Latest news with #YF-23
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5 days ago
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F/A-XX Next Generation Naval Fighter Concept Art Emerges From Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman has published a conceptual rendering for its submission for the U.S. Navy's F/A-XX next-generation carrier-based fighter. The company tells TWZ that this is the current official artwork associated with its F/A-XX concept. The program has long been even more secretive than the U.S. Air Force's Next Generation Air Dominance jet, with official artwork from potential vendors being extremely limited. In the meantime, the future of the Navy program is being increasingly questioned, with the service and Pentagon officials apparently at loggerheads about how best to proceed with it. The conceptual rendering in question appears on the Northrop Grumman website, under its Naval Aviation section. It shows the nose, a cockpit, and the forward fuselage of a supposed F/A-XX jet awaiting catapult launch from the deck of a Navy carrier. The heavy shadowing, perspective, and cropping of the airframe mean that it's far from easy to get a handle on the overall planform of the aircraft. It's worth noting that the original image posted by Northrop Grumman also had text overlaid on it. The company provided the source image without it to TWZ upon request. However, it's clearly optimized for stealth, with a prominent chine that blends the wing into the fuselage. The flowing, almost organic nature of the design, with constantly changing radiused surfaces, is also indicative of next-generation stealth. The nose would appear to be quite broad, which would provide a large aperture for a radar. The large bubble canopy seems to be indicative of a single pilot and provides good visibility. The idea that this aircraft would be a single seat design is of interest as some have assumed a two-crew concept would be better for the highly complex, extended range missions it is intended to take on. The canopy features a brace, similar to that on the F-35. The fuselage has plenty of ventral depth to it, with a large, rounded belly that suggests considerable internal volume for fuel and weapons. The aircraft features heavy-duty landing gear, of the kind required for the rigors of deck launched and landings, with twin wheels on the nose gear. Perhaps most intriguing is the presence of the top-mounted intake, located on the left-hand side 'shoulder' position. The intake has a slightly curved but broadly rectangular profile, with a vertical shelf on its outboard side. It extends from the fuselage spine out almost as far as the wing root. A mirrored intake on the right-hand side would feed the other engine. However, intake design is among the most sensitive features on a stealthy aircraft, so this is likely a somewhat awkward, seemingly out of place not very stealthy placeholder for a very low-observable intake design. The intake, as it appears in the rendering, also appears too small for the actual requirements. Overall, the concept appears directly reminiscent of Northrop's YF-23, the company's entrant into the Air Force's Advanced Tactical Fighter competition, in which it lost out to Lockheed's YF-22. The YF-23 featured a characteristic trapezoidal wing and massive, widely splayed tailerons. In the current F/A-XX jet artwork, it's not possible to see how close the family resemblance is in terms of planform, although the nose and cockpit have glaring similarities. Unlike this F/A-XX concept, the twin intakes on the YF-23 were mounted below the wings. Mounting them above the wing offers low-observable advantages, but also can have drawbacks in terms of supplying sufficient air to the engines, especially during high-performance maneuvers. At this point, it should be noted that what we can see of the aircraft depicted in the Northrop Grumman render doesn't necessarily relate to what the final aircraft configuration would look like. In general, its appearance conforms to the kind of low-observable sixth-generation combat jet that we might expect, but that's not to say there won't be more surprises to come. Also, as with the renderings for the Air Force's Boeing F-47, we don't know how accurate or purposefully misleading this image might be. It's unclear exactly when the rendering was uploaded to the Northrop Grumman website. A spokesperson told us yesterday that the new rendering 'has not been widely reported' prior to now. The same Northrop Grumman spokesperson confirmed that a previous concept artwork that reemerged on social media in recent days 'is an old, generic rendering of a future Navy fighter that has been in the public domain for some time.' You can see that artwork in the tweet below, for reference. NG's F/A-XX Images after resizing. — 笑脸男人 (@lfx160219) August 6, 2025 The suggestion, therefore, is that the new rendering could well be closer to something like a final F/A-XX concept. However, the same caveats about the potential for future changes, and even radical redesigns, as well as deliberate misinformation, apply. It is also worth comparing the new F/A-XX rendering to earlier — entirely notional — concepts use din advertising offerings from Northrop Grumman, apparently in relation to the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) crewed platform for the Air Force. You can read more about these here. While the art below is simplified and appears far more abstract, the general configuration is similar to the new artwork. Northrop Grumman is understood to be one of two companies in the running for F/A-XX after Lockheed Martin was reportedly eliminated in March. Notably, Northrop Grumman exited the USAF's NGAD program around 2023, stating it would focus on other priorities including the F/A-XX, as well as the B-21 Raider stealth bomber. It now seems they were about to get cut from the program prior to the choice to leave it on their own accord. The other F/A-XX contender is Boeing, the prime contractor for the F-47. For some time now, the future of the F/A-XX program has been under scrutiny, with growing signs that it was at best in limbo. Boeing notably pushed back on that assertion back in June. More recently, however, the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced a draft defense spending bill that would reverse the Pentagon's plan to freeze the F/A-XX program, as you can read about here. The version of the 2026 Fiscal Year Defense Appropriations Bill that the Senate Appropriations Committee approved last month includes $1.4 billion for F/A-XX. The same figure of $1.4 billion appeared in a call for additional F/A-XX funding that the Navy had reportedly included in its annual Unfunded Priority List (UPL) sent to Congress earlier in July. Meanwhile, matters around the F/A-XX are made more complex by an apparent conflict between the Navy and Pentagon top brass over the course the program should take. Back in June, the Pentagon's proposed budget for the 2026 Fiscal Year included enough funding to complete initial development work but stopped short of funds for procurement of the jets. U.S. military officials said that this decision was made to avoid competition for resources with the Air Force's F-47. This seems to have been driven by concerns that the U.S. industrial base would not be able to handle work on both programs simultaneously. Since then, in addition to the UPL submission, Navy officials have talked up the central role of the F/A-XX within the service's future carrier aviation plans. 'The Navy has a validated requirement for carrier-based sixth-generation aircraft, and it is critical that we field that capability as quickly as possible to give our warfighters the capabilities they need to win against a myriad of emerging threats,' Adm. Daryl Caudle, the nominee to become the next Chief of Naval Operations, wrote in response to a question about F/A-XX ahead of his confirmation hearing last month. Almost certainly, there will be more twists and turns in the F/A-XX program as the Pentagon and the Navy align their priorities. Behind the scenes, the designs from the competing companies are likely also undergoing refinements, perhaps also significant changes. It remains to be seen how directly the new Northrop Grumman rendering points to that company's submission, but it's certainly a tantalizing glimpse of what the F/A-XX could look like and the timing of its appearance is certainly interesting. Contact the author: thomas@ Solve the daily Crossword
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@
