Under The Angsana Tree: The J-31 Vs The F-35 Stealth Fighter

Do you think China's J-31 jet fighter is better than F35?

Let’s do a quick comparision between the J-31 and F-35 :

The J-31 has a conventional fuselage design with two large canted trapezoidal tailfins similar to the F-22A while the F-35 has a pair of smaller outward-angled tailfins similar to the J-20. Canted tailfins contribute to less weight and reduce radar cross section.
Both the J-31 and F-35 have diverterless supersonic inlet which helps to do away with complex and heavy internal mechanical systems.
The F-35 has a more powerful turbofan engine than the J-31, but the J-31 has two engines while F-35 has one. F-35's reliance on a single engine as opposed to the J-31's twin-engine configuration raises safety issue in the event of engine failure. The J-31 will be equipped with two WS-19 turbofans and will have higher overall thrust than the single Pratt & Whitney F-135.

The advantage that the J-31 has over the F-35 is the relatively more affordable price and the absence of political strings attached with arms purchase. Moreover the JF-17 tech-transfer model with Pakistan could be emulated to potential client of the J-31 and this is an attractive option considering that it will also create jobs and add value to client countries’ manufacturing and technology base.

The Israeli Air Force had recently received its first two F-35I “Adir” Lightning II stealth fighters. The introduction of a Fifth-Gen fighter jet in the region will prompted other countries in the Middle East to source for Fifth-Gen fighter jets as well, and this provide immense opportunity for China to introduce the J-31/FC-31 to potential clients such as Iran, Iraq, Syria,Saudi Arabia and other gulf-state countries. It was rumoured that the second J-31 prototype has been testing with modified fuselage (picture below) and will be revealed soon to the public.

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America's F-35 Stealth Fighter vs. China's New J-31: Who Wins?

Recently revealed details concerning China’s Shenyang J-31 fighter suggest that the aircraft not only looks like the Pentagon’s Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), but it also offers comparable aerodynamic performance. But the real question is how far along Beijing has come in the development of subsystems like radars and engines. Moreover, there is the question of how well Chinese industry can integrate all of those disparate technologies into an operational aircraft.

On the surface, the J-31 looks very much like a twin-engine F-35 clone—and there are plenty of reasons to believe that the Chinese jet was based on stolen JSF technology—and could eventually be more or less a match for the American jet. “I think they’ll eventually be on par with our fifth-gen jets—as they should be, because industrial espionage is alive and well,” a senior U.S. military aviator told me last year.

But the Chinese don’t have to match the F-35 one-for-one. The Chinese just have to do enough damage to the U.S. military to make it too expensive to fight. Hypothetically, the air superiority oriented F-22 might be able to generate a kill ratio of thirty-to-one today against the Chinese J-11 Flanker, but the U.S. Air Force has only 120 combat coded Raptors. The Raptor might only generate a three-to-one kill ratio against the J-31 or J-20, which means attrition will take a serious toll on U.S. forces. “When the J-20 and J-31 come around, even a three to one kill ratio advantage becomes costly,” a senior U.S. Air Force official told me late last year.

related: America's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter vs. China's J-31

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Better Than the F-35: China Elite J-31 Stealth Fighter Jet to Perform at Airshow

The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) will bring the Y-20 cargo aircraft and J-31 stealth fighter to the city of Zhuhai in Guangdong province once again for the airshow set to take place in November.

Both planes made their public debut at the 10th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, or Zhuhai airshow, in 2014. The much-touted J-31 stealth multirole aircraft, developed by Shenyang Aircraft corporation, did perform a demonstration flight at the biennale, but aside from that was kept away from western media.

However, the fighter is believed to have high potential as an export aircraft and is being marketed as a competitor to the F-35 by AVIC officials. AVIC's plan is to have a J-31 production model first flight in three years from now.

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Can you differentiate China’s J-20 and J-31 fighter jets?

On the pictures in Tsai’s slideshow, one jet featured two pairs of wings while the other had only one pair of large wings in the centre of the aircraft

Taiwan’s defence minister and its air force chief of staff failed a lawmaker’s test asking them to differentiate two of Beijing’s latest stealth fighter jets during a legislative meeting on Tuesday.

The lawmaker, Tsai Shih-ying, showed Taiwanese defence minister Feng Shih-kuan and air force chief Fan Ta-wei photos of two stealth fighters that Beijing has been developing and asked the officials to name the jets, Taiwanese newspaper China Times reported.
Both officials answered “J-20” to the photos, but when probed further by Tsai, a Democoratic Progressive Party lawmaker, to say exactly which plane was the J-20, Feng was stumped while Fan identified the wrong plane, the report said.

related:
US deal in Zhuhai Airshow puts China planes on world map
J-20 stealth fighter’s public debut likely to steal the limelight
VIPs flock to Zhuhai airshow as J-31 stealth fighter takes to the skies

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China unveils new stealth fighter at air show

China's newest stealth fighter jet debuted at an air show here Tuesday, as the country put its military technologies on display

The J-31, which bears resemblances to the latest American F-35 stealth fighter, was showcased on the opening day of the biennial China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China. Although still under development, China apparently has its sights set on beginning mass production within five years.

Air forces, defense contractors and aircraft manufacturers from various nations displayed their planes and other equipment at the show. Roughly 700 companies from 41 countries participated this year.

