Video surfaces online of suspected J-20 test plane
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 26 July, 2016, Business Insider
China’s new fifth-generation stealth jet is believed to be drawing closer to completion after a supposed low-rate-initial-production, or LRIP, test plane was spotted last week.
According to Sputnik, video footage from Chinese websites emerged showing the suspected J-20 unit in action.
This would be the second J-20 caught by onlookers after one was spotted in December. Unlike that unit, however, the most recent J-20 was painted in gray and marked with no identifiable serial numbers — it was reported that one of the few noticeable markings on the fighter was a toned-down version of the national insignia.
[vsw id=”9tDWMqY9YLo” source=”youtube” width=”425″ height=”344″ autoplay=”yes”]
Several sources suggest that this would be the fourth LRIP developed by the Chinese air force. But despite the evidence, such as satellite imagery of J-20s from China’s Flight Test Establishment base, government-owned news outlets have not confirmed the existence of the jet.
Even a quick look at Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group’s lineup of military aircraft shows no trace of the development of the J-20.
The J-20’s progress comes at the heels of a congressional report from the US Defense Department that claims it may become operational in 2018, while some sources have even claimed it would be combat-ready by 2019.
Though the J-20 may be well on its way to supplementing China’s squadrons, aviation experts have asserted that China has gone through dubious means to get its program up-to-date.
Aviation expert Carlo Kopp of the think tank Air Power Australia writes, “By cleverly exploiting contemporary United States-developed stealth fighter shaping design rules, Chengdu engineers were able to rapidly get an excellent basic shaping design with a minimum of risk and cost, and significant long-term stealth performance growth potential.”
Powered by twin Russian Saturn AL-31 engines, the J-20 is estimated to fly at speeds as high as 1,305 mph, and it holds a central bay of four beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles and two short-range air-to-air missiles.
As of 2011, analysts have also estimated the cost of each J-20 unit to be about US$110 million.