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China to unveil its newest aircraft carrier stealth fighter in late 2021; fighter to compete with US Navy F-35
Shenyang J-31
wc, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Rafael Ramos
9/30/2021
The latest generation Chinese fighter should be launched later this year 2021, according to the head of the project, cited by Defense News portal. The information was given during a press conference at China Air Show 2021.
“As soon as the new plane is ready for its debut flight, it will appear in front of all of you and also on the internet. So relax and wait. You can see it before the end of the year,” said Sun Cong, president of the Chinese Aeronautical Establishment and an academic at the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
Sun Cong also said that more information about the new project should be provided in due course. He was the chief designer of China's first aircraft carrier-based jet fighter, the J-15.
Military experts say the plane will possibly be based on the FC-31, which is a direct competitor to the American F-35 Lightning II, as a similar model to the FC-31 was seen at a naval test base in Wuhan.
The FC-31 has a maximum takeoff weight of 28 tons, a 15 km operating ceiling and a maximum speed of Mach 1.8, or 2,205 km/h, according to the manufacturer. Recently, China has introduced long-range, short-range, and ground-attack weapons that make it capable of fighting in any scenario.
The FC-31 has a high survival rate, low radar signature, advanced electronics, great ranged combat capability, among others.
This fifth-generation fighter would be a more updated version and able to operate on the two aircraft carriers that are currently in service in China, which has its fleet of aircraft carriers growing.
Shenyang J-31
??2, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Rafael Ramos
Aviation enthusiast from an early age, he had his first contacts with the area developing that good old habit of spending dozens of hours in front of the screens of Micrsoft Flight Simulator and other simulators. With a solid background in various technological areas, including engineering and chemistry, Rafael has rejoined aviation as editor and author of articles and materials on our portal, providing invaluable help to the dynamics and expansion of the website and the aeronautical community, bringing us the news and updates so indispensable for us to remain current in our area of operation.
   
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