Is the Chinese J-31 a real threat to the American F-35C carrier-based fighter?
The People's Liberation Army Navy appears to be speeding up its carrier-launched J-31 fifth-generation stealth fighter prototype, a move that would appear to rival the U.S. Navy's F-35C, which has already been in service for some years.
The best-known fact about the J-31 stealth fighter launched from Chinese aircraft carriers may simply be the fact that there aren't many of them, as the PRC newspaper cites two prototypes and the aircraft doesn't appear to be fully operational yet. however, every project, however apparently inoperative, is destined to evolve and, in this case, could become a threat to
However, the aircraft represents a potential threat that the Pentagon will likely take seriously, as it would be the first fifth-generation fighter launched from a PLA Navy aircraft carrier, an aircraft likely designed to counter the Navy's F-35C of the United States. A fact well known to the USA which already in 2014 had addressed the evolution of this fighter in Congress.
The PLA appears far behind when it comes to designing any kind of F-35B equivalent, or a fifth-generation aircraft capable of vertical deployment from amphibious assault ships, yet it cites images and publishes news about its emerging J- 31. This aircraft has an operational purpose very similar to that of the F-35C, the Joint Strike Fighter variant launched from US Navy aircraft carriers.
It may take several years before the PLA can field an operational strike force of J-31s, but its existence would give China an unprecedented power projection capability, making its navy a true deep-sea power fearsome to world level. . China could put enemies at risk in new ways in all parts of the world where it seeks and pursues greater influence and power. For example, the PRC is well known for trying to expand its economic and military influence in places like Africa and South America. The PLA has built its own military base right next to the US's existing base in Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa, and the PRC is known to invest aggressively in Africa and other places where it seeks greater influence. All of this aligns with China's well-documented ambition to become the undisputed global military power by its centenary in 2049, if not much sooner.
Could the J-31 rival the F-35C?
Very little is known about the J-31, other than its obvious resemblance to the F-35, which comes as no surprise to many US leaders, given their well-known concern over the PLA's regular and seemingly transparent efforts to 'replicate' or 'copy' US weapons platforms. The rounded wing-body fuselage clearly resembles the stealth shape of the US-F-35, which by design does not appear to have sharp edges or protruding structures that could generate a return signal to enemy radars. The design similarities between the J-31 and F-35 are not only recognizable to observers, but are also specifically mentioned in a Chinese newspaper as early as 2013. The essay by the Chinese government-backed “People's Daily Online” in 2013 he cites specific design similarities, writing: “The J-31 and F-35 use the same DSI input (supersonic non-boundary layer separated input).”
Additionally, the J-31 appears to operate with an internal weapons bay, a similarity recognized by AeroCorner, a publication that lists a vast amount of “specifications” and performance parameters of the J-31, also called the Shenyang FC-31.
“The Shenyang FC-31 fifth-generation jet fighter features exceptional maneuverability, stealth design and internal weapons bay, as well as upgraded avionics and sensors that provide improvements in situational awareness , improvements in radar tracking and targeting capabilities, along with an updated electronic warfare system,” writes Aerocorner.
Aerocorner says the J-31 flies with two RD-93 afterburning turbofan engines and flies at about Mach 1.8 with a maximum cruise speed of 1080 knots. Aerocorner's specifications say the J-31 can reach 23,000 meters and, perhaps more surprisingly, it operates with a range of 4,000 km.
This range seems quite significant in terms of combat strike range, largely because available specifications indicate that the F-35C has a range of at least 2000km. The F-35C's specs say "at least," which leaves the door open to the possibility that its range is longer, but there may actually be a substantial disparity in range.
However, the true margin of difference between the two aircraft may not be completely distinguishable, as it likely concerns mission systems, calculation parameters, detection parameters and weapons performance. These attributes may be more difficult to determine, but the aircraft with superior range, targeting and guided weapons attack capabilities would likely quickly prevail over the other.
Aerocorner's specifications say the J-31 operates with Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, a technology often capable of tracking multiple targets at once. However, US Air Force wargames have demonstrated that the F-35 can "see" and "destroy" fourth-generation enemy aircraft from undetectable distances, which allows a single aircraft to destroy multiple enemy fighters in the air at distances from which it is not detected. This concerns the range, image fidelity and computation related to its popular high-resolution, 360-degree EO/IR targeting sensors, called the Distributed Aperture System. Additionally, often called a “flying computer,” the F-35 is known for its ability to fuse sensor intelligence, its library of threat data called Mission Data Files, and high-speed computer processing. T he question then is: to what extent can the J-31 replicate this range and fidelity? If it didn't, it probably wouldn't have much of a chance against an F-35C.
Finally, there is the simple question of numbers, as the PLA is known to operate only several J-31 prototypes, while the US F-35 is already operational and deployed in significant numbers. The US Navy, for example, is on track to build as many as 273 F-35C aircraft. The US F-35 fleet operates with a formation-wide interoperable Multifunction Advance Data Link (MADL), which allows data to be transmitted across an entire formation of F-35s in real time, which offers a great advantage to a greater number of aircraft capable of ranging over a wider air attack envelope and exchanging targeting and sensor information.
Finally there is the question of the platforms on which to deploy the fighter: the USA has 14 functioning aircraft carriers, China has two functioning ones, one which is becoming operational and one in planning. There is no comparison yet, but the J-31 could also be placed in ground bases. With 4000 km of range, however, it would be a problem.
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The article Is the Chinese J-31 a real threat to the American F-35C carrier-based fighter? comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/il-cinese-j-31-e-una-vera-minaccia-per-il-caccia-imbarcato-f-35c-americano/ on Wed, 20 Mar 2024 10:00:07 +0000.