Latest news with #J-XDS
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Yahoo
New Views Of China's Next Generation Fighters
Flight testing of China's two new next-generation fighter designs is continuing apace and offering new insights into both aircraft. The latest imagery of the larger of the two designs, commonly — but unofficially — called the J-36, offers the clearest look to date at the exhausts for its three engines and a new angle into its possible two-seat cockpit. Additional views of the second type, referred to variously as the J-XDS and J-50, show the interesting bay configuration on the side of the fuselage immediately behind the air intake and highlight other distinctive features like its swiveling wingtip control surfaces. TWZ has previously published a highly detailed analysis of both the J-36 and J-XDS/J-50, which readers can find here. There are no clear indications that the latest pictures and videos of the J-36 and J-XDS/J-50 have been fabricated, but this remains a possibility, albeit a very small one. Versions of some pictures of the aircraft that have been deliberately enhanced using generative artificial intelligence (AI) to try to glean more details are known to be circulating online. Many phone cameras now produce images that are similarly 'smoothed' by default, as well. The newest views of the J-36 in a video and associated still images, seen in the social media posts below, which are said to have been shot in the city of Chengdu. The Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, which has its main plant there, is responsible for the aircraft. Finally got my hands on this video! Crystal-clear footage of Chengdu's 6th-generation fighter jet soaring over Chengdu Airport. Absolutely amazing! #Chengdu6thGenFighter# — GaoFrank (@gaofrank75) April 23, 2025 Wow! I hope this latest image of the J-36 is legit but usually @琴石2022 on Weibo is quite credible! — @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) April 23, 2025 As noted, the new rear aspect view of the J-36 gives the clearest look we've seen at the engine exhausts for its trio of engines, which is already a highly unusual feature of the aircraft. As seen below, we can now see 'petals' extending out over the top of the exhaust trenches that sit inward of the aircraft's tailing edge. This only underscores TWZ's previous analysis about the J-36's exhaust configuration and its major similarities in form and function to that found on Northrop's YF-23. The YF-23 also notably featured an exotic intake design with boundary layer pores to help improve airflow, as you can learn more about here. As we have previously written about the J-36's exhaust arrangement in general: 'This is a clear low-observable play both for radar and infrared signature management. Recessing the engine exhaust before the aircraft's upper trailing edge is a classic low-observable design element that Northrop largely pioneered with Tacit Blue, B-2 Spirit, and YF-23. The ejected exhaust is spread out and has the potential to be actively cooled by this upper deck area. Above all else, this provides very limited line-of-sight to the engine exhausts themselves, which helps significantly in minimizing infrared signature, as well as radar cross-section, from most aspects.' The J-36 video also offers a new view into the aircraft's cockpit. Since the aircraft first emerged publicly, there has been speculation that it may have a two-seat cockpit with side-by-side seating. The imagery we have now is still inconclusive on this detail, but the possibility that two distinct heads-up displays may be visible has been raised by Andreas Rupprecht, a longtime Chinese military observer and contributor to this website. No, it clearly looks like two HUDs — @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) April 23, 2025 Additional pictures and videos of the J-XDS/J-50 from the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation have also been circulating online in the past week or so. And the same one in cut-out form …(Images via @Captain小潇 on Weibo by OPPOFind 8) — @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) April 23, 2025 Original image — John Jones (@nibelogn1996) April 17, 2025 Another set of images showing SAC's J-XDS prototype with its landing gear down and from the side … unfortunately still very small & blurry!(Images via @琴石2022 from Weibo) — @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) April 23, 2025 A test flight of Shenyang's sixth-generation aircraft took place today. It is clearly visible that the aircraft's swiveling wingtips are rotating. — 笑脸男人 (@lfx160219) April 23, 2025 As mentioned, most interestingly, a bay of some kind with a pronounced bulge at the front is now plainly visible on at least the right side of the fuselage behind the air intake. It is also positioned right in front of the main landing bay on that side of the aircraft. Whether or not the J-XDS/J-50's bay may be for weapons or intended to serve some other purpose is unknown. Questions have already been raised about whether there is enough internal space in this part of the aircraft to hold a relevant munition. It is worth noting here that China's J-20 stealth fighter has weapons bays in roughly the same location, which also have a novel configuration wherein the missiles inside pop out fully along with their launch rails before firing, as you can read more about here. We also have much clearer views of the J-XDS/J-50's unique swiveling wingtip control surfaces. TWZ has previously assessed that these wingtips most likely help provide additional stability for the tailless aircraft, and has explored the advantages and disadvantages of such a design decision in detail. No idea yet, but also interesting what looks like massive actuators … — @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) April 23, 2025 Though any new details about the J-36 and J-XDS/J-50 continue to draw particular attention, they represent just a portion of significant military aviation development efforts known to be ongoing in China, as well as additional work assumed to be going on outside of the public eye. Also today, a satellite image available through Google Earth began circulating online showing a curious object with a stealth fighter-like appearance, including a modified diamond-like