Skip to main content

CAD images suggest 'strike' version of Shenyang J-31




Key Points
CAD images that have appeared on Chinese websites suggest a strike version of Shenyang's J-31 stealth fighter
The CAD images cannot be verified but would make sense given the PLAAF's lack of interest in the existing J-31 programme

Computer-aided design (CAD) images that have appeared on the Chinese internet indicate that the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) may be considering a larger "strike" version of its J-31 fighter.

It is not possible to confirm whether these CAD images are from a corporate source, such as SAC's 601 Design Institute, or perhaps the work of a student from the associated Shenyang University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, which was involved in designing a flying scale model of the J-31 first seen in 2010.

However, it is plausible that SAC would be working on additional variants of the J-31, which is an industry rather than military-funded programme. The lack of People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) support for the existing J-31 may have prompted SAC to develop a new version that may prove more attractive.

The lengthened J-31 concept is reminiscent of the US Air Force's interest in a stealth fighter-bomber version of the Lockheed Martin F-22, sometimes called the FB-22, which was abandoned in favour of a new long-range bomber.


The J-31 strike version has a triplane planform and is here shown fitted with a single YJ-12 supersonic anti-ship missile on the centreline. (via Chinese internet)



The CAD images show a triplane-configured fighter with front canards and rear horizontal stabilisers. The chined nose and the vertical stabilisers are similar to the J-31 fighter that first flew on 31 October 2012. The design also features clear planform co-ordination among the lifting surfaces to aid low observability.

The wing is much larger than the J-31 and increases fuel capacity for a greater strike radius, but the fuselage does not appear to be much wider. An internal weapon bay is not pictured but one image shows it armed with a single YJ-12 supersonic anti-ship missile on the centreline.

A chart that also appeared online shows the new design in comparison to the SAC J-15 carrier fighter, suggesting a possible future role on China's current and future aircraft carriers.

The chart shows that in terms of length, height, and wingspan, the new design is only slightly larger than the J-15, and as such may be compatible with Liaoning, China's Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier, and a second indigenously designed carrier expected to be similar in size and configuration.

This lengthened and heavier version of the J-31 would require a more powerful engine than the Klimov RD-93 fitted to the J-31 to be employed from a short take-off but arrested recovery carrier such as Liaoning.

Russia's Klimov bureau has developed the 20,000 lb-thrust RD-33MK, while unconfirmed Chinese sources indicate that a slightly more powerful version of the WS-13 turbofan is also under development. The WS-13 has been WS-13 testing on a Chengdu FC-1 fighter since about 2010.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why States Still Use Barrel Bombs

Smoke ascends after a Syrian military helicopter allegedly dropped a barrel bomb over the city of Daraya on Jan. 31.(FADI DIRANI/AFP/Getty Images) Summary Barrel bombs are not especially effective weapons. They are often poorly constructed; they fail to detonate more often than other devices constructed for a similar purpose; and their lack of precision means they can have a disproportionate effect on civilian populations. However, combatants continue to use barrel bombs in conflicts, including in recent and ongoing conflicts in Africa and the Middle East, and they are ideally suited to the requirements of resource-poor states. Analysis Barrel bombs are improvised devices that contain explosive filling and shrapnel packed into a container, often in a cylindrical shape such as a barrel. The devices continue to be dropped on towns all over Syria . Indeed, there have been several documented cases of their use in Iraq over the past months, and residents of the city of Mosul, which was re...
Post a Comment
Read more

Russia Looks East for New Oil Markets

Click to Enlarge In the final years of the Soviet Union, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev began orienting his foreign policy toward Asia in response to a rising Japan. Putin has also piloted a much-touted pivot to Asia, coinciding with renewed U.S. interest in the area. A good expression of intent was Russia's hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in 2012 in Vladivostok, near Russia's borders with China and North Korea. Although its efforts in Asia have been limited by more direct interests in Russia's periphery and in Europe, Moscow recently has been able to look more to the east. Part of this renewed interest involves finding new export markets for Russian hydrocarbons. Russia's economy relies on energy exports, particularly crude oil and natural gas exported via pipeline to the West. However, Western Europe is diversifying its energy sources as new supplies come online out of a desire to reduce its dependence on Russian energy supplies . This has ...
Post a Comment
Read more

LONDON POLICE INDIRECTLY ENCOURAGE CRIMINALS TO ATTACK RUSSIAN DIPLOMATIC PROPERTY

ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE A few days ago an unknown perpetrator trespassed on the territory of the Russian Trade Delegation in London, causing damage to the property and the vehicles belonging to the trade delegation , Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during the September 12 press briefing. The diplomat revealed the response by the London police was discouraging. Police told that the case does not have any prospects and is likely to be closed. This was made despite the fact that the British law enforcement was provided with video surveillance tapes and detailed information shedding light on the incident. By this byehavior, British law inforcements indirectly encourage criminals to continue attacks on Russian diplomatic property in the UK. Zakharova’s statement on “Trespassing on the Russian Trade Mission premises in London” ( source ): During our briefings, we have repeatedly discussed compliance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, sp...
1 comment
Read more