On a significant day, China Unveils Two Cutting-edge Stealth Fighter Prototypes
Within a day on a Thursday, two Chinese aircraft manufacturers unveiled their latest stealth fighter prototypes. These weren't ordinary demonstrators. The innovative designs from Chengdu and Shenyang could potentially rank among the most advanced manned fighter jets ever created.
Historically, the Chinese military introduces major technological advancements towards the end of the Western year, often in December or January. One of the most well-known instances was the release of the first images of Chengdu's J-20 stealth fighter online in January 2011. A decade later, it's estimated that hundreds of J-20s could be in service with the Chinese Air Force.
This year's revelation was one of the most significant for the Chinese military's PR strategy. Around the same time on Thursday, online videos emerged showcasing two different manned stealth fighter prototypes in flight. The Chengdu model was accompanied by a J-20, while the Shenyang model flew alongside a Shenyang-produced Sukhoi Su-27 clone.
Both designs share a common feature – they are both tailless delta-winged aircraft. This configuration can help reduce a fighter's radar signature, but it comes with challenges. As a 2007 report for the U.S. Air Force Flight Test Center stated, "Such vehicles are known to be aerodynamically complex aircraft with distinctive flight dynamic characteristics and intricate flight control laws."
It's clear that the Chinese Air Force is dedicated to developing an extremely stealthy fighter with complex flight controls. Both of its major fighter manufacturers are working on these designs, ensuring that one could succeed where the other fails.
The Chinese military adopted the same strategy with its first generation of stealth fighters. Chengdu's twin-engine, supersonic J-20 performed as expected, and the Chinese Air Force eventually ordered a large number. If the J-20 had failed, however, there was an alternative: the lighter Shenyang J-35, which first flew in 2012 and could potentially serve as a navy carrier fighter.
The Thursday reveal was significant, partly due to its marketing impact. It's worth mentioning that the U.S. Air Force had tested a tailless fighter demonstrator as part of its Next Generation Air Dominance program in 2020. "NGAD has progressed so far that the full-scale flight demonstrator has already been tested in the physical world," Will Roper, then head of Air Force acquisitions, stated at the time.
While the U.S. hid its new stealth fighter demonstrator, the Chinese military proudly showcased both of its own prototypes. The future depends on how well these prototypes perform under real-world conditions and how much funding Beijing is willing to allocate to one or both projects.
Either, or both, of these prototypes could evolve into multi-role fighters with significant air-to-air capabilities. They could also serve as stealthy ground-attack planes. As the Pentagon noted in its latest annual report on the Chinese military, "The PLAAF is developing new medium- and long-range stealth bombers to strike regional and global targets."
The long-range stealth bomber, the Xi’an H-20 flying wing, is still under development and may not be made public for a few more years. The medium-range stealth bomber, often referred to as the JH-XX, has been shrouded in mystery.
Could Thursday's surprise prototypes develop into medium-range bombers? It's a possibility.
The Shenyang-developed stealth fighter prototype, showcased alongside a Su-27 clone, is also under development in China, adding to their arsenal of advanced manned fighter jets. This year, China's interest in stealth technology extends beyond their J-20 stealth fighter, as demonstrated by the new prototypes from both Chengdu and Shenyang.
