-35 and F-22. So far, the Chinese have not caught up with stuff used by current American fighters. But the gap is being closed, faster than it was during the Cold War when the Russians were creating, or stealing, their way to military tech equivalence with the West. The Russians never made it but the Chinese believe they can succeed.

Work on the J-20 began in the late 1990s, and the Chinese knew that it could be 25 years or more before they had a competitive stealth fighter-bomber. The J-20 is being tested in central China. The twin engine J-20 appears to be about the same weight as the 30 ton F-15C. The F-35A is a 31 ton, single engine fighter, while the twin-engine F-22 is slightly larger at 38 tons. The Russian I.42 was a 42 ton aircraft and their T-50 weighed in at 37 tons.

China is also developing other support technologies, like the AESA radar, highly efficient cockpit, stealth, and software to tie everything together. Developing, or even copying, this tech is not easy. But the Chinese already know that, having decades of experience adapting stolen technology to their needs. Thus it appears that China is planning on having the J-20, in some form, ready for service by the end of the decade. The key factor is their ability to develop or steal the needed technology by then. The J-20 appears to be a fighter-bomber, as this kind of aircraft would be most useful dealing with the U.S. Navy and key targets in Taiwan or Japan. In any event, the J-20 is an attempt to develop some kind of 5th generation aircraft, complete with stealth.

The only other competitor in this area is Russia, where fifth generation fighter developments were halted when the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991. Actually, all development work on new fighters, by everyone, slowed down in the 1990s. But work on the F-22, F-35, Eurofighter, and Rafale continued, and those aircraft became, in roughly that order, the most advanced fighter aircraft available today. MiG resumed work on the I.42 in the 1990s, but had to stop after a few years because of a lack of money. Sukhoi has never stopped working on its T-50, funded by much higher sales of its Su-27/30 fighters. This fifth generation may come to be called the "last generation," after they are replaced by the second generation of pilotless combat aircraft (counting armed Predators and the like as the first).

China's defence aviation industry: searching for innovation

Over the past decade, China's military-aviation industry has been gradually transforming its defence, science, technology, and innovation capabilities, and narrowing the once-wide technological gaps with advanced aviation powers. In the fighter aircraft arena alone, it has been developing, testing, and producing a diverse portfolio of new designs - updating and modernising its 'legacy fighters, developing indigenous modern 'fourth-generation' fighters, and preparing to break into the 'fifth-generation' aircraft market.

The recent unveiling of China's next generation fighter aircraft prototypes - the J-20 and J-21 - along with accelerated modernisation of the Chengdu J-10 and Shenyang J-11 fleets, shows not only the increased sophistication of Chinese combat aircraft, but more importantly, the ongoing transformation of China's military-aviation sector.

Rise of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC)

China's largest aviation industrial group, AVIC, has been on a new path of reforms since November 2008 when the Chinese government remerged twin aircraft manufacturers AVIC I and AVIC II after a decade of separate operations. The principal aim of the re-merger was to move from traditional geographical divisions and consolidate overlapping areas of responsibility that limited the industry's capacity for innovation and technological development. The transformation of AVIC created a new corporate structure and strategy aimed to enhance China's aerospace competitiveness and improve systemic efficiency. Particularly targeted is the delivery of equipment for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) by integrating product lines, instituting best business practices, resource allocation, and accelerating industrial R&D innovation and production capabilities - in both civil and military aviation sectors.

AVIC's Defence structure now includes five core defence-aerospace prime contractors: Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (J-10; J-20; FC-1 fighters), Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (J-8; J-11; J-15 fighters), Hongdu Aviation Industry Group (K-8; L-15 trainers), Xi'an Aircraft Company (H-6; JH-7 bombers), and Changhe/Hafei Aviation (Z-8; Z-9; Z-11 helicopters). These are supported by Tier 1 suppliers and system-integrators such as Shenyang Liming Aero-Engine (fighter engine WS-10), Xian Aero Engine (fighter engine WS-9 and supplier of WS-10), AVIC Avionics (flight control, power systems). The defence supply-chain is further supported by Tier-2 and Tier-3 suppliers of systems and components such as Chengfa Science and Technology (aero engine components and control systems), AVIC Aero-Engine Controls (aero engine control systems), Hubei Aviation Precision Machinery (electro-mechanical parts and systems), and Jonhon Optronics (connectors).