China has been increasingly exerting its influence in the East China Sea and South China Sea. The J-31 is expected to operate from aircraft carriers. Once the fighters are deployed aboard carriers, they will enable the requirements of most military operations to be met, reported a local newspaper.

related: China concerns fuel Japan's drive for homegrown fighter jets

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China's stealth fighter could 'take down' US-made F-35, says industry exec

A J-31 stealth fighter (background) of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force lands on a runway after a flying performance at the 10th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, Nov 11, 2014. The president of China's top aircraft maker said on Tuesday that China's new stealth fighter could certainly "take down" its opponent in the sky, referring to its US-made counterpart. - PHOTO: REUTERS

China's new stealth fighter could certainly "take down" its opponent in the sky, the president of China's top aircraft maker said on Tuesday, referring to its US-made counterpart.

Lin Zuoming, president of Aviation Industry Corp of China (Avic), which developed the J-31 stealth fighter, made the remarks in an interview on state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV).

"When it takes to the sky, it can definitely take it down,"he said, in a reference to the US-made F-35. "That's a certainty."

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Did China Just Turn All Fighter Jets Invisible?

A team of researchers from China is said to have created a material that could hide the world's best war machines from the all-seeing eyes of the most powerful anti-stealth microwave radars… and they have made the technology publicly available.

Similar materials have been available for some times but the one developed at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology is ten times thinner making it possible to use it to hide anything ranging from ships to planes. Some speculate that it could be even used to construct stealth fighter jets. The team described the material as "an ultra-thin broadband AFSS absorber with a stretching transformation (ST) pattern for use in ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) applications" in a paper released by the Journal of Applied Physics.

It does sound like a mouthful but this is how it works: microwave radars broadcast signals and use arrays of antennas to detect them as they bounce off objects. This helps radars to see what is obscured by clouds, for instance. The new material is capable of absorbing some of these signals broadcast to make an object it covers appear smaller than it actually is.

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CHINA'S J-31 STEALTH FIGHTER: THEN AND NOW

The J-31 "31001" technology demonstrator flies past in a public demonstration at the Zhuhai 2014 Airshow. In addition to generating export interest, Shenyang Aircraft Corporation is looking to get J-31 business from the PLAAF

Much has been made of China’s J-31 stealth fighter making an appearance at the 2014 Zhuhai Airshow. (Too much in fact; for example Foreign Policy magazine tried to tie the news to Obama’s visit this week, despite the fact that the airshow has been going on since 1996 and the plane flying since 2012.) But what can we learn from its appearance?

Made by the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC), it is highly likely that the J-31 will be China's version of the Joint Strike Fighter; its development is expected to spiral into both PLAAF and PLANAF variants. However, the J-31’s primary mission at Zhuhai has been to hunt for export customers. Beyond Chinese sales, likely customers for the J-31 include nations that have operated earlier generation Chinese export fighters like the F-7 and JF-17 (such as Pakistan and Egypt), as well as those looking for less expensive or non-U.S. alternatives.

Currently, "31001" is a technology demonstrator for SAC's stealth fighter technology. Hence it uses preexisting systems, like the Russian RD-93 engines found on the FC-1 fighter, as well as having an older two piece canopy over the cockpit. "31001" was stated at the Zhuhai 2012 airshow to have a combat weight of 17.6 tons; like the transition from the X-35 to the F-35, production variants of the J-31 are likely to be heavier than the demonstrator.

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In showing off its new toys, China isn't playing nice

China's J-31 stealth fighter was unveiled at the Zhuhai Air Show. © Reuters

China may have seen economic growth slow in November, but on the whole, it wasn't such a bad month for Beijing, as it enjoyed success in other areas.

"We should vigorously promote the Asia-Pacific free trade zone, setting the goal, direction and road map, and turn the vision into reality as soon as possible," Chinese President Xi Jinping said at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Beijing on Nov. 11.

Xi called on the leaders of member states, including U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, to work toward unity and harmony in the region. At the summit, held in the suburban Yanqi Lake area, China presented itself to the world as a powerful country. For his part, Xi acted as the amicable host, greeting guests with a handshake as they arrived at the welcoming ceremony.

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The F-35 JSF Super Maneuverability

Japan, Australia, US start new era with F-35 service agreement

The U.S. decision for Japan and Australia to host the Asia-Pacific service hubs for the F-35 stealth jets marks a new phase in their trilateral cooperation on military equipment and maintenance.

"This is a meaningful development when considering securing a support system for the F-35s, maintaining the foundations of our domestic defense industry and strengthening Japan's alliance with the U.S.," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told the press on Thursday.

The high-tech F-35 fighters were developed jointly by the U.S. and the U.K., among other contributors, and will be acquired in the Asia-Pacific by Japan, Australia and South Korea. The hub in Australia will service aircraft in the southern Pacific, while the one in Japan will handle jets in the northern Pacific.

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Singapore officials view F-35 jets in U.S. ahead of possible purchase

U.S. F-35 fighter jet

Senior defense officials from Singapore got to see U.S. Marine Corps F-35 fighter jets in action on Tuesday at the Luke Air Force Base in Arizona as the Asian country mulls buying the Lockheed Martin Corp planes, a base spokeswoman said.

The aircraft flew to Luke Air Force Base, a pilot-training center near Phoenix, from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, which is about 175 miles (280 km) away. Yuma is home to the first operational squadron of F-35 fighter jets, said First Lieutenant Candice Dillitte, a spokeswoman for the Arizona base. The Singapore officials visited the base as part of Forging Sabre, a Singapore armed forces exercise taking place at Luke and at a nearby training range, according to a news release.

Singapore is considering purchasing F-35s in the future, but has not yet committed to an order or the timetable for when it may come. The U.S. government has already approved a letter of agreement for Singapore's possible F-35 orders, which had been expected months ago.

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