New Chinese Stealth Fighter

Sinister · Post by **Sinister** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 4:49 pm

The Chinese stealth fighter jet photographs that were leaked online since December seem to only be prototypes of the aircraft, not the real deal -- at least that's what U.S officials are saying. According to Reuters, the U.S. believes that the J-20 stealth fighter jets are far too technologically advanced for China at this point, and that the photographs show what is to become of future J-20 jets.

The photographs, published on the front page of The Wall Street Journal as wel as on a number of websites, come just days before U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is due to travel to Beijing on Sunday, Reuters reports.

The WSJ reported that many experts believed the Chinese stealth fighter jet photographs were authentic, which can be a concern for the U.S. as it is a strong indicator that China is making quick progress in developing a rival to the world's only operational stealth fighter, the Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor.
Chinese Stealth Fighter - J-20 Stealth FighterJ-20 Stealth Fighter
Source: Wikipedia

U.S. Vice Admiral David Dorsett, the director of naval intelligence, told reporters Wednesday that deployment of the F-20 stealth fighter is years away.

"It's still not clear to me when it's going to become operational," Dorsett said. "Developing a stealth capability with a prototype and then integrating that into a combat environment is going to take some time."

Accordnig to Reuters, a U.S. intelligence official estimated that the Chinese stealth fighter could rival the F-22 Raptor within eight years.

"We're anticipating Chian to have a fifth-generation fighter...operational right around 2018," Wayne Ulman of the National Air and Space Intelligence Center said in May of last year.

Rhino · Post by **Rhino** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 5:47 pm

I'm sure the Chinese will give Gates some PF Changs gift certificates while he's there for his retirement gift as well as cancelling the Raptor.

Cobra · Post by **Cobra** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 8:00 pm

Something seems not right about the image. The rudder fins seems to be too small in comparison to the rest of the airframe and the comparable fins on the F-22.

Didn't the Serbs try to give parts of the F-117 that was shot down in Serbia in the 90's to the Chinese; causing the "accidental" bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade? Maybe they got some parts through.

I still remember seeing Notam's from the Serbian FIR after that; worded something like, "Sorry for shooting down your F-117, we didn't know we weren't supposed to be able to!"

A small victory for them I guess in a conflict where they got their asses handing to them on a platter.

Beaker · Post by **Beaker** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 11:25 pm

Don't know, I think China's rapidly advancing industry makes this downright inevitable. I wouldn't say there's any reason for doubt right now. Nor any reason for this not to happen... seems like everyone has some extreme resentment that China is producing their own equipment. They're doing nothing wrong. Everyone has their military and equips it as best they can.

Cobra · Post by **Cobra** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 11:39 pm

I regularly go to Shanghai. The city is amazing. Ask me about the MagLev ride into the city from the airport sometime...... top speed... 450Km/hr!!
(that's fast for you non-metric-ites!)

China is advancing on all fronts, there is no doubt about that.

However......

Someone my age has seen this all before though; Japan in the late 80s.

Ever see "Back to the Future 2?" Set mainly in 2010, it showed Marty McFly with a Japanese boss, such was the concern in America at the time over the rise of Japan. 25 years later it seems laughable, Japan has been an economic basket case since the early 90's due to the bubble economy imploding there.

My view is that China may run into similiar problems. They are not quite there yet, but the property market is starting to overheat and things may start to come to a head in the next few years. (If it does then it will be very bad for Australia... but that is another story...)

Beaker · Post by **Beaker** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 11:57 pm

And bad for... everyone else. They have the potential to collapse a lot of markets. So far they've shown decent competency in managing the bubble they've dealt with so far.

The test will come when they have to combine a "super-bubble" with their social structure. Let's hope "Big Brother" has good judgment, because no one's telling him what to do.

Sinister · Post by **Sinister** » Thu Jan 06, 2011 5:28 am

Ummmm... Yeahhhh...

So what do you think about that aeroplane thingamajig... !!!

Burner · Post by **Burner** » Fri Jan 07, 2011 11:40 pm

Forget the fighter! I could spot those exhaust cans on radar a mile off!

That said China is the largest bubble in the history of the world! Think America is crazy with currency and market manipulation, that's nothing compared to how China operates. Chinese banks are carrying way more bad debts than American banks were before the crash. The Chinese economy is built on rotten loans! Couple that with the soon to be hyper-inflating dollar that fills the Chinese economy and that death knell will sound sooner rather than later. Of course this will make products more expensive in the US, our economy slows further and on and on and on.

Enjoy the next 20 years everyone!

Ageis · Post by **Ageis** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 4:26 pm

And the beatings will continue, until morale improves