delta platform, canards, and twin vertical tails, on the apron in front of the passenger terminal at Jining Qufu Airport in Shandong Province in eastern China. Additional satellite imagery from Planet Labs that TWZ reviews shows that it has been there since at least September 2024. This is all doubly curious given that Jining Qufu Airport, which had been collocated with the People's Liberation Army Air Force's (PLAAF) Jining Air Base, was officially closed in December 2023. What the 'airframe' is unclear, but it seems very likely to be a mock-up of some kind. It shows some rough similarities, but also significant differences to the Baidi Type-B, also known as the 'White Emperor,' an entirely fictional 'space fighter' design that the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) displayed at the 2024 Zhuhai airshow. Comparisons have also already been drawn to vaguely J-20-esque 'shapes' that emerged at the remote Lintao Air Base in north-central China in 2022. However, the structure of the wings and the nose of the object at Jining are distinctly different from those previously seen at Lintao, which may also be mock-ups or decoys. A video is also now making the rounds on social media that has prompted questions about whether yet another new Chinese advanced military aircraft has emerged. What can be gleaned from the video is limited given how far away the aircraft is in the footage and its overall quality. Its provenance is also not immediately clear. What can be seen does not immediately appear to directly align with any known Chinese designs. Its overall shape also does not fit with a still-unidentified tailless fighter-like airframe that emerged at Shenyang's main plant in January, which TWZ was first to report on. China is reportedly testing a third platform in northern China, according to the latest visuals that have emerged on social aircraft appears to be different from the two previously known tailless designs currently undergoing is still too early to… — International Defence Analysis (@Defence_IDA) April 23, 2025 Yes and as I noted here I'm confused … it is so much blurry. The best guess would be some sort of UAV/UCAV. We simply need to wait for more. — @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) April 23, 2025 At the same time, it would hardly be the first time a new advanced Chinese aircraft design has emerged suddenly. The dramatic appearance of the J-36 and J-XDS/J-50 flying on December 26th last year, despite no imagery having previously emerged of either aircraft, is a prime example. Ongoing testing of the J-36 and J-XDS/J-50 is certainly continuing to reveal new details about those designs. We had previously predicted that reasonably high-resolution images of the two aircraft would emerge by early summer in line with the pattern of past Chinese rolling 'leaks.' If other advanced Chinese military aircraft are now flying or are otherwise progressing into the latter stages of development, additional details may well begin to emerge about them, as well. Contact the author: joe@
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Yahoo
Canopy Seen Clearly On China's Next Gen Tailless Stealth Fighter For First Time
China's next-generation tailless heavy fighter from the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation seemed to have taken a months-long hiatus between its first known flight and its second. Since then, it has been seen in the skies at an increasing rate. New images and video coming out of China show the jet – referred to unofficially by a number of designations, including J-XDS and J-50 – on another recent test sortie, with clearer shots of the enigmatic stealth fighter than ever before. This includes what appears to be our first real view of its cockpit canopy. The aircraft's canopy has been of particular interest since the plane first appeared to the public on December 26th, 2024. Up until now, no images have clearly shown it. The plane's broad nose, paired with the ground-based perspective of the photos, and their low quality, previously made only what may have been a part of a canopy visible in imagery. This led to the question of whether the heavy fighter-sized aircraft was crewed at all. J-XX/Shengad may have flown again today — 東風 (@eastwind6699) April 16, 2025 Our very in-depth analysis on this aircraft, and its larger tri-engined Chengdu Aircraft Corporation counterpart, came to the conclusion that the aircraft was almost certainly crewed. With this latest imagery, we can finally put that question to rest conclusively. One image shows a side-on view of the aircraft, providing a new perspective to analyze. Above all else, it depicts a very streamlined bubble canopy that blends closely with the upper fuselage. Canopies and cockpits can be a major hot spot for radar reflections. Minimizing their return is critical to the survivability of a low-observable crewed aircraft. In this case, for the same reasons that the canopy was so hard for us to see until now — it is difficult to view from lower aspects — also helps with keeping it out of line-of-sight of radar systems positioned below it. These can be on the surface or lower-flying aircraft. The service ceiling of the fighter is unknown, but it should be quite high in order to maximize its performance, as well as its sensor and weapons reach. It remains unknown if the jet has one or two crew. The canopy does look quite long, which could possibly accommodate a tandem crew layout. As it seems, we finally have a quite decent side shot of SAC's J-XDS from its flight today and also for the first time a clearer proof it has indeed a canopy. — @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) April 16, 2025 This side view also provides a bit better sense of scale and form of the new jet. Its diamond-shaped forward fuselage with a prominent chine line high up near the cockpit is also readily visible. The blister under the nose that could represent a faceted aperture for an electro-optical targeting and/or infrared search and track (IRST) system, similar to what's found on the J-20 and the U.S. F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, is also visible. Another angle from the lower rear gives us a clearer view of the aircraft's exhausts. As expected, they are 2-D and likely thrust vectoring types, very similar to the U.S. F-22 Raptor's arrangement. This configuration would balance low observability, performance, agility, and especially stability, considering just how unstable a tailless tactical jet like this would be. China has been displaying its thrust vectoring engine concepts since at least 2022, with the one subscale model on the show floor at Zhuhai looking very similar to what we see in the latest imagery. We also see the unique swiveling wingtip control surfaces in action here, with the right side one highly deflected. Airshow China 2022: #China displays thrust vectoring engineshttps:// #airshowchina2022 #airshow #airdefence — Janes (@JanesINTEL) November 14, 2022 With each passing week, we are getting more and more detailed imagery of Shenyang's tailless stealth fighter, just as expected. If the flights continue, we should have a much better understanding of the aircraft's observable features by summer. Contact the author: Tyler@