According to Lin Zuoming, the group's President, during 2008 - 2011, AVIC Group recorded a 20% compound annual growth rate in revenues. In 2011, AVIC's revenue increased 20% to CNY250 billion (USD39.6 billion) and net earnings increased more than 15% to CNY12 billion (USD1.89 billion). AVIC's figures compare favourably with major Western primes, such as BAE Systems, which in 2010 posted annual sales of GBP22.39 billion (USD34.7billion).

PLAAF's operational requirements

AVIC's financial performance reflects China's continued robust defence spending growth, with more resources allocated for procurement of new equipment. With the People's Liberation Army's Air Force (PLAAF) widening operational requirements, there is a growing need to replace China's aging third-generation fighter jets (J-7 and J-8) and modernise supporting logistical infrastructure and equipment. This is projected to drive defence spending higher, leading to the expansion of China's military-aviation sector - from helicopter, trainer and transporter fleets to fourth and fifth-generation fighter jets.

Notwithstanding China's ongoing reliance on Russian assistance in the development of core systems such as engines and avionics, China's indigenous aerospace manufacturing base and its capabilities are now increasingly able to supply the PLAAF with a portfolio of aircraft platforms, technologies, and systems required for its modernisation. This is evident from the proportion of fourth-generation aircraft in service with the PLAAF, which has risen from 23% in 2005 to 33% in 2010, and is expected to reach about 50% by 2015.

Toward further innovation

Indeed, as early as the late 1990s, the bulk of the PLAAF was based almost exclusively on the obsolete 1950's-era Soviet design combat aircraft based on MiG-19 and MiG-21s. In 1999, China's fourth-generation fighters included fewer than 100 operational Su-27 armed with beyond-visual range air-to-air missiles. The PLAAF had no inventory of precision-guided munitions (PGMs) and its pilots received only limited training, constrained by time and weather conditions. By 2010, however, the PLAAF retired most of its obsolete aircraft, acquired over 300 fourth-generation fighters (J-10, J-11, Su-30 variants), armed with advanced air-to-air missiles and PGMs (i.e. Kh-31/AS-17 Krypton), and capable of flying in all-weather conditions. PLAAF pilots are now supported by China's first domestically-produced airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft and new generation of air defence systems (HQ-9).

Depending on the ability of China's aerospace primes to develop and integrate innovative systems and technologies, China's fifth-generation combat aircraft J-20 may become operational by 2020. In the process, the pace, qualitative orientation, and continuous resource allocation toward innovation in China's defence aviation industry may in the long run elevate its position closer toward global defence aviation primes.

Chinese Air Force Gets Chinese C-130

While there has been no official announcement, cell phone photos coming out of China show several of the new Y-9 four-engine turboprop transports flying with Chinese Air Force paint jobs. This was not unexpected, as last year it was noted that long-delayed flight testing of the Y-9 transport had begun. This comes after years of starting and then stopping development of this four engine aircraft, similar to the American C-130.

It was three years ago that China revived its effort to build the Y-9, but many believed it was just another false start. Not this time. The initial Y-9 design effort began in 2001, but the manufacturer ran into personnel and quality control problems and put the effort on hold after a few years. The government, and Chinese Air Force, apparently decided that now was the time for China to have a competitor for the American C-130.

The Y-9 is a 77 ton, Chinese designed, aircraft that can carry 25 tons (or nine 108x88 inch/2.7x2.3 meter pallets or 132 paratroopers). It has a crew of four, a cruise speed of 650 kilometers an hour, and has a max ferry range of 7,800 kilometers.

The Y-9 is basically a stretched version of the 61 ton Y-8F-200, which is, in turn, a Chinese copy and upgrade of the Russian An-12. Like the U.S. C-130, the An-12 was developed in the 1950s, and is still used by civilian cargo haulers all over the world. Some 1,200 An-12s were built (during 1957-73), compared to about a hundred 100 Y-8s (which began production in 1981). Over 2,300 C-130s have been built so far and is very popular with many military and civilian users.

China wants to reduce its dependence on Russia for transport aircraft and has noted the success of the latest version of the C-130 and the C-130J (a 79 ton aircraft with a crew of three, that can carry 33 tons of cargo, 8 pallets, or 92 paratroopers). The latest model, the C-130J has a cruise speed of 644 kilometers an hour and max ferry range of 7,400 kilometers.

China has operated the civilian version of the C-130 in the past, thus there are Chinese aeronautical experts familiar with the design. For the last half century few aircraft designs have been wholly original. The best ones took past ideas and recombined them into new designs, using new technology to produce better aircraft. This is apparently what China has done with the Y-9, which is aimed at military and civilian users.