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Yahoo
China's Mysterious Tailless Stealth Fighter Has Swiveling Wingtips
A new photo of the still-mysterious Chinese tailless combat aircraft, likely from the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, which first surfaced last month, provides a better view of the rear aspect of the jet. The image would appear to confirm that the aircraft's outer wingtip sections act as moving control surfaces, as we had previously suggested was a high possibility. You can read our full extremely in-depth analysis on both of China's new stealthy tailless tactical jets here. The photo in question was first published on the Chinese microblogging website Weibo. The aircraft is seen on approach to land, passing over a busy highway in daylight. Since it first appeared, some observers have suggested the jet may be designated J-50 (in the Chinese Jianjiji or fighter series), while others have referred to it as the J-XDS. At this stage, we simply don't know for sure. While it's worth noting that the authenticity of the photo cannot be confirmed, there's nothing to suggest that it's been manipulated and it's otherwise in line with the imagery of the aircraft that we have seen before. Via ACuriousPLAFan/SDF:'A rear view photo of J-XDS, posted by Cute Orca on Weibo with the caption "If this is not a PS-ed photo, this shows that the J-XDS has full-moving wingtips and no angled vertical stabilizers."' — @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) January 27, 2025 Seen here from the rear aspect, there is no sign of the 'pop-out' maneuvering tail surfaces that some had suggested might be present and which had also appeared in 'fan art' of the same aircraft. The suggestion was that such surfaces might sit flush with the inner wing area, before being activated for low-speed flight, increasing control authority and maneuverability. As we explained in our analysis feature, this didn't seem to be the case and this photo helps disprove this claim further — especially since the aircraft is seen in a low-speed phase of flight when such control surfaces would be deployed. A fan art render shows an imagined configuration with 'pop-out' maneuvering tails, something that we can now more or less rule out: Just wow! SAC J-50 rendering with foldable tails — Húrin (@Hurin92) January 1, 2025 As we pointed out in the past, having these auxiliary tail surfaces would add more weight and complexity to the design, and also decrease fuel storage, which would likely not be worth any advantages they would bring in terms of stability and agility. The apparent confirmation that the aircraft has swiveling outer wingtip sections, which serve as major control surfaces, is significant. In this photo, the tip of the right wing can be clearly seen in a front-up, rear-down position. Having extremely widely spaced surfaces that span from the leading edge to the trailing edge like this should provide a lot of roll authority and, when deployed together, should also be used to control pitch. In this way, the outer wing sections — combined with an advanced digital flight control system — would help mitigate the stability issues that come with a tailless design. The disadvantage of this arrangement is a likely reduction in low observability, although the designers will have presumably decided that the compromise is worthwhile, especially if it is a requirement of the tailless configuration. This could be reduced in cruise to some degree by limiting the articulation of these surfaces, or even locking them out entirely unless a severe input is commanded. Still, just having a jointed area in this location is less than desirable in a similar manner to how canards are not conducive to extreme radar signature reduction goals. Aside from this, the new photo probably also provides us with our best look at what could be a cockpit canopy, which was not very discernible in previous images. While it's again hard to determine any details, a prominent bulge does at least seem to be present where a cockpit should be. There has been some speculation that this aircraft could be uncrewed. This doesn't seem to be the case by anything we are seeing, but it's always possible as the bulge could also accommodate a satellite communications package. Once again, this is very unlikely at this time. The low resolution of the photo means it's hard to determine much about the configuration of the fighter's engine exhausts, although the suggestion, once again, is that the twin powerplants are provided with 2D thrust-vectoring nozzles very similar to those found on the U.S. F-22 Raptor. This would also help with stability and maneuverability. The thickness of the fuselage — another aspect we discussed in our deep-dive analysis piece — is also showcased in this new image. As well as contributing to low observability, engine nozzles of this kind would enhance the aircraft's maneuverability and stability, key concerns considering that it's a relatively heavy, tailless design. Overall, there remain many unknowns about this, the second Chinese tailless combat aircraft to break cover last December 26. However, more photos are sure to emerge and these should gradually provide us with a much better idea about its design, as well as provide a hint toward its potential capabilities and anticipated role. Contact the author: thomas@
